BATES & JORDAN WIN 3 HOUR ENDURO PACKED WITH CRASHES, SPINS & FINISHED UNDER APPEAL

BATES & JORDAN WIN 3 HOUR ENDURO PACKED WITH CRASHES, SPINS & FINISHED UNDER APPEAL

Alexandra Speedway Club is the only Victorian Speedway that runs events into August each & every

season with the annual 3 Hour Enduro once again giving 1500 Speedway fans a much needed dose

of dirt track action, decided in the protest room after the fans had gone home thinking somebody

else had won, the winners stand as Eastern Suburbs drivers Lenny Bates now a two time winner &

Andrew Jordan, both Alexandra club members.

Sixteen heat races determined the actual starting positions for the long journey, with Pakenham

brothers Damien & Brendan Miller qualifying in the pole position & David Donegan along with Daniel

Scott qualifying second.

Most of the top ten positions were secured by pre race tips to win or figure well in the race. Leigh

Bourke & Tim McPherson, Jordan & Bates, David Barrie & Gareth Wilson, Seymour’s Rob Gorman &

team mate Daniel Simpson, Rob & Karl Haisma, Tony Moule & Frank Ramsdale, Alexandra’s Luke

Fallon & local shire resident Matt Ridd & a great performance from Shaun Erickson teaming with

Anthony Knight.

During the feature itself the Miller boys held the lead early, Moule & Ramsdale held the lead before

last year’s winners Daniel Unternahrer & Darren Nelson took over the lead and looked on track to

defend their crow after Moule headed to the pits to put Ramsdale on track & then that combination

change again to put Moule back on track.

Combinations such as the Brad Warren & Russell Hill (flat tyres and axle damage), Colin & Corey

Lincoln (blew an engine in their second car during heats) & Scott Ellis & Darren Forrest mechanical

issues and engine issues at times during the feature and the evening that put them out of the

running.

Another combination that for a long time were on the lead lap were Paul McCoubrie with Aaron

Bunton however a late pit stop changed that as the dropped down a lap. After a fuel cell dropped

out of a competitors car and a red light halted the field with 3 minutes & 43 seconds to go, fans were

assured of a grand stand finish with the Miller boys whom had been down on laps for a large part of

the 3 hours after a flat tyre and breaking a differential returning to the lead lap after consistently

getting past the lead car just as a caution light would come on allowing them to get the wave around

to join the back of the queue by officials.

Nelson & Jordan & Brendan Miller began the last restart close together & the battle in particular

between Nelson & Jordan was side by side for the last few moments. Finally a lapped car just ahead

of them as they exited the dog leg split the two with Nelson going low and Jordan high and around

the back marker before both lead cars came together.

Nelson continued on at full speed to cross the line first, Jordan in trying to catch back up got all

crossed up in turn four & Miller ripped past into second before Jordan crossed the line.

Stewards were unsure of the outcome & debate began. Nelson returned to the line and approach

Jordan to say bad luck & great race & Jordan’s team mate Lenny Bates came out for a potential

presentation, however was already keen to appeal a result if the stewards did not make a call in

Jordan’s favour.

The stewards after discussion awarded the win to Nelson & his team mate Unternahrer & they

instantly did a victory lap & as this occurred Bates & Jordan paid up to appeal the result. No trophies

were awarded and the teams headed back to the pits and then onto the appeal room.

After midnight, Bates and Jordan were installed as the winners with the Miller boys second and

Nelson & Unternahrer back to third place as a penalty for the incident that impeded Jordan.

Jordan and Bates after the race were understandably very pleased at being awarded the win whilst

none too pleased with how the race finished. “We are all race drivers, we just want to finish in front

of the other guy when we hit the track. We appealed because we believe that we were impeded by

the car that crossed the line to win the race. Not the way anybody wants to win a race, however we

believe the right result now stands. “ shared Bates on behalf of his team.

A different story of course for Nelson & Unternahrer whom could have been back to back winners of

the event & of course they are displeased with the outcome whilst the Miller boys are very happy

considering they were down and out for so long and needed to catch up & still make strategic pit

stops along the way.

Earlier heats were won by Simpson, Colin Lincoln, Barrie, Brendan Miller, Matt Nelson, Damien

Miller, Ramsdale, Jordan, Rob Haisma, Moule, Brendan Miller again, Donegan, Scott Cornwall,

McPherson, Scott & Darren Nelson were the sixteen heat winners.

The fastest heat winner was Moule in round three when he won by just 2.1 seconds over Luke Fallon

with a race time of 3 minutes 22.946 seconds, that time was four seconds better than any other

earlier. The closest result was Daniel Simpsons .256 of a lap win over Leigh Bourke in the very first

heat of the sixteen.

The drive of the night was from the less fancied combination of Josh Service & Alan Kruger whom

finished in seventh place only three laps down.

Alexandra Speedway Club is very thankful for the support provided by all these businesses:

360 Diffs & Gearboxes

Air Anywhere

Alexandra & Yea Pre Mix

Australian Racing Products

Blackburn Trailers

Burco’s Metal Fabrications

Campton’s Graphix

D.I.Y Auto Parts Broadmeadows

Eastern Suburbs Locksmiths

Fallon’s Bus Services

FSM Recycling

GB Racecars

Good Guys Performance Centre

Gorski Engineering

GYB Civil

Healesville Directional Drilling

Highline Racewear

Inaction Photos

Kilmore Towing & Transport

Lake Eildon Houseboat Sales

Lincoln’s Earthmoving

Metro Tow

More Tyres

Murrindindi Kitchens

Pakenham Caravan Storage & Repairs

Quality Fire Protection

Revegetation Victorian

Rumbles Indoor Playcentre

Shamrock Hotel

Smooth Suspension

Trax Racewear

Tyrepower Alexandra

Waverley Exhaust & Brake Centre

Weeks Radio

Yarra Valley Towing

Written by

Dean Thompson

DMT Sports Media

For Alexandra & District Speedway Club

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