March 2018 Newsletter There’s plenty happening within Speedway Australia at the moment, and the purpose of this newsletter is to keep licence holders up to date with some of the more important initiatives that the next few months will bring. Every facet of the sport will positively benefit from these enhancements, and we look forward to rising to the challenges that will inevitably crop up. There’ll be some quick wins and longer-term benefits, but the sport will emerge in a better shape as speedway’s 100th anniversary approaches. ** ANNOUNCEMENT ** New Licensing System The familiar card-based licence system will soon be a thing of the past, with an all-new electronic licensing system currently in development. The benefits of this will be many, starting with faster processing times and reduced workloads for club secretaries, plus the elimination of a number of fees that licence holders currently have to pay for urgent licences.   Officials will also notice that they no longer need to carry around a multitude of cards, with the separate racing officials card for Stewards and Scrutineers being merged in with the licence.   A brief outline of the changes are below. These initiatives will be rolled out over the next few months, with a staged delivery of improvements between now and the new season. 2018 Australian Speedway Awards ** NOMINATE & WIN ** Nominations will open soon for the 2018 Australian Speedway Awards, to be held at Rydges Southbank in Brisbane on Saturday June 23.   As per previous years everyone who takes the time to nominate a worthy candidate will be in the draw to win a trip for two to the Awards dinner. Tickets to attend the dinner will also be available for purchase at an unchanged price of $150 per head. This includes a sumptuous meal and four hours of refreshments.   This is the glitziest night of the speedway year, with the incomparable Bennie Bishop playing host and the following awards to be presented to the worthy winners:-   Five Lifetime Achievement Awards To nominate, head over to this link and to purchase tickets to the awards functionclick here National services rolling out soon Speedway Australia is serious about delivering real value to its stakeholders, and one of the issues identified in the last twelve months was the need for a comprehensive national training programme. Currently, the burden of training under Speedway Australia’s rules falls to divisions and tracks, but shortfalls have been identified. In some cases, Speedway Australia’s state branches were filling some of the gaps, by conducting officials or safety training in their respective regions.    Moving forward, Speedway Australia has obtained a mandate from divisions to undertake a comprehensive training scheme that can be rolled out to all officials and venues across the nation. It’s anticipated this will be unveiled at the National Forum in June, and one of the major changes to achieve this strategy has been the announced closure of Speedway Australia’s state branches. This was necessary to ensure a complete focus on a truly national environment, so that stakeholders at every track in the country receive a similar level of care and attention.   Once we have a better understanding of the impact of these changes, Speedway Australia will be recruiting additional full-time staff to ensure all corners of the country are guided and resourced to an appropriate level. We will also be forging closer relationships with other like-minded organisations who deliver services to speedway in some parts of the country, such as the WA Speedway Commission, Motorsports NT and the NSW Office of Sport and Recreation.   We would like to pay tribute to the volunteers and administrators who have guided the state branches over the past 20 years. Most will remain a part of the sport in some shape or form, and we look forward to working with them in their other existing roles or the new opportunities that will inevitably arise. National Competitors Forum - Bringing speedway together Last year’s inaugural National Forum saw over half of Speedway Australia’s recognised racing divisions gathering for an instructive session of information gathering and networking. Over 90% of attendees requested that the forum be held on an annual basis, so Speedway Australia has committed to that process and it will again be held on the day of the Australian Speedway Awards, at the same Rydges Southbank venue in Brisbane.   We received plenty of feedback from the divisions that they would like track operators to be a part of the forum, and we are pleased to advise that the Australasian Speedway Promoters Association have committed to the Forum. They represent many of the tracks throughout the country, and the offer is now there for all tracks to make their way to Brisbane to be a part of the Forum.   Please contact us if you are a track operator who is interested in attending the National Forum. National Track Assessment Programme + Australian Titles 2018 will see Speedway Australia staff visiting most tracks in the country to undertake track assessments. These are required annually in New South Wales, and every two years in all other states and territories.  This year, the inspections are being timed to coincide with national titles wherever possible, so that staff can be on hand to network with as many stakeholders as possible. The Speedway Australia truck will also be present, starting with the Australian 360 Sprintcar Championship next weekend in Perth before moving to Horsham at Easter for the Australian Modified Sedan title, Maryborough for the Production Sedan title and culminating in Darwin with the Australian Junior Sedan and Formula 500 title.  A change to the Speedway Australia Board We are pleased to advise that long-standing speedway identity Darren Shaddock has been appointed to the Board of Speedway Australia. The Track Manager at Murray Bridge Speedway, Darren has been involved in many facets of the promotional side of the sport, through such ventures as Sprintcar World and Speedway.Net.  Darren replaces Steve Green, who has left the country to undertake an exciting venture in the automotive industry overseas. We welcome Darren to the team, and thank Steve for his many years of service both to Speedway Australia and the sport in general.  The Board of Speedway Australia consists of four competitor representatives, four promoter representatives and an independent. The current Board is as below, with details on their speedway involvement and year of appointment:- Competitor Representatives Greg Lynd | CEO, Speedway Sedans Australia (2014) Darren Cassidy | President, Racing Sedans Australia (2014) Mark Cooper | Speedcars Australia (2014) Gary Winterbottom | Sprintcar Control Council of Australia (2017) Promoter Representatives Guy Thompson | Chairperson, Latrobe Speedway Pty Ltd (2014) Gavin Migro | Longest serving Board member, Perth Motorplex (2002) John Kelly | Archerfield Speedway, also Sprintcars Queensland (2006) Darren Shaddock | Murray Bridge Speedway, Made Too Go Group (2018) Independent Board member Damien McKern | Deputy Chair, Chartered Accountant (2015) CBHS Corporate Health Speedway Australia’s health insurance partner CBHS has a reputation as one of the leaders in the market, and with a number of special offers for the speedway fraternity they need to be considered as an option for you and your family.  For more details on how CBHS Corporate Health can help you out, head to their dedicated speedway landing page. World Series Sprintcars Winners Held in conjunction with this year’s World Series Sprintcars championship was a fundraising raffle, initiated following the inclusion of an Eagle Sprintcar chassis and bodykit in the title sponsorship of Queensland Speedway Spares. Winners were as follows:-  Eagle Sprintcar Chassis | Mikey Rimmer, WA Revolution Racegear Voucher | James Rosenberg, SA Speedway Star Merchandise | Adam Currie, SA                                                 Dyson Motorsport, NSW                                                 Robert Warner, QLD Also on the night was a prize draw for three Knoxville Nationals tickets, generously donated by QSS’s Bill Mann. V88 Victory Lane Racing were the lucky winners.  And the inaugural World Series Sprintcars Fantasy League was won by Glen Ince, a V6 Sprints competitor from SA. Congratulations to all winners, along with series champion James McFadden from Monte Motorsports.  Rulebook There have been no changes to any rules so far this year. This means the current rulebook in force is the December 2017 version, available here. Welcome to Nickol Bay Speedway Speedway tracks don’t come much more remote than the venues in northern Western Australia, but fans and drivers from these tracks know that the quality of facilities is comparable to metropolitan venues. Nickol Bay Speedway operate out of Karratha from April to December, with the season concluding with their famous New Years Eve Derby. Other highlights include the Sprintcar Stampede in June and the Brett Johnson Memorial for Modified Sedans in July.  We are delighted to welcome Nickol Bay Speedway into the Speedway Australia organisation, and for more information check out their Facebook page here.

2017/18 World Series Sprintcars

Round 4 - Avalon Raceway Image Gallery

Rhys Heinrich Wins National Title Thriller

Rhys Heinrich has won the SRE, Speedway Sedans Australia, National Street Stock Title at the Lucas Oils Kingaroy Speedway, in front of a massive crowd at the Showgrounds.

In one of the more extraordinary races seen in a National Street Stock Title, this one had it all, with more twists and turns than you could imagine.

It started with last years top two on the front row, with Anthony Beare again taking pole position for a National final, with Brad McClure starting on his outside, with the race being conducted in a clockwise direction, for the fourth year in a row.  John Lodge and Mark Jennings would start on row two, while Robbie Faux and Lenny Bates would start on row three.

The race would be led by Anthony Beare in the early stages, with the race being run at a hectic pace, with drivers running three wide through the formative laps.

The first piece of drama would occur on lap four when Rhys Heinrich was sent to the rear of the field, after spinning by himself, at the finish line.  At the same time, Michael Clark, who advanced from the B Main, would retire with a flat tyre.  Dale Riley Jnr would also retire after just three laps, after qualifying sixteenth.

Upon the resumption, Beare continued to lead McClure, while behind the duo, any number of drivers would hold down third place in a spectacular race, with Lenny Bates, John Lodge, Robbie Faux and the Lodge for a second time, all being in third place within the first ten laps, in a race of ever changing fortunes.  Lap nine would see Stephen English sent to the rear of the field for spinning, and Jason DeGoldi retired with over-heating issues at the same time.

In a great battle behind Beare, who again cleared away after the resumption, Robbie Faux moved to second place, deposing McClure back to third, as Jamie Oldfield moved to fourth on lap fifteen.  The first four places were all National Title holders, having won ten of the last twelve titles, something that was going to hard to overcome for the remainder of the field.

Jamie Oldfield started to really make his presence felt on lap seventeen when he moved to third place, after starting from position nine.   McClure had now dropped to fourth place, as Oldfield challenged Faux for second place.  The battle raged for several laps before Oldfield got the better of Faux, moving to second place, as the West Australian then set out after Anthony Beare.

The pair have had some legendary battles across the years, and Saturday's nights A Main provided another highlight reel, as the pair traded the lead for numerous laps, with Oldfield passing Beare at one stage on the outside to take the lead, with the near capacity crowd roaring their approval.  Oldfield held the lead for a brief period before his race was over with power steering issues, allowing Anthony Beare to re-take the lead, and again have a chance to become the first driver to win three consecutive titles.

The battle continued for the minor placings, with Beare a considerable distance ahead of the field, with the demise of Oldfield.  Robbie Faux had moved to second place, while John Lodge had moved to third and Rhys Heinrich was fourth, a remarkable effort after being sent to the rear of the field, soon after the start.

Robbie Faux would be the next to succumb, retiring from the race while in second place, as the hot conditions continued to play havoc with man and machine. John Lodge moved to second ahead of Lenny Bates and Rhys Heinrich in a four way battle for the minor placings.

The drama though would not end their, with lap thirty seven being on of the most crucial laps in recent titles.  The race would be brought to caution with three laps remaining, with saw Mick Dann and Jamie Lock watch the concluding stages from the infield.  Anthony Beare's car was also showing signs of distress, emitting smoke, which the drivers behind became aware of as the race was ready to resume.   As the field moved down the back straight to take the green, Beare blew a tyre and he immediately withdrew, handing the lead to Heinrich in one of the most remarkable comebacks ever seen.

Heinrich held the lead for the final three laps, downing Lenny Bates and John Lodge in a thrilling finish, with just 0.102 separating the pair.  Mark Jennings and Brad McClure would finish fourth and fifth respectively, with Morris Ahearn sixth, Steven Gartner seventh, Craig Buchanan eighth, and Stephen English finishing ninth and the final finisher.  Craig Buchanan's driver was full of merit after winning the B Main, the South Australian finished a credible eighth.

Heinrich was in disbelief with his victory, admitting to spinning by himself.  "Luckily we did it early (referring to the spin which sent him to the rear), I had confidence before the race that we could win, as Robbie Faux won from that position in a previous title" Heinrich said.

OFFICIAL RESULT

A Main - 40 Laps: 1. S46 Anthony Beare, 2. V54 Brad McClure, 3. N76 John Lodge, 4. N11 Mark Jennings, 5. V16 Robbie Faux, 6. V74 Lenny Bates, 7. S32 Steven Gartner, 8. V43 Jamie Lock, 9. W29 Jamie Oldfield, 10. V5 Mick Dann, 11. S49 Rhys Heinrich, 12. Q88 Nathan Barbeler, 13. V34 Morris Ahearn, 14. Q22 Stephen English, 15. S132 Andy Maxwell Jnr, 16. T75 Dale Riley Jnr, 17. S47 Craig Buchanan, 18. V98 Michael Clark, 19. Q63 Jarrod Peacock, 20. V57 Jason DeGoldi

Result
1. S49 Rhys Heinrich, 2. V74 Lenny Bates, 3. N76 John Lodge, 4. N11 Mark Jennings, 5. V54 Brad McClure, 6. V34 Morris Ahearn, 7. S32 Steven Gartner, 8. S47 Craig Buchanan, 9. Q22 Stephen English, 10. S46 Anthony Beare (37 laps), 11. V5 Mick Dann (37), 12. V43 Jamie Lock, (37), 13. V16 Robbie Faux (31), 14. W29 Jamie Oldfield (29), 15. S132 Andy Maxwell Jnr (19), 16. Q63 Jarrod Peacock (19), 17. Q88 Nathan Barbeler (15), 18. V57 Jason DeGoldi (8), 19. T75 Dale Riley Jnr  (3), 20. V98 Michael Clark (3). Time: No Time, Winning Margin: 1.595, Fastest Lap: 17.707 S46 Anthony Beare

Wayne Brims has tonight won his fourth New South Wales Super Sedan Title in twelve years, in a drama packed A Main, at Morris Park Speedway, Dubbo.

The event was thrown into chaos when the track lighting failed, causing nearly a three hour delay to the commencement of the Title, which eventually started at 8.50pm EST, after organisers, organised portable lighting towers to illuminate the darkened areas of the venue.

After six qualifying heats which saw victories to Brims, Tasmanian Steve Latham, South Australian duo Dave Gartner and Ryan Alexander, Australian Champion, Callum Harper and multiple Victorian Champion Lucas Roberts, it would be Latham and defending Champion Lachlan Onley who would start on the front row, after a very even night of competition.

The final would not get off to a good start though, with the initial start resulting in Steve Latham hitting the fence in turn three, ending his race before the completion of the opening lap.

The resultant complete re-start resulted in a massive crash in turn two, which eliminated five drivers from the race, including Dave Gartner, Leigh Williams, Darren Anning, Chris Blyton and Matt Williams.

None of the forty laps were yet completed, and six drivers, including four drivers who started in the top ten were now forced to watch the entire race from the infield.

When the race eventually did get underway, Wayne Brims would lead Onley, Ryan Alexander and Lucas Roberts, but another caution was called on lap nine, which ended Mick Nicola’s race, along with that of Ian Brims.  Nicola hit the fence in turn two, and was in eighth place at the time.

On lap thirteen, Matt Pascoe made his move, jumping to third, as Alexander slipped to fifth.  Positions then remained constant until lap twenty four, when Wayne Randall spun in turn four, bunching the field up for the final sixteen laps.

There would be more drama to unfold in the concluding stages, when Onley and Brims made contact, with Brims spinning, but no penalty was applied by the officials, who were unable to decide who was at fault, setting up a six lap race to the finish and the title.

Brims held off the resultant challenges in the final stanza, downing the defending Champion, to win his fourth New South Wales Super Sedan Title.  Behind Onley was Matt Pascoe, followed by Lucas Roberts, Ryan Alexander, while Callum Harper finished in sixth place with Wayne Randall the final car left on track after the forty lap bruising affair.

RESULT

A Main - 40 Laps: 1. N1 Lachlan Onley, 2. T8 Steve Latham, 3. V0 Lucas Roberts, 4. N111 Wayne Brims, 5. S1 Dave Gartner, 6. Q4 Leigh Williams, 7. A1 Callum Harper, 8. V1 Ryan Alexander, 9. N21 Darren Anning, 10. Q15 Matt Pascoe, 11. V3 Mick Nicola Snr, 12. N91 Chris Blyton, 13. Q3 Matt Williams, 14. Q0 Wayne Randall, 15. Q1 Peter Nicola, 16. N14 Mark Towers, 17. Q76 Ian Brims, 18. N33 Barry Towers

Result
1. N111 Wayne Brims, 2. N1 Lachlan Onley, 3. Q15 Matt Pascoe, 4. V0 Lucas Roberts, 5. V1 Ryan Alexander, 6. A1 Callum Harper, 7. Q0 Wayne Randall, 8. N33 Barry Towers (34 laps), 9. N14 Mark Towers (16), 10. V3 Mick Nicola (8), 11. Q76 Ian Brims (8), 12. S1 Dave Gartner (0), 13. Q4 Leigh Williams (0), 14. N21 Darren Anning (0), 15. N91 Chris Blyton (0), 16. Q3 Matt Williams (0), 17. T8 Steve Latham (0). DNS: Q1 Peter Nicola.

WATTS WINS HOME TRACK 40TH ANNIVERSARY EVENT

Mitch Watts did his home club of Leeton proud when on April the 30th he went on to defeat his 

father in law and current Victorian champion Ross Maclean in a last lap pass as he crossed the line in 

first place on a special 40th anniversary race night, Maclean second and Dave Walton finished in 

third place. 

With big events on the program for Super Sedans & Production Sedans the Goulburn Ovens Sedan 

Association played the third string role on the card and in reality had the closest finish of the night in 

their final. 

Watts (# 54 Ace Smash Repairs – Commodore) began the evening in heat one with a victory over 

Frank Gordon, Wally Dewar, Walton & Maclean. A six lap race on the 917 metre long track finished 

with just over two and a half seconds between first and second at the finish line. Scott Callander 

finished in seventh ahead of Mark Pollard, Jamie Atkins & Stuart Balins whilst Mick Pettit (# 6 MP 

Sheds – Commodore), Mick Quinn & Mark Gordon were all non-finishers.

Off the front row Callander (# 24 Jindera Automotive – Falcon) took the early lead in heat two and 

after starting from position four it took Maclean until lap three to hit the front and go on to record 

the fastest time for a heat race for the night with six laps done in two minutes 58.732 seconds. 

Watts moved ahead of Callander & into second on lap five finishing just over three seconds behind 

Maclean (# 1 Macleans Storage Corowa – Commodore). Pettit was fourth with Walton, Frank 

Gordon, Pollard, Dewar, Quinn, Atkins & Mark Gordon a lap down finishing behind the winner. Balins 

didn’t finish.

Making it two wins in the heat races and securing pole position for the final, Maclean took the lead 

from Pollard (# 18 BB Freight – Commodore) on lap two, Pollard held strong in second until lap five 

when he spun in turn one and out of the race.

Watts assumed second place behind Maclean after starting back in seventh place, Pettit moved into 

third with Walton (# 43 Maverick Boats – Centura) & Callander from the very back of the field next in 

line as Maclean took the .742 of a second win. Quinn finished in sixth spot with Dewar, Atkins & 

Balins the others to finish. Frank Gordon missed the start and Mark Gordon (# 91 Menzplant – 

Commodore) who had a new engine in the car was having issues which didn’t allow him to start the 

first heat either.

A ten lap final at Brobenah Raceway Leeton is like a twenty to twenty two lap final at most other 

regular size speedways & the drivers thrilled the crowd, especially Maclean & Watts out front. 

Maclean got the lead on lap one from Watts, Callander held onto third place with Walton chasing.

On lap seven Walton moved into third ahead of Callander, Mark Gordon dropped out of the race yet 

again with his engine not right whilst earlier in the final Quinn (# 17 KMA Signs – Commodore) 

copped a whack from Mark Gordon and that put him out of the race.

On the very last lap Watts took the lead in front of parochial home crowd to bring his Leeton 

registered race car to a win with Maclean just .088 of a second behind. The race went green to 

chequered flag without a stop and a four minute and 50.544 second race time. Walton was third five 

seconds back with Callander, Frank Gordon, Dewar, Pettit, Pollard, Atkins & Balins (# 22 QA Kitchens 

– Commodore) the finishers. 

Goulburn Ovens Sedan Association would like to thank the sponsors.

Max’s Motor Museum – Corowa

Maverick Boats – Corowa

Elle Mae Hair & Beauty – Corowa

Corowa Kitchens & Cabinets

Psychic Tina – Leeton

Wahgunyah Rock Yard – Wahgunyah

Stevo’s Painting Services

Cornelius Classic Panels – Corowa

Ace Smash Repairs – Leeton

MP Sheds – Leeton

Corowa Glass – Corowa

Dunkley Paint & Panels – Corowa

Sf photo graphix - Mulwala

Written by

Dean Thompson

DMT Sports Media

For Goulburn Ovens Sedan Association

Bradley Oldfield has tonight made history in more ways than one as he not only became the first driver to win a title with an EFI Junior Sedan, but also the first Oldfield family member to ever win a Junior Sedan State Title as he crossed the line in first place tonight at the Broome Speedway.

Oldfield was towards the pointy end of every race he competed in over the weekend, setting up a position three start in A Main event.

Jake Avins and Travis Armstrong would share the front row of the feature, with Armstrong sitting third in points after night one then recording a second place finish to be on top of the points standings, however it was Jake Avins in the second last heat of the night who had to win to claim pole position, a mission he accomplished in sensational fashion.

As the field went green Avins and Armstrong were side by side, with Armstrong nudging his way into the lead. The race however only went for two laps as Shannon Marsden was sent spinning on the back straight, leaving Queenslander Ardie Jonic nowhere to go but head on into her, ending both of their nights prematurely.

Oldfield took advantage of the restart to move past Avins into second and began applying the pressure on Armstrong, taking over the point on lap five.

Behind them Jorj Park was making the moves after starting in position five and moving into fourth and then into fourth. Dylan Parkes was also charging after being the overnight equal point’s leader before a DNF in his final heat saw him start the feature from position ten. He worked his way into fifth as Park moved past Avins into third, before the yellows were on once again.

Ashley Baker found himself in the back straight wall in a big way, so with eight laps complete the race would come under caution once again. On the restart Armstrong saw his chance, poking his nose under Oldfield, then making the move and coming out in front once again, while Jorj Park continued to lurk in close proximity behind the leading duo.

Jake Avins and Blake Webb were locked in a battle for fourth, but the top three were away, battling hard and pulling further and further away from the field. On lap eighteen the man they call ‘Nuts’ being Oldfield, made his move once again and grabbed the lead back from Armstrong who quickly fell into the clutches of Park.

Blake Webb then moved into a clear fourth place, with Jake Avins then spinning a few laps later to set up a four lap dash for the title. Unfortunately it was at this time that Armstrong’s car gave up the ghost, sending him infield and elevating Blake Webb into the top three for the final stanza.

Try as they might, no one could catch Oldfield, who went on to win his first WA State Title by 0.933 seconds in a race that went for just over half an hour. Jorj Park came home second followed by fellow Broome local Blake Webb (who started from eleventh), while Brooklyn Vanzetti was fourth followed by Jacob Potts (who started fourteenth) was fifth, just pipping sixth place Jake Avins by 0.029 seconds.

Dylan Parkes, Blake Iwanow, Brodie Vanzetti, Jayke Malcolm, Stefani Ameduri and Bradley Short rounded out the only other finishers.

Earlier in the night Brodie Vanzetti, Zac Minshull, Ashley Baker, Jake Avins and Blake Iwanow won a heat each in the final rounds while the C Main went to Seth Hinsey over Tanika Webb who put on a great show in the closing laps to grab the final transfer.

Bradley Short won an epic B Main event after a race long battle with Jay Rees, while Jackson Derrick and Stefani Ameduri grabbed the final two transfer spots into the big dance.

It was a great weekend of racing, with all drivers demonstrating professional attitudes and a lot of racing skill. Thankyou to all drivers, their families, officials and of course the whole Broome Speedway for making the 2016 SSWA Roadline Civil Contractors WA Junior Sedan Title a great success.

Official A Main Result - 25 laps: 1. W21 Bradley Oldfield, 2. W74 Jorj Park, 3. W108 Blake Webb, 4. W118 Brooklyn Vanzetti, 5. W81 Jacob Potts, 6. W11 Jake Avins, 7. W3 Dylan Parkes, 8. W24 Blake Iwanow, 9. W116 Brodie Vanzetti, 10. W23 Jayke Malcolm, 11. W83 Stefani Ameduri, 12. W39 Bradley Short. DNF: W6 Travis Armstrong (21), W29 Jay Rees (20), W7 Zac Minshull (19), W16 Peter Katona (7), W10 Ashley Baker (7), W27 Jackson Derrick (4), W93 Shannon Marsden (2), Q50 Ardie Jonic (2). Total Time: No Time. Winning Margin: 0.933. Fastest Lap: 22.356 W21 Bradley Oldfield.

Brad McClure has won the Inaugural New South Wales Street Stock Title tonight at the Wahgunyah Speedway, with the 35 lap main event going without a stoppage.

McClure was able to reverse the tables on Australian Champion Anthony Beare, who finished second, while Mick Dann finished third.

It would be Jamie Oldfield and Lenny Bates who would start on the front row though, after nine qualifying heats, with Matt Nelson joining Dann on row two.

Bates would get the best of the early exchange, leading Oldfield, while McClure who started from the third row, very quickly moved to third, and by lap six moved to second.

Jamie Oldfield found himself under siege, with firstly Mick Dann and then Anthony Beare passing the West Australian, as Brad McClure found an opening left by Lenny Bates, and McClure assumed the lead.

Anthony Beare who started from position seven, moved to third on lap ten, and it looked even at this stage of the race, that the NSW State Title was going to replicate the Australian Title, particularly when Beare moved to second three laps later.

On lap fifteen, Jamie Oldfield would retire from the race with mechanical issues, one of just two drivers not to complete the event, in what was turning out to be a great spectacle.

McClure and Beare started to make their way towards the inevitable lapped traffic, but with the track being 710 metres, it never played a major part, with the duo driving away from the remainder of the field.

There would be no repeat of the grand-stand finish at Ballarat, with McClure able to hold a four car length lead over Beare to the finish of the race.  Mick Dann would finish third, eight seconds or a third of a lap behind Beare, with Lenny Bates holding off Matt Nelson for fourth.  Kye Walters would finish sixth.

Earlier, Jamie Oldfield, Brad McClure and Lenny Bates would win two qualifying heats apiece, with Mick Dann, Brenton Mills and Chris Stewart winning the remaining three.

McClures win was more meritorious, having several car issues throughout the night, despite winning two heats, he didn’t start his third heat. “We had several car issues throughout the night, I wasn’t sure how I was going to go (leading into the final), we had clutch issues, until the green flag dropped I didn’t know if it was going to slip or not, it was fine luckily and it went flag to flag which is good, because if I had to use the clutch too many times, I don’t think I would have had one to use”, he said post race.  “This eases the pain of the National Title”, he added.

McClure has now won five State Titles across three States, three in his home State of Victoria, one in South Australia and now the inaugural Champion in New South Wales, to add to his three National Titles.

OFFICIAL RESULT

A Main – 35 Laps. 1. V24 Brad McClure, 2. S46 Anthony Beare, 3. V0 Mick Dann, 4. V74 Lenny Bates, 5. V61 Matt Nelson, 6. V15 Kye Walters, 7. V5 Steven Watts, 8. V27 Jason DeGoldi, 9. V29 Chris Stewart, 10. S78 Jason Duell, 11. N11 Brenton Mills, 12. S25 Mark Gartner, 13. V143 Jamie Lock (33 laps), 14. V23 Shaun Henry, 15. V21 Donald Irving, 16. V82 Shane Roycroft (34), 17. N3 Colin Peadon (33), 18. W106 Warren Vanzetti (33), 19. V67 Andrew Ratten (28), 20. V4 Jamie Oldfield (15). DNS: V12 Darren Giacometti. Time: 15.05.981, Winning Margin: 1.414, Fastest Lap: 25.365 S46 Anthony Beare

*Photo Courtesy of Ash Media Speedway Footage (Brad McClure)