Bairnsdale Speedway Association action on Saturday (February 25th) was once again terrific with a new Victorian Sprintcar champion determined in the thirty-five-lap final when local East Gippsland born and raised racer Nigel Laity stormed to the finish line in front of another local Andre Nielsen and Dennis Jones from the Latrobe Valley.
Other winners on the night included Bobby Devine in the Division 2 Hot Rods, Elise Halliday in Ladies Standard Saloons and Victorian Standard Saloon champion Jacob Vuillermin in that classes feature event.
Sprintcars held four qualifying races to determine the title race grid positions with Nigel Laity benefiting greatly in the first heat when fellow front row starter Adam Greenwood was sent to the rear of the field by the Steward. Laity made a great start on the re-start to win that first race that went the distance without stoppage. Rod Dennison won a closer battle in the second qualifier that also went the distance without stoppage.
Nielsen then won the third qualifier which also went the distance with Koby Noonan having his best Sprintcar race in his short career with a terrific second spot result. Dennis Jones a four-time class champion then wont the last heat race in the quickest time of the night. Nielsen then led the first nineteen laps of the title race before running out of tear offs and getting stuck on the pole line behind a backmarker as he tried to guide his way to the finish line. Laity passed him and went on to lead the last sixteen laps beating Nielsen, Jones, Alistair Bastian, and Adam Greenwood.
Division 2 Hot Rod racing competed in round two of their Remember Them, Remember When series and three heat races were run and won before the feature event. Melissa Tatterson won the first heat race before Bobby Devine won the next two races. Devine has been terrific at Bairnsdale this season and he went on to win once again this time from Mel Tatterson, Fraser Crittenden and then Tatterson’s father Rob and Allan Sell.
Elise Halliday and Sarah Gartner battled each other all night in the Ladies Standard Saloons. Halliday taking victory in the first race and the second before Gartner from Penola in South Australia won the third heat race. In the feature event Gartner led the first four laps before Halliday took the lead with a pass up the inside at turn four. Halliday then led the last six laps to win from Gartner, Jo Richardson, Kate Stuchbery and Sharlene Laidlaw.
Jacob Vuillermin who won the Standard Saloon Victorian title at Bairnsdale last season, had his first race meeting of the season as a hit out before the upcoming state title at Wangaratta. Vuillermin won all three of his heat races. The first heat he won by eleven seconds, the second by six seconds whilst Aaron Laidlaw won the next heat before Vuillermin won his third and final heat race by eight seconds.
Vuillermin then went on to win the fifteen-lap final leading every lap and taking victory from Steven Dadswell, Josh Thomas, Luke King, and Clinton Geer.
Bairnsdale Speedway Association will be in action again on March the 25th with Sprintcars, Standard Saloons and Division 2 Hot Rods.
Bairnsdale Speedway Association would like to thank these wonderful supporting partners;
A1 Trailers
Active Sound Systems
Assist A Lift Bairnsdale
Aussie Septic Solutions
Bairnsdale Autobarn
Bairnsdale Automotive
Bairnsdale Bearings & Industrial
Bairnsdale RSL
Boost 2 Drive
Bridgestone Service Centre Bairnsdale
Buchan Towing
Curtis Engineering
Dennison Quality Roof Restorations
East Gippsland Locks and Keys
East Gippsland Plumbing and Drainage
East Vic Hydraulics
Eastern Signs & Designs
Egee Printers
Eye Care Plus
EZ Print
Gillicks Busline
Gippsland Treated Pine
Gippsland Truck Centre
Granite Rock Quarries
Great Southern Kitchens
Kennedy Trailers
Logue’s Autowreckers
M&S Laity Hay Contractors
Mitchell Valley Excavations Pty Ltd
Napier Photography
Patties Food
Phaselink Electrics
RCI Services
Riviera Automotive
Riviera Concrete
SS Auto Wholesalers
Tambo Waste
Tim Bull
Todd Plumbing Supplies
TRFM & Gold 1242
Wayne Trinder Plumbing & Gasfitting
Westpoint Motors
WGI Earthmoving & Heavy Haulage
Written by
Dean Thompson
DMT Sports Media
For Bairnsdale Speedway Association