Bairnsdale Speedway enjoyed a terrific Friday night of racing on September the 29th with a spectator area packed top to bottom to witness the opening night of the new season and a huge $5000 to win Sprintcar feature event with support class racing.
Morwell man Dennis Jones won the Sprintcar feature winning all five events he competed in which included the main event.
Latrobe Valley racer’s Mitch Foster and Bree Walker won the Open Standard Saloon and Ladies Standard Saloon finals whilst East Gippslander Mark Noonan took victory in the Limited Sportsman class.
Sprintcars arrived with fifteen competitors, three of them brand new to the Victorian Sprintcar Association in Jett Bell, Kim Gosling, and Tom McDonald. Bell would go on to challenge for victory right to the end before finishing in second place behind Jones.
In the Sprintcar time trail with valuable points up for grabs towards the feature event qualifying, Dennis Jones scorched around the Speedway in 13.536 seconds on his best lap to top Steve Horton, and Adam Greenwood. In heat racing Jones won the first of the four qualifying events, Horton the second. David Dennison the third and Jones despite a back in the pack start, took victory again in the fourth and final heat race.
In the ‘Shoot Out’ for pole position Jones once again snatched top spot with a 14.533 second time to claim the number starting position.
In the thirty-five-lap feature event, Jones hit the front of the field and led them through turn one on lap one and opened up an immediate gap down the back straight. Through the final a number of caution stoppages brought Jones back to the pack and during the race Bell made good decisions to get past traffic a little quicker than the leader on occasions. When the race concluded Jones finished almost a second ahead of Bell, Horton, Koby Noonan and Jack Van Bremen.
For Jones it was a rare perfect night for a race driver where they remained undefeated across numerous races.
In the Open Standard Saloons, Bairnsdale members Mitch Foster and Josh Thomas were up against stiff competition that included former Victorian champion Jacob Vuillermin, Harry Cecil, and jack Braz amongst others. Foster, Thomas, Vuillermin, Steven Dadswell, and then Vuillermin and Thomas again all took wins in the six qualifying heat races.
The feature event was a cracking race with Foster out in front and comfortable whilst Vuillermin, Thomas, Cecil, Braz, and Kacey Ingram battled from second to sixth for position. After twenty laps. Foster took victory ahead of Thomas, Cecil, Vuillermin and Braz.
Bree Walker was terrific all night in the Ladies Standard Saloon racing. Having stepped out of Junior racing towards the end of the last season to compete a couple of times in adult racing Bree looks set to be a contender this season at Bairnsdale, Rosedale, and Drouin in particular. Walker led to the finish Kate Stuchbery and Michelle George to complete the top three.
Mal Siely won the first two of three heat races in Limited Sportsman before his car suffered mechanical failure that will be looked at in the garage this week, whilst Mark Noonan whom has flown into town from Western Australia where he works to see friends and family won the third heat and then final. Daniel Hurley finished in second place after getting the better of Mark Both. Chris Woeltjes and David Knight rounded out the top five spots.
Bairnsdale Speedway Association now a couple months to continue some site improvements before the return on November 25th for the Wingless Sprint 50 Lapper and Standard Saloons.
Bairnsdale Speedway Association would like to thank their business partners for their support.
A1 Trailers
Active Sound Systems
ARB
Assist A Lift
Aussie Septic Solutions
Bairnsdale Autobarn
Bairnsdale Automotive
Bairnsdale Bearings & Industrial
Bairnsdale Radiator
Bairnsdale RSL
Bridgestone Service Centre Bairnsdale
Buchan Towing
Dennison Quality Roof Restorations
East Gippsland Locks and Keys
East Gippsland Plumbing and Drainage
East Vic Hydraulics
Eastern Signs & Designs
EG Printers
Eureka Garages & Sheds
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
Mitchell Valley Excavations Pty Ltd
Patties
Phaselink Electrics
Rivera Concrete
Riviera Automotive
SKIDZ Driver Training
SS Auto
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