Alexandra and District Speedway Club played host to the 23/24 Victorian Production Sedan title on April 20th with the sole South Australian in the field taking victory in the big race, a race that was filled with thrills and heartbreaks before Nathan Brackstone-Thorne passed the chequered flag to be declared the winner. Other winners on the night included Nathan Shortis in the Goulburn Ovens Sedan Association series round, Xander Baxter in Junior 1200s, Blake Beach in Junior New Stars, Matt Nelson in Street Stocks, Ian Thomsen in Sports Sedans, and Jasmin Molloy in Ladies Sports Sedans.
Production Sedan racing played out across six qualifying heat races before a thirty-five-lap title race with Mr Versatile Brad Warren stepping into Bradley Dickson’s Production Sedan to win the first qualifier of the night. All striking mechanical trouble during the first heat were Dehne Sparrow, Josh Service and Matt Nelson with smoke and/or flames coming out of the first two and what sounded like engine issues to Nelson to media at the venue. Brackstone-Thorne claimed an all the way win in the second with two times national champion Trevor Mills on his heels after using the top of the track to his advantage to work past others in the line-up. Brackstone – Thorne set a new ten lap record for the class in the process with a time of 3:42.562. Wayne Bourke from Leeton in New South Wales defeated Brackstone-Thorne in a close on in the third heat with just .176 separating the two drivers at the finish line. Unfortunately, fellow Leeton based racer Scott Hawkins had a rollover after his car smacked the concrete down the backstraight.
Doubling his victories to this point was Brad Warren in heat four as he quickly moved from the third row on the grid to the lead by lap two before finishing ahead of Sydney’s Jaiden Healey. Healey would come out in the next qualifier to pick up a win after leader Mills dropped out of the race after collecting the wall in the middle of turns one and two with mechanical issues and another two times national champion Stephen Laidlaw would win the last heat and in the process put down the fastest lap ever by a Production Sedan at the Alexandra venue of 20.464. Awarded the best presented car and team was Dehne Sparrow.
Lining up in the title event Brackstone-Thorne and Warren held the front row positions with Laidlaw, Healey, Bourke, and Mills completing the top six starting positions. Local member Josh Service began way back on the seventh row of the grid with a tonne of work ahead of him to make the podium.
With many laps around Alexandra to his name Brad Warren was quick to assume race control on lap one with Brackstone-Thorne and Healey trailing past the Stewards on lap one. With almost a third of the race in the books, Warren led Brackstone-Thorne, Healey, Laidlaw, and Mills at the ten-lap completion mark. Scott Hawkins from Leeton and Richard Cook from Queensland were the first two drivers to suffer issues with their cars and exiting from the race before Dehne Sparrow and Laidlaw followed them infield also. Laidlaw dropping out of a top five spot in the race.
With twenty laps completed, Warren still led the race with Mills in fourth, Bourke in fifth and Service now in sixth spot having moved forward half a dozen places, whilst Felicity Roycroft headed infield and out of the race. Healey pushed forward and moved himself into second a head of Brackstone-Thorne on lap twenty-eight before moving into the race lead briefly before a penalty of two spots enforced during a late race caution put him back behind Warren and Brackstone-Thorne.
With head of the race driver Brad Warren suffering a left front suspension component failure, Brackstone-Thorne took advantage of moved to the lead of the race at the resumption finishing ahead of Mills, Healey, Bourke, and Service to claim the Victorian title victory.
Also competing in a feature event was the Goulburn Ovens Sedan Association as their drivers competed in the latest ‘Blue Shed’ series round and for their first time at Alexandra in a number of seasons. Justin Brockley a former state champion began the night with a win I heat one before Daniel Joosten claimed the honours in the second qualifier. Marty Bassett whose been on a tear as far as victories is concerned claimed a win in heat three after early leader Tristan McGraw smacked the wall and dropped back through the field, whilst Brockley set the fastest one lap time for the class recorded on transponder at Alexandra with a 21.233 lap in finishing second. Nathan Shortis claimed a win in heat four whilst an unhappy Marcus Maclean after remonstrating with Stewards and showing displeasure, was told to pack it up on the trailer. Shortis won again in the fifth heat on his way to a new eight lap record for the class of 2:56.518. Rounding out the wins was Tristan McGraw as he won the last qualifier for the night.
Shortis hit the front on lap one from his front row starting position with Brockley, Bassett, Joosten and Justin Ewert following closely behind. Badger Creek based racer Robert Garlick moved into the top six by the halfway point of the race after starting after a sixth row start to his race. With five laps to go Shortis still led the way comfortably with Brockley in second. Things remained that way and when the race ended Shortis claimed victory ahead of Brockley, Bassett, Ewert, and Joosten.
After winning all three heat races in the Junior 1200cc Sedans, Xander Baxter would rip around Alexandra Speedway to claim a victory in the final ahead of Alexandra member Brody Barton, Tylor Claridge, Dayne Murdoch another from the host club and Chase Doherty.
Alexandra members Luke Fallon, David Donegan, and Ian Thomsen all shared heat race wins in the Sports Sedan class before Thomsen led every lap in the final to back up his last start win at Alexandra in the Power series events. Thomsen defeated Donegan, Denni Reid, rookie racer Lachlan Pottage of the Alexandra club and Tim McKenzie. Fallon didn’t make it past heat racing after a crash In heat two wrecked the front end of his car.
On points in the Speedway Sedans Australia 1500cc cars Blake Beach finished ahead of Maddie Beach and Will Fallon.
Matt Nelson a winner of multiple state championship races himself led the charge for Alexandra in the Street Stocks winning all three heats and then the final in a perfect night of Street Stock racing for himself. Leigh Gooding finished the final in second with Tyler Barton, Troy Polley and Mat Bishop rounding out the top five. Along the way Nelson put in the record books a new one lap time of 21.169 and a twelve-lap time of 4:43.161.
Ladies competed under the name of Ladies Sports Sedans at Alexandra for the first time and Kayla Mannix, Cobie McGraw and Mannix again shared the three heat race results. Starting from the second row in the final Jasmin Molloy would move to the lead of the race by lap four, however Mannix and McGraw kept the pressure on the leader. The three Ladies cleared out from the field in a twelve-lap final with Leah Orgill in fourth almost a complete lap behind those at the front. In record time Molloy would hit the finish line just .060 of a second ahead of Mannix and .217 of a second in front of third placed McGraw in a new best time for the Ladies across twelve laps of 5:23.522 with Orgill finishing in fourth and Emma Threlfall fifth to round out the top five.
Racing returns to Alexandra Speedway on May 11th with Junior Sedan Promotional Association events, a Ladies Standard Saloon series round, plus more.
Alexandra and District Speedway club thank and acknowledge the following valuable supporters;
Alexandra & Yea Pre-Mix
Alexandra Panels & Towing
AusBuilt Rural
Beach Earthmoving
Bendigo Bank
Belkblast Protective Coatings
Custom Transport Equipment
Donnaz Underground
Eastern Suburbs Locksmiths
Elite Racking Installs
Endeavor Petroleum
Exhaust Fix Lilydale
Fallon’s Bus Services
Fineblade
Foodworks
Highline Racewear
Ismail’s Building & Construction
LS Quarry
Matthew & Sons Drilling Services
Metro Tow
Outer Eastern Steel
Pakenham Towing
Precision Race Parts
Raslarr Engineering
Revegetation Victoria
S&N Builders
Smooth Suspension
Town & Country Tennis Courts
Tritech Lubricants
Tyrepower Alexandra
Valley Onsite
Victory Lane Racegear
Wandin Heavy Haulage
Waverley Exhaust & Brake Centre
Yenckens Hardware Alexandra
Written by
Dean Thompson
DMT Speedway Media
For Alexandra and District Speedway Club