On Sunday Mortlake Speedway Club hosted drivers from Super Rods, Street Stocks, Standard Saloons, Juniors, and Speedway Drivers Association of Victoria Hot Rods for the latest race meeting of their season with Jason Kavanagh winning the Col Grist Memorial for the Super Rods and Morris Ahearn winning the Brendan Hannabury Tribute for Street Stocks during a great dayโs racing.
Super Rod racing began with a time trial for the competitors in which Jacob Pitcher set the fastest time of the sessions at 16.231 for a lap of the little tight bullring circuit. These times got much faster as the track settled during the racing with Jamie May in the last of six qualifying races setting a 12.811 second lap mark, around 3.4 seconds quicker than the time trials!
Jacob Pitcher, Dane Court, Neville Gange, Billy Grist, Kavanagh, and May won the six qualifying events to determine where drivers would start the twenty-lap memorial final. Kavanagh and Pitcher started at the front with Grant Stansfield, West Makin, Billy Grist, and George Woolstencroft the top six starters. The top five racers motored around in order of their starting spots until lap six when Grist passed Makin for fourth before Makin dropped out of the race.
Stan Marco Junior moved into fifth spot on lap twelve passing Woolstencroft whilst Kavanagh maintained his lead. Kavanagh went on to win from Pitcher, Stansfield, Billy Grist and Marco Jnr.
In the Hanno Tribute race in honour of Brendan Hannabury the field also competed in six qualifying races. Troy Hose representing the Hamilton club won the first qualifier with Colac man Ricky Throckmorton winning the second. Chris Hay from Warrnambool was a winner in heat three with Ahearn from Bendigo winning the fourth heat. Dean Jenkins won heat five and Ahearn again won heat six.
Lining up in the final Ahearn, Hose, Jenkins, Throckmorton, Hay, and Jack Jordan from Swan Hill started in the top six spots. Michael Smith had a good early run moving to fifth by lap eight with Hay behind him and out of the top five before Hay moved back in front of him and Jordan a lap later.
At the business end of the race in segment two of two twelve lap segments, Jenkins got past Hose for second spot through the top end of the track before Throckmorton managed the same with Hose left high and dry against the wall out of turn four, however still moving as the field raced past him. Ahearn took the win from Jenkins, Throckmorton, Hay, and Smith. Ahearn was fastest of the Street Stocks when he set a time of 16.465 in the feature event.
In Standard Saloon racing Nathan Hutchins from the Portland club won from Tim Hutchinson, Lachie Chivers, Patrick Walsh, and Rick Stowe. Miller Throckmorton won the Top Stars grade of Junior Sedans in front of Blake Glynn whilst Pary Das won the New Star grade in front of Zammy Noseda and Tayla Whatmore.
In the SDAV Hot Rods the class Victorian champion Shannon Meakins won in front of Phil Jenkins, Tony Green, Kali Hovey, and Stuey Robinson.
The Mortlake Speedway Club thank all the contributing individuals and sponsors that made the Super Rod and Street Stock event so enticing for competitors to support.
Mortlake Speedway Club would like to thank the following for their support.
Brooklyn Car Sales โ Wendouree
Mortlake Roadhouse
Camperdown Truck & Ag
Gilberts Truck & Tractor Service – Camperdown
OโLeary Ag Contracting, Camperdown
PWS Fabrications โ Geelong
The Tyre Factory โ Warrnambool
West Vic Tyres โ Mortlake
Olsson Timing Services
Camperdown Auto Pro
Barkley Waste Collections โ Colac
Written by
Dean Thompson
DMT Sports Media
For Mortlake Speedway Club
