Nyora Raceway on Saturday night (11th February) attracted a huge crowd of motorsport fan’s when the All Star Sprintcars came into town for their annual show with a troupe of eighteen flyers and fans went home delighted when Brett Milburn from Somerville who had developed as a race driver at Nyora from a young age went on to take the feature race win.
Also winning on the night was Mornington Peninsula racer Daryl Hickson who secured victory in the Dirt Modifieds, Poowong racer Harry Cecil the winner of the Junior Standard Saloons, Rhys Lansdown now from Wahgunyah winner of the Open Standard Saloons and Michael Conway from the South-eastern suburbs the winner of the Mini-Lightning Sprints.
It was a great night of fast racing for all with new records set in various classes along the way including a new one lap time trial All Star Sprintcar record set by Milburn at the incredible time of 13.194 for his qualifying lap. Milburn then went on to win his first qualifying heat race with South Australian Mark Caruso winning the following race then Steven Loader and Todd Hobson from Clyde won the last.
In the thirty-lap feature event Chris Solomon, Caruso, Milburn, Todd Moule, Michael Tancredi, and Loader were the first six starters in the line-up in seventeen starters and at the five-lap mark of the race Solomon was leading from Caruso and Milburn. Local young gun Chis Temby who began the night as a local favourite had not had a great night, and he was the first car to exit the racing with tyre damage.
At lap ten Solomon, Caruso and Milburn were still the leading trio of the race with all kinds of action behind them from the likes of Moule, Tancredi, Loader, and Kane Newcombe. Boyd Harris had a huge rollover in the middle of turn three and four tearing up his car finishing his race on lap eighteen. At the twenty-five-lap mark of the race there was still fifteen of the original seventeen cars circulating and Solomon, Caruso and Milburn were still the front three.
Daniel Scott was the next to exit in a big way as he rolled in the same spot as Harris and also tore his car to pieces. Loader exited at this point also whilst Corey Sandow followed on the next lap. Everything changed on lap twenty-eight as Caruso and then Solomon both suffered flat tyres and dropped out of position two and one respectively as Milburn moved to the front from Moule, and thirteenth place starter Hobson at this point now in third.
Hobson then moved into second spot on lap twenty-nine and as the chequered flag unfurled Milburn led Hobson, a fast-finishing Jett Bell, Moule and Newcombe to a popular victory for Milburn in front of Hobson both Nyora developed drivers.
In Dirt Modified action Warrick Taylor another talent that developed at Nyora right from the start of his career won the first heat race of three for the class. Daryl Hickson the Victorian state champion went on to win the second with Taylor winning the third heat race qualifying himself on the front row of the feature event with Hickson. Hickson went on to win the twenty-lap feature event in a new distance record time of five minutes and nine seconds.
Beau Stuchbery won the first two heats in the Junior Standard Saloons class before Harry Cecil claimed the third and a front row start alongside Stuchbery in the final, setting a new one lap record for the class of 18.037. Cecil went on to take victory in the feature event from Bairnsdale racer Stuchbery, Bree Walker, Tom Braz, and Drouin’s Bailey Hill.
Mark Miles, Rhys Lansdown, and Shane Stewart won the three Open Standard Saloon heat races with Lansdown setting a new eight lap record at two minutes twenty-six seconds before also setting a new fifteen lap record in the feature event of four minutes forty seconds on his way to victory in front of Stewart, Mark Miles, Chris Miles, and Warrick Howie.
Also on the race night program was the Mini-Lightning Sprints. They began their night with a new eight lap record delivered by Michael Conway of two minutes nine seconds. Andrew Burleigh then won the second race of the night before Ally Moore won the third heat race as lap times got faster and faster for the class.
In the feature event over fifteen laps Conway from the front row led the way whilst David Alie got into the action with a rollover bending his car. Harley Graham moved forward into the second spot quickly and Conway set a new one lap record on his way to victory of thirteen point eight seconds. Graham to had beaten the previous track record during the feature only for Conway to have a better time. Danny Stone charged to the finish in behind the two lead cars. Conway won from Harley Graham, Stone, Luke Graham, and Scott Burchett.
Nyora returns on the 25th of February with the Russell Bent Memorial for Modified Sedans, Victorian Mini-Lightning Sprint state title, Production Sedans, and Hot Rods.
Nyora would like to thank this season’s business partners;
B & B Retainer Walls
Burson Autoparts
Cecil Cartage
Earthlink Electrical
EZ Print
Highline Racewear
IDIGIT
John Duff & Co – Shell
Magnet Towing
Membrey’s Transport
Miles Mechanical
ML Automotive
Mornington Motors
Napier Photography
Ramsdale Wreckers
Redde Race Parts
Rip It Up Earthworks
Ripper Sticker
Russell Steel
Shannon’s Insurance
Victory Lane Racegear
Written by
Dean Thompson
DMT Sports Media
For Nyora Raceway Inc
