Rosedale International Speedway played host to round one of the ‘Shake and Bake Diva’s Victorian Ladies Standard Saloon series for 2023/24 and after three hard fought qualifiers and a speedy feature event it would be Warragul racer Caroline Allen that would leave Rosedale victorious. Rosedale club members Bree Walker and Tahlia Campbell filled in the podium positions in second and third respectively as the season got off to a fast and furious start.
The racing from heat one through to the final on the Pakenham Radiators supported race night increased to a faster pace race after race with Allen setting the fastest one lap during the feature event later in the evening after she won the first and third qualifier with Campbell winning the second.
Lining up for heat one was Stacey Sheedy and Michelle George both from the Drouin club, then Jo Richardson, Airelle Wollmer, Maddison Miles, Kate Stuchbery, Caroline Allen, Sammie Cormack, Tahlia Campbell, Bree Walker, Jordan van Dyk, Elise Halliday, and Simone Taylor. Sheedy began with the lead in heat one before Michelle George took over until lap six of ten laps before her car started to cough and splutter with engines in the engine bay and Allen swept to the race lead. Taylor exited the race with a flat tyre. Allen took the victory with Walker almost four seconds back in second. Miles finished in third, Campbell, Sheedy, Stuchbery, Cormack, Halliday, and Wollmer all finished behind. Richardson was unable to finish due to a broken rear arm causing her handling difficulties.
Walker whom had already won a non-series feature race at Bairnsdale in September led the field for heat two. Halliday, Campbell, Allen, Taylor, Cormack, Miles, Wollmer, George, Richardson, Sheedy and Stuchbery completed the start order. Walker led the racers through laps one to lap eight before she was passed by Campell. Stuchbery moved to fourth on lap one. Campbell scorched around the track to a huge race lead passing cars at the rear of the field up to seventh place. At the chequered flag, a more than twenty second margin was recorded with Campbell defeating Walker, Halliday, Taylor, Allen, Stuchbery, Miles, Cormack, Sheedy, Wollmer, and Richardson. George suffered fuel line and fouled plug issues and did not finish, these were the same issues she was having in heat one.
The fastest heat race of the night was the final qualifier of ten laps finishing in a time of 3:58.926 seconds. Allen from the Nyora club began from pole position with Cormack, Miles, Stuchbery, Sheedy, Halliday, George, van Dyk, Walker, Campbell, and Richardson completing the line-up. Allen led from the drop of the green flag with Miles and Stuchbery second and third. From the rear of the field Campbell and Walker quickly moved into fourth and fifth place. A last lap effort from Campbell moved her into third as Allen won by more than ten seconds from Stuchbery, Campbell, Miles, Halliday, Walker, George, van Dyk, Sheedy, Cormack, and Richardson.
With points having determined the start order for the feature event Allen lined up in pole position with Campbell, Walker, Stuchbery of the Bairnsdale club, Miles, Halliday, Sheedy, Cormack, Taylor, Wollmer, George, van Dyk and Richardson at the rear of the field.
Allen was quick to assume the control of the race in the led whilst Sheedy moved up to fifth spot quickly. Rookie racer van Dyk moved to seventh spot by lap five and Allen continued to control the pace in front of Campbell, Walker, Stuchbery and Halliday.
Positions remained the same through to lap ten whilst Wollmer was a race non finisher as her team forgot to put bonnet pins back in before the race causing the bonnet to lift. Rosedale member Halliday dropped out of fifth and into the infield as her differential and race car rear end moved to the left of the car causing the tyre to rub and pop. Her sway bar also bent as a result of all this movement.
Allen would win the green to chequered flag feature event in a time of 6:16.276 with a fastest lap of 22.364 from Walker, who finished 2.5 seconds behind with Campbell, Stuchbery, Sheedy, Taylor, Miles, Richardson, and Cormack the race finishers, whilst Stewards excluded rookie racer Jordan van Dyk from the results due to racing incidents. George did not finish due to her bonnet pin’s breaking which left the bonnet lifting, she parked infield to avoid incident.
The Ladies of the series were appreciative of the Rosedale Speedway committee for providing a great track and terrific night of racing and being so welcoming for the evening.
Thank you to Steve Mitchell for supporting the Ladies with a selection of promotional images from Image Worx. You can find Image Worx on Facebook where you can see further images for possible purchase.
The Competitors of the VSC Ladies Standard Saloon Series thank these supporters;
Pakenham Radiators
Gippsland Metal Recyclers
Miles Mechanical
Miles Motorsports
The Shed Company
Ultimate Outdoor
CNL Paint and Panel
AME – Ace Marine Electrical
AMPworks Sound and Electrical
Visual Signage Solutions
DMT Sports Media
Written by
Dean Thompson
DMT Sports Media
For the VSC Ladies Standard Saloons Series Competitors Group
