This past Saturday night (February 7th) Australian Racing Products Redline Raceway restarted after a new year break with the hugely popular Modified Sedans attracting a packed house as the Victorian Modified Promotional Association arrived in town for it’s latest series round, Ballarat raised Darcy Wilson was a popular victor in the main event whilst the Production Sedan Southern Series round was won by Stephen Laidlaw and Standard Saloons by Jake Vuillermin.
A terrific racetrack with racing from top to bottom was delivered up for competitors and drivers made good use of it with pole line and high line runners and some slide jobs along the way.
In Australian Racing Products VMPA Modified Sedan competition Brody Chrystie was a winner in a close won with Kye Walters in the first race of the night. This win was followed by wins to Stuey Robinson, Dylan Barrow and Jarod Waters. A couple of dash events to set the field behind the top qualifiers was run with one opportunity to move into the top qualifiers pole shuffle up for grabs. Daniel Wilson ran the high line beautifully to secure that spot from the mid field dash, whilst Wade McCarthy claimed the second dash to secure the best starting spot for those at the back of the field. A pole shuffle came down to Walters and Barrow with one of many brilliant battles in the shuffle resulting in Barrow securing pole position.
Thirty laps was the distance locked in for the feature event. The racing at the front was frenetic with Walters and Barrow along with Darcy Wilson, Waters and Chrystie hitting back of the field traffic quickly. Walters led the first ten laps before Barrow crossed with the lead on lap eleven.
Soon after coming up behind competitors at the rear of the race, the two leaders heading out of the back straight into turn three were going to need to thread through the middle, Barrow had to change his line to do this and made contact hard with those in front of him, lifting his car up off the ground briefly and sent crashing into Walters sending them both of the race. Both drivers were devastated sitting infield.
Wilson inherited the lead and Waters became his challenger. Waters lap after lap got closer and if it was not for traffic once again on the last laps, the result may have been very different. Darcy Wilson crossed the line half a second in front of Waters, host club member Darren Cockerill, Wade McCarthy, and Daniel Wilson.
Production Sedans held their latest Southern Series round with Gippsland veteran racer Stephen Laidlaw winning both his heat races and Mark Purdie the other. The final was a race of attrition with Laidlaw, Victorian champion Dehne Sparrow, Dave Barrie, Purdie and Shane Hammond having a strong top five run before one-by-one Sparrow, Barrie and Hammond drop out of the race with mechanical issues leaving Laidlaw to win from Purdie and Michael Sayers.
Some of the state’s best Standard Saloon race drivers were on hand to gain some valuable track time before the March Labour Day weekend Victorian title for the class at the Redline Raceway venue. Racing in two heats each of the six, Mitch Foster began with an all the way win in the first heat before Victorian champion Jake Vuillermin and Rhys Lansdown won the next two. Multiple times state champion Zac Barwise, Scott Whittle and Kacey Ingram made significant moves forward in each of their first-round heats in large first round fields.
Foster came from all the way down the back of the field in his second heat to win again whilst Vuillermin and Lansdown from mid pack in the second-round heats also won. A three-way tie for pole position in the final was determined by fastest racing lap during the qualifying heats. A last chance qualifier elevated Austin Chivers, Jack Braz, Jack Yeomans and Brad Sheppard into the feature event.
Vuillermin secured the lead and led the first five laps with Lansdown, Whittle, Foster, and Ingram behind. Ten laps into the race and Vuillermin led Lansdown. Foster, Ingram, and Whittle with third to fifth changing positions. Lansdown lunched an engine with rods protruding from the block and Matt Domburg entered the fray in the top five. Avoiding a spin ahead of himself whilst second Foster sustained damage and his race ended with a handful of laps to go. Vuillermin went on to win a thirty lapper in front of Ingram, Whittle, Domburg and Braz who picked off competitors through the race after coming through the last chance qualifier earlier.
Redline Raceway returns on February 21st with the Gold Rush feature for Standard Saloons, Wingless Sprints Super Series and Unlimited Sedans Lucky Sevens series events.
Belmont Speedway Drivers Club would like to thank the following season supporters.
Power FM
Australian Racing Products
Wren Diesel – Truck & Trailer Specialists
Kings Marine Scrap Metal Dealers
Ballarat Skip Bins
Ballarat Concrete Recyclers
True Blue Floors
B.A.C Civil Agricultural Earthworks
United Forklift & Access Solutions
IPTA Fibreglass
Shillito Electrical
Norman St Automotive
Total Tools Ballarat
G.T Earthmovers
Grist Earthworks
DMT Sports Media
Lucas Conder Automotive
Aussie Soils
AGF Seeds
Brian Patterson Painting
Fueled Ticketing, Distinct ITC Australia
Walsh Ballarat Quarries
Stewarts Bakery
Dean Miller Photography
Written by
Dean Thompson
Dean Thompson media
For Belmont Speedway Drivers Club
