Motorsport fans witnessed another successful night of race action at Wahgunyah Speedway on Saturday night with the annual Lachy Howie Memorial for Standard Saloons, and the Goulburn Ovens Sedan Association 1000, and Wingless Sprints feature events supported Hot Rods, Division 2 Hot Rods, Junior Sedans and Humpy Holdens,
A healthy crowd settled in for the afternoon at 3pm with racing finished by 10 later that evening with visiting Gippsland racer Mitch Foster a winner in the Lachy Howie Memorial, local club member Brandan Lovell claiming the spoils in the Goulburn Ovens Sedans and Mark Blyton from Dubbo the Wingless Sprints.
Scott Whittle from Geelong started well in the Standard Saloon Howie Memorial winning the first of four heat races leading all the way to finish ahead of Bryce Leek from Barnawartha, Wayne Sheerman and Leek had contact during the race with Sheerman’s car billowing smoke with steering rack damage. Mitch Foster then did the same in the second heat race with Whittle all over the bumper at the finish line as they crossed just .285 of a second apart. A terrific race in heat three between the two protagonists had Foster lead the first six of eight laps before Whittle got the better of the dual passing by and going on to win by just .251 of a second, a result even closer than the race prior. Early in heat race four Micheal Fleming-Robertson’s bonnet flew up in front of his view, he kept on motoring until Stewards flicked on the caution lights, and like Whittle in the race prior, Foster took the lead on the seventh lap passing Wayne Sheerman in heat four.
Twenty-five laps then were contested to determine the winner with Whittle, Foster, Josh Campbell, Jack Yeomans, Wayne Sheerman and local Micheal Fleming-Robertson amongst those with an eye on the victory. It would take Foster sixteen laps to catch and pass Whittle who has been a great supporting of the event over the years. In third, Yeomans held that spot for the first thirteen laps before Sheerman passed him. During the race a spin by Foster brought a halt to the race with some confusion over how it happened settled when Foster re-started at the front of the field. Harley Matthews found himself hitting the wall twice during the race before it all ended for him after the second contact. Foster in the end finished less than a second ahead of Whittle, Sheerman, Yeomans, and Fleming-Robertson.
Six heat races with three per competitor were held in the Goulburn Ovens Sedans Association Bassett Transport 1000 with this years event sponsor represented by Marty Bassett from Griffith winning heat one after hitting the front on lap five. Albury racer Danny McCarten then passed early leader Stuart Balins to win heat number two. Brandan Lovell lead all the way to win the third heat race which was the fastest of five of the six races to go green to chequers without a stoppage. Victorian champion Nathan Shortis then won heat race number four convincingly before Bassett claimed a second heat race win in qualifier number five. Dennis Reid then won the final heat leading from start to finish.
In a twenty-lap feature event, Shortis and Bassett began at the front of the field with Reid, Lovell, Luke Collis, Ben and Tom Schmetzer and McCarten rounding out the first eight starters from a field of nineteen. Bassett was quick to assume control at the front of the field. Lovell headed Shortis for second, the Schmetzer brothers were the first two of the top contenders to exit the race on lap nine with a flat tyre for Ben and front-end damage for Tommy, also pulling infield was Tommy Bowers. Another three major contenders all exited on lap eighteen with race leader Bassett and Reid and McCarten all out handing the lead to Lovell. Lovell held on over the last two laps to win by .199 in front of Shortis, Collis, Marcus Maclean having started way down in seventeenth, and Justin Granger.
Wingless Sprints were competing for healthy prizemoney in their annual visit to Wahgunyah with Robert Nicholas the first to claim victory with three heats to be run and each driver competing in two of those. Nicholas led start to finish with Andrew Seery from Young chasing him to the finish. Jack Regan then led all eight laps in heat race number two ahead of pre-event favourite Mark Blyton from Dubbo. Rookie racer Bailey Collins then waited until the very last lap of heat number three before he secured victory by just .153 of a second getting past Wagga racer Brocke Argus. Lining up in the top six positions for the twenty-lap final were Blyton, Seery, Callum Beveridge, Michael Conlan, Regan and Collins. Blyton led Seery until lap five when Conlan slotted into second spot. As the race went on the, the pressure from Conlan on Blyton increased and in a thrilling finish, Blyton managed to hold on by .367 of a second with Conlan, Beveridge, Seery and Brocke Argus rounding out the top five.
Visiting competitors from the Division 2 Hot Rods, a class mostly from Bairnsdale and Rosedale in Gippsland these days, attended Wahgunyah Speedway for the first time in memory. Rhys Lansdown returned to Wahgunyah having lived in the area in recent years before heading back to his roots in Koo Wee Rup claimed a win driving for Chris Greaves heading Keven Stoopman to the line. Stoopman last raced at Wahgunyah forty years ago, the young fella showing his age. Stoopman won heat race number two in front of Victorian champion Beau Stuchbery, whilst Stuchbery reversed the result for heat race number three. Stoopman then led all fifteen laps to win the final from Stuchbery, Fraser Crittenden, Mel Tatterson and Ben Crittenden. It was just a margin of .176 at the finish.
Shannon Meakins had to wait until lap four to assume the lead in heat one of the Speedway Drivers Association of Victoria Hot Rods first heat race. He escaped the grasp of Brendan Roberts to finish comfortably in front. In heat two he was declared the winner after a racing incident seen the demise of then leader Daniel Chesterfield. Meakin’s wife Kali Hovey declared second in the result. Meakins led all the way across eight laps in heat three to claim victory. With top point scorers reversed in the feature field to start at the back, it took twelve of the fifteen laps before Meakins hit the front. Phil Jenkins led the race until then with Meakins and Roberts getting by Jenkins. Tony Green finished in fourth with Hovey in fifth.
In Junior Sedan racing Lucas Williams won two of the three heat races with Kade Brockley the other. One of the races was the closest of the night with .119 separating Williams from Brockley in heat two. Brockley then led all twelve laps of the final to win ahead of Williams, Amelia Henskens and Lucas Magor.
The final meeting of the season will be June 7th with the Production Sedan 1000, Amca Nationals, and Grand Prix Midgets amongst classes competing on the night.
Corowa-Rutherglen Speedway Club would like to thank the following for their support of this Speedway season.
Max Maclean Hardware
Club Corowa
Maverick Marine
Q.A Kitchens
Quantum Printing
Crowie’s Paints
Blue Shed Self Storage
Cellarbrations Wahgunyah
Hi Tec Oils Albury
McRae’s Wodonga
Abacus Energy
Upton Engineering
Federation Steel
Edge FM
Sonaray Lighting
DMT Speedway Media
Meat on the Murray
Jackie & Vern Parker Photography
Rod Stones Automotive Rutherglen
Ducks Race Shop
East to West Data
Brocks Welding
Stevo’s Painting
Corowa Furnishing & Floors
Aricks Corowa
MForce Security
Hume Bank Albury
Sunday Tyres Wodonga
Rapid Hydraulics and Performance Wodonga
Written by
Dean Thompson
Dean Thompson Media
For Corowa-Rutherglen Speedway Club
