Bairnsdale Speedway Association have held their latest race meeting with a healthy crowd enjoying a terrific mixture of classes with the highlight of the night being the Presidents Cup for Compact Speedcars being run and won by Australian champion Justin Paull whilst Beau Stuchbery won his fourth Division 2 Hot Rod final in succession at Bairnsdale Speedway.
Other winners on Club Eastwood race night included Mick Nicola Junior in Super Sedans, Jacob Vuillermin in Standard Saloons and Liam Ingram in Junior Standard Saloons.
The visiting Compact Speedcar class were competing for their Presidents Cup trophy event with Australian champion Justin Paull headlining their nominations. Portland racer Bowen Donkers would get their night underway with victory in heat one after AJ Wiles lead early before Donkers took the lead on lap three. Two laps from the end Paull passed by Wile for second trailing Donkers to the finish line by a second and a half. Paull led every lap in heat two. Shane Brewer from Canberra had a great run to finish in second with Paull’s sister Tania Hallett finishing third.
In a twenty-lap final, Trevor Perry joined the field after being unable to qualify for the race with no heat races completed. Compact Speedcar competitors voted by majority to let him race and he began his race from the rear of the field. Paull dashed out to the lead when the green flag dropped, Cordina, Donkers, Hallett, and Brewer battled for second and third. Perry joined the fray not long after whilst Paull scooted out to a big lead and again each time there was a caution period due to incidents. Finally, Paull ran away to finish with another Presidents Cup victory ahead of Cordina, Perry, Hallett and Donkers.
Mick Nicola Junior then won every race in the Super Sedans, three heats and a final. With his smallest heat race margin being three and a half seconds before winning the final by six seconds from Travis Ramsdale, Lionel West and Dave Mackenzie the only other finisher.
Aaron Laidlaw returned to Bairnsdale to race for the first time in almost a year to win heat race number one in the Division Two Hot Rods in a close one with Keven Stoopman. Laidlaw had led every lap after starting on the second row. Beau Stuchbery had to pass Ben Crittenden to take the lead in the second heat before he picked up victory whilst in heat three everybody ahead of him had to come undone as a result of a spin to Crittenden for Stuchbery to go on and win once more. Stuchbery then led all ten laps in the final to win a fourth final in a row at Bairnsdale. Stuchbery a winner this time by a second in front of Laidlaw, Chris Greaves, Andrew Cormack and Kate Stuchbery.
After destroying a gearbox in the last Standard Saloon final at Bairnsdale, Jacob Vuillermin returned with a two-year-old trusted gearbox to try and out gun the locals. Vuillermin won the first of his three heat races with Gus Argoon winning the other in round two in a terrific battle with Chris Miles that seen the two switching places at the front running door against door. Jacob Head won the third heat before Vuillermin one his second of the night. Josh Thomas just held on to pick up a win in heat three after quick work between rounds to complete major work on his car, he defeated Vuillermin in a brilliant race between the two. Argoon then completed the qualifying rounds with a second win of his own to join Vuillermin at the front of the feature race field.
Vuillermin led the field early with Argoon and Thomas settling down in position. Ballarat visitor Jacob Head had settled into racing at Bairnsdale beautifully during the nights racing and he was mixing it up trying to lock down a top five spot. With nine starters the final was dropped to twelve laps, the fastest twelve laps the class had ever had at Bairnsdale with a record set by Vuillermin of 4:01.041 as he defeated Thomas, Argoon, Head and Josh Cormack.
Junior Standard Saloon competitors were racing for one of the final times before their upcoming Victorian title at the Drouin Speedway complex. Jayden Curtis secured a win in heat race number one after favourite Liam Ingram was unable to finish due to mechanical issues. Curtis won a close one ahead of Nikolas Pritchett. Ingram returned in heat two to win and did so in heat three also in a great battle with Pritchett.
Jayden Curtis had a heavy hit with the concrete wall in the feature event whilst running in the top half of the field. He was assisted off track by Paramedics and later checked at hospital as a precautionary measure due to signs of pain. Ingram went on to win comfortably by almost three seconds with Pritchett in second, Ashton Joynson then Tailen Wells and Chloe Cormack.
Bairnsdale Speedway will have a four-week turnaround and be back for an event on February 28th that includes a Victorian Extreme Sports Sedan Series round, the Limited Sportsman King of the Rock, Open Standard Saloons and Ladies Standard Saloons.
Bairnsdale Speedway Association wish to acknowledge and thank these wonderful supporting businesses.
A1 Building Designs
Active Sound Services
Assist A Lift
Aussie Septic Solutions
Bairnsdale Automotive and Transmissions
Bairnsdale Bearings and Industrial
Bairnsdale Radiator
Bairnsdale RSL
Bairnsdale Trophy Centre
Bridgestone Service Centre Bairnsdale
Buchan Towing
Bunnings Bairnsdale
Burson Auto Parts Bairnsdale
Club Eastwood
Cranes Civil and Surfacing
Dahlsens
Dennison Quality Roof Restorations
Eastern Signs and Designs
East Gippsland Lock and Keys
East Gippsland Shire Council
East Vic Hydraulics
EGEE Printers
Eureka Garages and Sheds
Eye Care Plus
Gippsland Critical Mines
Gippsland Grain Store
Gippsland Treated Pine
Gippsland Truck Centre
Goodman’s
Granite Rock Quarries
Hine Transport & Stock feeds
JD Automotive
Kennedy Trailers
Lake Land Ice
Lakes Hydraulics
Lakes Tile and Carpet
M & S Laity Hay Contractors
Mitchell Valley Excavations
Paint Right Bairnsdale
Patties Food
Phaselink Electrics
Razor Images Print. Sign. Clothing
Repco Bairnsdale
Riviera Automotive
Riviera Concrete
Riviera Trailers
SS Auto Wholesalers
SSM Asbestos
Starys Earthworks and Landscaping
Tambo Waste
Tim Bull MP
Todd Plumbing Supplies
TRFM and GOLD 1242
Wayne Trinder Plumbing & Gasfitting
Westpoint Motors
WGI Earthmoving and Heavy Haulage
Written by
Dean Thompson
of Dean Thompson Media
For Bairnsdale Speedway Association
