A field of seventy plus Victorian Speedway Council Standard Saloons have completed battle across two nights at Australian Racing Products Redline Raceway in their quest to be crowned Victorian champion for the next twelve months and at the conclusion, It would be Mitch Foster from Morwell in Gippsland that would come out on top ahead of Kacey Ingram, Redline member Scott Whittle, Jack Braz, and Ballarat racer Austin Chivers.
Over the two nights Mick Kiraly arrived and won the Australian Motor Contest Associational Nationals, and Zac Macdonald won the Dirt Modifieds.
Healthy crowds enjoyed the two nights of competition with plenty of races going start to finish with no stoppages and local race drivers taking their share of victories during the qualifying rounds, five in total.
Most of the competitors came from the hot bed of Standard Saloon racing in Gippsland, whilst Ballarat provided the second strongest competitor base. Mitch Foster began the weekend amongst the pre-event favourites, whilst Scott Whittle an eight-time state champion was sentimentality the driver most thought likely to be great when the moment mattered.
Round one Standard Saloon racing began with Foster winning the very first race ahead of Whittle by a considerable margin. With a number of women competing, Courtney Meakins victory in heat two didn’t make people wait for a woman to show her intent. Former Victorian champion Rhys Lansdown started well with a win in heat three and then another former state champion Shane Stewart did the same. The first win from Ballarat races came next with Lachie Chivers. Wayne Sheerman from Melbourne’s east finished in front of another former champion Craig Templeton in heat six before Harry Cecil closed out the round as the seventh heat winner.
Sheerman became the first to win two heat races starting off round two, Darren Forrest then won the next, the second race of nine at this point that had a race caution, the other seven running without stoppage. Brodie Ardley and Rhys Meakins brother of Courtney won the next two and Whittle won his first in heat twelve. Brad Hill was then a winner followed by Kacey Ingram winning to close out round two.
Rhys Meakins won again to start round three, Foster won his second, Whittle did the same, as did Ardley. Templeton then won his first, as did Andrew Miles and Jack Braz.
Racers then scrambled overnight to fix damaged cars and car parts to return for day two. Ingram once again banked a victory to get things underway followed by one of the newest drivers in the class Steven Watts from Warrnambool. Watts racing Standards is rare for people from the Warrnambool area, and he eventually did well to finish sixth in the main event. Sheerman who overnight went home to change engines added to his victory tally and Foster to his in the very next race. Braz took a second victory before Ballarat man Jayden Blomeley claimed a victory to close out the round just holding off Whittle.
The final round of qualifying was started with an Austin Chivers win ahead of the Cecil brothers Owen and Harry by a considerable margin. Another local Tyson Randall then won before Whittle added to his victory haul. Rhys Meakins booked a third qualifying win and Foster again won. Rounding out the qualifying Logan Mair and Paul Domburg locked in the final two wins. Blomeley then won the first last chance qualifier with Matt Domburg and Ella Sheedy following him through into the title event and from the second last chance qualifier Josh Cormack, Pat Walsh a local racer and Randall moved into the title race.
Across thirty-five laps twenty-four drivers lined up to entertain the terrific crowd. Unfortunately for the Meakins family Courtney and Rhys were the first two drivers to find themselves out of the feature race, in particular a rough result for Rhys who had qualified fourth. Foster led the first five laps with Whittle and Ingram in tow. Sheedy and the Domburg brothers Matt and Paul were the next group of drivers to retire with damage or mechanical concerns, whilst Foster led Ingram, Whittle, Ardley, and Harry Cecil at lap ten.
At lap fourteen in a racing incident mates Brad Hill and Wayne Sheerman came together with Hill running high on the track bouncing off the wall and accidently coming together with Sheerman. Stewards disqualified Hill, whilst Sheerman’s car was beaten up badly and out of the race. Braz had moved into fifth spot with Cecil dropping back behind him by lap fifteen with twenty laps to go, whilst Forrest and Lansdown were also other races out of the race by this point.
Foster led at lap twenty with Ingram, Whittle, Ardley, and Cecil back ahead of Braz. Owen Cecil joined those infield and out of the race and his brother Harry had passed Ardley into fourth spot with Foster still leading five laps later. More drama followed for competitors with Ardley, both Cecil brothers, Joshua Cormack, Lachie Chivers and Walsh all dropping out of the running leaving nine drivers running with five laps to go. Blomeley was the last driver to park his race car as Foster went on to cross the line less than half a second in front of Ingram, Whittle, Braz, Austin Chivers, Watts, Stewart, and Randall.
Scrutineers then completed a specification check before Foster was declared officially the victor from Ingram and Whittle. Austin Chivers in fifth would be the first Ballarat racer to be classified.
In Saturday night AMCA Nationals racing Mick Kiraly, Brodie Petrou and Paul Howard won the qualifying races before Kiraly in a classic finale defeated Stephen Hopkins after getting the best of Hopkins at a late race restart. Petrou finished third, then Howard and New South Wales racer Andrew Ash.
On Sunday Zeke Edwards, Zac MacDonald and Matt Reddecliffe won qualifying races. In a twenty-lap final Michael Ardley and Matt Reddecliffe were both early race leaders before MacDonald took over the lead and went on to a comfortable victory ahead of Reddecliffe, Ardley, Australian champion Kevin Britten, and Zeke Edwards.
Racing returns on March 28th with Sprintcars headlining a night that includes the Southern Street Stock series and a Vintage Sedans and Hot Rods demonstration.
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
