Mothers Day and Memorial Day for Daylesford Speedway

By Dean Thompson

This Sunday, Daylesford Drivers Association will be back in action at our temporary yet much appreciated home at Darlington’s Mid-Western Speedway for our second show there.

The program is packed with the Balshaw Memorial for the Daylesford Modifieds and the Roz Moynihan Memorial for Daylesford Ladies Sedans, the two headline events, with the Junior 1200cc Sedan New Stars Cup, a Ladies Novice race, and Mechanics race other highlights of the day’s racing.

It is Mother’s Day, so come along as a family on a day Daylesford traditionally call ‘Mother’s Day Mayhem’, honouring the late Daylesford favourite Ken Balshaw. The Balshaw story is one of being a racer right across Victoria before stopping to raise a family. He continued to frequent Daylesford Speedway meeting after meeting and year after year before passing on. The Balshaw family see the memorial event as a way to bring the shine and focus on the competitors rather than themselves, whilst still honouring Ken. Daniel Carter has been the most dominant Modified racer this season and is on paper, the favourite before we start for the Balshaw Memorial. However, Bailey Kakoschke has developed quickly racing in major Sports Sedan racing around Victoria and could well be a threat to Carter. Graham Smith, Ryan Daly, Ian Bartlett, and Steven Warlond are some other competitors amongst a great line-up, that could be the cat amongst the pigeons.

A great field of Street Stocks will be on hand for competition after they compete in the important Hanno Tribute event at Mortlake Speedway Club’s show the day before. Jack Jordan, Dylan Wilkinson, Chris Hay, Des Robinson, Glenn McCoubrie, and Tim Hutchinson are just some of the drivers that are likely to battle for podium and possibly victory placings. Hutchinson is the best credentialed of the field.

Daylesford Junior Sedan competitors include Blaize Majok-Edwards, his sister Peyton Edwards-Daly and Noah Basten, they are all improving each and every time they hit the racetrack and are sure to generate very spirited racing. Competing in the Roz Moynihan Memorial who started her association with Daylesford Drivers Association in 1992 after having a race in a Mechanics race. She was a role model and an inspiration for women in the Daylesford community and was recognised officially as such, whilst at Daylesford Speedway, she was a role model for everybody. The Daylesford Ladies Sedan racers each season compete for a memorial victory in her honour whilst Daylesford also hold a Ladies novice race to encourage new Ladies to get behind the wheel and find that bug, just like Roz did. Jo Richardson a competitive racer from East Gippsland, Ellen Vagg a fierce competitor from the nearby south west area, Charmaine Bryans, and Michelle Warlond are just some of the Ladies to watch in the Roz Moynihan Memorial for our experienced drivers, whilst in the Ladies novice, the beauty of it all is we are not sure of who will be the front running competitors, as they are novices.

Austin Chivers, Andrew Cormack, Arron Cormack, Patrick Walsh, Dean Pedersen, Aaron Meakins, Jacob Head, and Bailey Sinclair are some of the Standard Saloon racers to keep an eye on. Some of the competitors will race the day before in a Mortlake feature whilst Meakins will come in fresh on Sunday to compete. Austin Chivers is looking to back up after his victory two weeks ago whilst Walsh would like to claim that top spot after finishing second.

The Junior 1200cc Sedans will compete for the New Stars Cup for some of the newer drivers in the class. Dayne Murdoch finished fifth at Swan Hill last week, Brad Marshall finished third and Holly Hutchinson fourth, they are all developing strongly and look to be the front runners on Sunday whilst Eliza Taylor will relish the opportunity for more racing laps as she continues to get used to Sedan racing. Daylesford’s Mechanics race has attracted some competitors that have experience and may not have raced much or raced for a while, Gary Kakoschke, Colin Ward, and Gary Vagg are some competitors fans will enjoy seeing on the track again.

The Canteen and some terrific vendors at the club will be operational Sunday.

General enquiries on 0408 5439 694 or 0449 107 863.

Entry for anybody 15 years of age and over $20 to enter, this includes Disabled and aged pensioners. Children 10 to 15 or a competing Junior racer are $10 each, and 10 and under are free, $45 for a family ticket of two adults and two children under the age of 15, or a Junior competing on race day under the age of 16. There is no EFTPOS at the venue, cash only to enter, and BYO alcohol is not permitted. There is a canteen on site with some breakfast from 10am.

Follow the Daylesford Speedway Club website and Daylesford Speedway Facebook page.

Racing begins at 11.30am and the gates open early from 8am with competitors due at the track by 10.00am and pit gates shut to racing entrants by 10.30.