Watts, Lock, Heseltine, and Whittle win

By Dean Thompson

The second race meeting of the season at Redline Raceway seen some sensational racing from all classes as drivers set about trying to win series rounds and earn points in the Sports Sedans, Street Stocks and AMCA Nationals whilst Standard Saloon competitors were out to earn club points for their championships. Steven Watts from Victoria’s South-West won the Street Stock Gold Cup event, Jamie Lock won the Power Series feature event for Sports Sedans, Dean Heseltine won the AMCA Nationals series round whilst Scott Whittle won the Standard Saloon final.

Nine heat races were held for the Sports Sedans with around thirty competitors in the pits to do battle. Bradin Claridge, Russell Smith, and Tommy McDonald won the heats in round one with none of the margins between first and second bigger than .400 of a second. In the second round Riley Balins won the first heat of the round blowing a big hole through his engine on the last lap ending his night. Victorian champion Josh Service and Jamie Lock rounded out the winners in round two. Up to this point Zac Swanson the defending champion was unable to finish any of the heat races.

Felicity Roycroft, Shannon Burke, and Josh Service the only driver to be awarded two wins took out the top results in the third and final round with a penalty allowing Service to pick up his victory. Bradin Claridge did not finish in heat eight as his right rear wheel came flying off his Falcon. In the last chance qualifier Dennis Reid, Albert Fell, Bailey Kakoschke, Ian Bartlett and Anthony Nicolaisen progressed into the feature event.

Dale Smith and Service started from the front of the field with Burke and Roycroft right behind and then Brendan Miller and Broderick Stray. It was Burke who had the best start through as he shot to the lead through turns one and two the first time through. Smith and Stray slotted in behind with Service getting stuck up high as the field made past him like a freight train after midnight before he slotted back in ninth spot. Stray made his way to second on lap two and Jamie Lock was in third spot by lap four and second a lap later.

Lock hit the front of the race on lap eight and at lap eleven he led Burke, Stray, Roycroft and Caleb Lincoln who began way back on row six. On lap twenty-one Roycroft moved to fourth and as the laps reached twenty-five Lock had won by almost seven seconds from Burke, Lincoln, Roycroft and Dale Smith.

The Street Stocks were holding a Speedway Sedans Victoria series round the Street Stock Gold Cup with nine heats also. Nathan Fawns a Redline club member won the first heat of the night with Victorian champion Dale Morrison and a second Redline member Jason Degoldi winning the others in round one. Scott Purdie a committee member at the host club was next to win with Dean Jenkins and Steven Watts also winners. Mildura’s Toby Littlehales car had a significant shunt, and the car was damaged enough to put it out of action.

Watts went back-to-back with heat wins when he won heat seven, Mick Dann another Redline member won the eighth heat race and Scott Purdie become the second two heat race winner securing a win in the last. Shaun Henry, Scott Secombe, Wade Fell and Zack Yeoman raced their way from the last chance qualifier into the feature event.

Watts and Purdie began the Gold Cup from the front row with Degoldi, Jenkins, Bhoe Patterson and Jayden Blomeley the top six. The top six got away quickly and from the fourth row Tyler Barton moved to fifth by lap five. Degoldi passed Purdie on lap six with barely any distance between to the two as they raced side by side passing the start and finish line. Purdie was ahead of Degoldi the next lap before Degoldi wrested the position to be his own on lap eleven.

Jenkins put Purdie under pressure soon after as Watts led Degoldi, Jenkins, Purdie, and Barton on lap thirteen. Purdie dropped out of the race and Blomeley moved into the top five with Barton in fourth. As the laps wound down Degoldi got closer to Watts and reeled him, in a barnstormer of a finish, Watts held on by .097 of a second from Degoldi, Jenkins, Barton and Blomeley.

In AMCA Nationals Paul Howard won the first of four heats. Australian champion Tim Reidy, Dean Heseltine and Frank Thierry were the four heat race winners. Neale Peachey, Reidy, Justin Richardson, Thierry, Heseltine, and Stewart Grant-Campbell started in the top six. Peachey led lap one from Reidy with Thierry moving into third. On lap six Peachey who had won at Alexandra at the last event for the class led Reidy, Richardson, Thierry, and Grant-Campbell.

From lap seven Heseltine started to press forward in his new race car after taking it a little easier and playing with set ups in the heats. By lap ten Heseltine was in third spot. On lap fifteen Peachey’s run came to an end with a destroyed tyre handing the lead to Reidy and Heseltine. On lap sixteen just a lap later Heseltine hit the front of the field to and went on to victory from Reidy, Richardson, Grant-Campbell, and Thierry.

Rounding out the competition was the Standard Saloons with Scott Whittle starting the night undefeated from four races at Redline in the season. Maintaining the status, Whittle took victory in the first race of the night passing Bailey Sinclair with a lap to go. Courtney Meakins then picked up a win in the second heat of the night before Whittle won the third. Steven Dadswell from Bairnsdale took victory in the fourth and final qualifier.

Leading every lap and remaining undefeated at Redline through seven races, Whittle went on to defeat Patrick Walsh who passed Dadswell onlap eight for second spot. Finishing behind Dadswell in fourth was Lachie Chivers and Sinclair finished fifth.

Racing returns to Redline Raceway on January 24th with AMCA Nationals back for a final run before their Victorian title in March. Hot Rods and club Sedan classes will complete the program.