HODGE, ANGUS, JOYNSON, BULLARD AND LEEK WIN AT DROUIN
After hard work in the lead up to a Sunday race day at Drouin battling the weather to produce and maintain a racetrack in condition for race competition, the volunteers and officials were delighted to run through a complete race meeting this past Sunday May 19th. President Larry Evans and son Travis and other track maintenance team members delivered a track to hold Wingless and Sedan racing, albeit a tricky one beyond their control with rain still a factor on race day.
In these challenging conditions, the Wingless Sprints competed in four heat races and a final for their Gippsland Wingless Sprint series at Drouin, round six from the scheduled season. Lang Lang based racer Ben Hodge secured a strong win in his first of two races with Jake Warren and Aron Lawrence finishing behind him. Samantha Millar led every lap on her way to victory in heat two with Scott Cole and starting lineup backmarker Tony Moule rounding out the top three. Leongatha racer James Schneider led every lap in heat three winning from Daryl Coon and Scott Irons a Drouin club member. East Gippsland’s Dillon Siely made a couple of early passes to secure a win in the fourth and final heat with Ricky Mills and Hodge the top three.
In a fifteen-lap final with rain closing in on Drouin and already in Pakenham and Nar Nar Goon at the time of feature event racing, Hodge held sway out in the front of the field as Cole having qualified strongly along with Irons holding down second and third. Back in the field starting from row seven, Tony Moule showed all his experience of many years racing and being a former national champion in Sprintcars to work his way past those ahead of him. Ticking off Michael Loxton, Jack Regan, Thomas McDonald, Siely, Schneider, Lawrence, Mills, Warren, Coon, Iron and then Cole on lap fourteen as Hodge crossed the finish line to win, Moule secured second finishing five seconds behind the winner and ahead of Cole, Irons and Warren.
In the Gippsland Cup action for Sports Sedan Andrew Dike started well making passes to take the lead and win the first heat race, before leading from start to finish to win heat two. Dike swept the day when he again led every lap in heat three to win. Dike then looked set for a perfect day as he led from lap one in the feature event. On lap six however his race came to an end and Scott Angus assumed the lead spot. Angus went on to win from Cameron Dike, Chris Aarts, Ray Gould, and Gavan Dorain.
The Junior Standard Saloon drivers continued their development with six drivers in competition. Bunyip racers Cooper Joynson and Ella Sheedy had a great battle in the first heat of the day with Joynson leading most of the race before Sheedy hit the front. Joynson showing how much he has developed this season then retook the lead to finish off with a win. Whilst Sheedy was the winner of heat two, Joynson hassled her all the way to the finish line. Sheedy also won heat number three with Liam Ingram inserting themselves into the mix finishing second this time. Leading every lap of a ten-lap final, Cooper Joynson defeated Sheedy, Ingram, Jackie-Anne Angus, and Ashton Joynson.
Maddi Miles from Catani smashed the field in heat one on the wettest track of the day in heat one of the Ladies Standard Saloons with Bree Walker twenty-one seconds back in second spot at the finish. Tegan Bullard a former club class champion on her return to racing after some time away won the second heat race. Miles won again when she was first to the chequers in heat three. Bullard then led all the way from the front row at the green flag to the finish in winning the final with Miles second then Walker and Tasharni Murray.
Matt Leek returned to victory lane with victory in heat one of the Standard Saloons with Chris Miles taking a win in the second heat after a long drive back from the Murray River on Saturday night where he competed at Wahgunyah. Justin Cadman won heat three leading from start to finish and Leek doubled his heat race wins with another in heat four. Kane Gibson from Traralgon was a winner in heat five with Jeff Blencowe picking up victory in the last qualifier. In the final Leek from the front row held firm as Gibson dropped back through the field as Blencowe, Aaron Cormack and Cadman made passes ahead of him. Blencowe hassled Leek trying to take the lead and when the race was flagged off as finished, Leek had won from Blencowe, Cormack, Cadman, and Gibson.
Drouin Speedway Club acknowledge and thank these wonderful supporters.
Alberni Engineering
Ampworks
ARP Earthworks
Baw Baw Shire
Bowens Pakenham
Bunyip Bakery
Bunyip Motors
Bunyip Rodeo
Bunyip Tyre Service
Castrol
Diverse Accounting Service
Drouin Sth Excavations
Drouin Tyre and Battery Service
Elite Cranes and Transport
Image Worx Photography
Keena Fencing
Latrobe Waste and Recycling
Leigh and Anne Gooding
Mepstead Lawyers
Miles Mechanical
Melbourne IT Support
Norstar Steel Recyclers
Napier Photography
Old School Super Store
Pakenham Radiators
Plendrive
QuickTime Automotive
Railway Hotel
Random Panda Photography
Scott Irons
STR8 Bricklaying
TJE Fabrication
TNT Autos
Total Autos Pakenham
Visual Signage Solutions
Wilkar Constructions
Written by
Dean Thompson
DMT Sports Media
For Drouin Speedway Club