By Dean Thompson
NYORA Raceway put on another terrific show for fans on April Saturday 20 with Dirt Modifieds and Ladies Standard Saloons the feature classes supported by many locals in Junior Standard Saloons, Sports Sedans, and Standard Saloons. Drivers from interstate had entered the Dirt Modified event with fifty gruelling laps ahead of them for their feature event.
Starting the qualifying action for the Dirt Modifieds Daryl Hickson from the Mornington Peninsula got the best of Victorian champion David Clark who had come down to compete from Queensland. A margin of .262 separated the two at the line. Shane Ardley then won heat two leading all the way to win a close one in front of his brother Michael by just .422 of a second. Michael Ardley then picked up his first win of the night when he finished .187 of a second in front of Clark in heat three. Zac McDonald then made it four different winners from four races when he pocketed a win in heat four. The first driver to secure a second win was Hickson in heat five when he once again beat Clark by the smallest of margins, this time .274 of a second. Marcus Reddecliffe closed out the qualifiers that included a rollover by Shane Ardley with his own victory in heat six.
Time trials to determine the feature race starting spots went the way of McDonald who put down a 14.410 second time just a little faster than Clark with 14.432. Hickson secured third spot with Michael Ardley, Warrick Taylor and Reddecliffe rounding out the top six. Eleven drivers began the fifty-lap feature event with McDonald leading lap one across the line. At the ten-lap mark McDonald led Clark, Hickson, Marcus Reddecliffe and Michael Ardley. No change in the top five spots at the twenty-lap mark however Matt Reddecliffe had secured sixth spot with thirty laps to go.
Marcus Reddecliffe become the first of the top six to drop out of the race on lap twenty-seven whilst Taylor had passed Matt Reddecliffe and moved into fifth. With ten laps to go McDonald had not yet been passed, whilst certainly being challenged by Clark in second. Hickson remained in third spot with Michael Ardley and Taylor the top five. As the fifty-lap mark was reached McDonald passed the chequered flag half a second ahead of Clark, Hickson, Michael Ardley, and Taylor.
Ladies Standard Saloon competitors would compete in their Gippsland series in round five. Maddison Miles of Catani had a terrific win in the first heat race finishing a third of a lap in front of the field. Caroline Allen from Warragul then won heat two just ahead of Elise Halliday by .587 of a second. Rachel Chippindall whose had a limited amount of racing picked up a victory in the third heat race much to the delight of her fans. Leading every lap of a fifteen-lap final, Halliday would manager to hold off every attempt by Allen to snatch the lead of the race. Halliday winning by .195 of a second from Allen with Bronwyn Miles third ahead of Chippindall and Maddi Bransgove.
Sports Sedans also hit the track with Inverloch racer Braidan Webster coming up with the win. Webster won the first heat race by just .213 of a second before Chris Aarts whom he beat, won the second heat race. Andrew Galley returning to racing after some time away from the track won the third heat race before the fifteen-lap feature field was set with Aarts from the front row. Aarts led the final early before Webster hit the front on lap nine. Webster would control the race from there moving to a two and half second lead and subsequently winning from Aarts, Galley, Jeff Blencowe, and Ray Gould from Warragul.
The Junior Standard Saloon competitors raced for the Nyora track championship with eight keen starters in the field. Cooper Joynson began with a win in heat race number one with Ella Sheedy hassling him to the line finishing just .274 of a second behind. Tom Braz from the Latrobe Valley then won heat race number two passing Bailey Hill early on his way to the win. Braz then doubled up winning heat three to set the final line-up. Braz then led all fifteen laps in the final to leave victorious in front of Hill, Chase Ingram, Liam Ingram, and Sheedy.
Standard Saloon action was spiced up with the visit of Victoria number two racer Wayne Sheerman. Kacey Ingram whose been on a tear as far as winning is concerned in Gippsland would be the first heat race winner of the night. Sheerman then won heat two before a great battle between he and Poowong’s Owen Cecil in heat three finished with Cecil in front by just .264 of a second. Andrew Miles from Pakenham would win the fourth heat race in another close finish with Sheerman again second, this time by just .440 of a second. Leading all the way through fifteen laps Sheerman would get the win in front of Ingram, Cecil, Andrew Miles, and Brodie Robertson in the feature event.
Nyora Raceway returns to action once again on May 18 with a huge Demolition Deby and Wingless Sprints featuring.
