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Lottery Available Trackside - WIN $$$ |
Date |
Ticket |
Amount |
Claimed |
Meeting 2 |
#01732 |
$2344 |
CLAIMED |
Woodford Glen set alight on and off track.
by Mat Kermeen
The annual Fireworks Extravaganza set the night sky alight over a huge crowd at AmPro Tools Woodford Glen on Saturday night but, for the purists’, there was plenty of sparks flying on track too.
Mark Osborne impressed with his third place in the Moller and Young trophy last week for a newcomer, this week he just impressed.
Osborne got the jump on Richie Taylor in heat two and held on for the win in a thrilling battle between the pair. The former Rotorua Rebels captain was midfield early in the third heat before going around the outside of four cars in one fowl swoop. That stunning pass put him into a lead that he stretched as the race went on.
To put it in prospective, there was no Ian Burson, Josh Boulton or any visitors but the track was not suited for outside passing either.
Osborne may look the man to beat but there is so much water to flow under the bridge yet.
In an ominous sign for all super saloon drivers, despite being ultra competitive, Taylor is agitated with his current performance and is determined to improve, watch this space. Veteran Dennis Bolt looked promising in his first meeting and Gavin Hill debuted his ex Craig Cardwell chassis and veteran Dennis Bolt looked promising in his first hit out of the season.
Club stalwart, Roger Nees has hit the ground running this season despite still struggling with a slight miss fire problem. Nees drove a near perfect race to hold the lead early in heat one, before pulling away from the chasing bunch that included Taylor, Bruce Boulton and Osborne. The victory was sweet and well deserved for the popular club member - his first in the car and super saloon grade after three years of trying.
The next meeting at Woodford Glen will feature the Canterbury Crushers stockcar team in action over the two day North v South Stockcar Teams Challenge. With that in mind, there was plenty of interest around the 34 car field on Saturday.
Driver availability is still being considered with many drivers in new cars or facing the usual early season challenges.
Corey Abernethy proved again that he is one of the most consistent drivers in the club, scoring a second in the first heat followed by, a win and then a fourth in the final heat. Nick
Sidaway continues to impress in his comeback, picking up the first heat win on a very wet track. The Tri-rail’s of Ivan McPhail and Dennis Andreassend continue to be frontrunners.
Jamie Hamilton was quick in the Vazey chassis but next meeting will step into a brand new Leech built, Tri-rail inspired, design.
The big improvers are Lloyd Jennings, Daniel McClure, and Troy Wilson who are now competitive with the frontrunners.
Most contact was either accidental or light spins, but, for the second meeting of the season, it was about what would be expected.
Luke Keegan was not impressed with his form last week but it only took seven days to get back to business. The current 2nz, blitzed a small field to win all three races comfortably.
With an abundance of cars not far from the track, Modifieds are going to turn on fast, high quality racing over the summer.
Streetstocks were quieter than the Moller and Young trophy but, still entertaining with all the usual suspects in the placings.
Super stocks were down on numbers despite the return of the experienced duo of Peter Field and Neil Frew. Nick Selfe was the most impressive but the welcome return of Andrew Good has been a successful one and Aaron Rowlands and Tony Newman are both putting themselves in the mix, making for a competitive but small field.
The North versus South Stockcar Teams Challenge will be contested at AmPro Tools Woodford Glen Speedway on November 16 and 17. A preview with team naming will be posted seven days prior to the meeting. |