Nyora Raceway entertained an enthusiastic crowd on February the 11th with a big ‘Fun City Entertainment Complex’ Super Sedan feature event and much anticipated ‘Miles Mechanical’ Ladies Standard Saloon feature headlining what was a great show for race fans.

The hard working officials and volunteers had to battle the elements as rain affected the first attempt to start the race meeting not once, but twice. The track crew and the race drivers were able to work their way through that period and a super-fast track awaited the drivers by 7pm.

When racing finally began the drivers were impressed with the canvas they had to work with and set about some great attacking racing.

Super Sedans were having their first visit to Nyora Raceway for a few seasons and the competitors were hungry for success chasing $4000 to win. Recently crowned Tasmanian Champion Mick Nicola Snr took a win in heat one ahead of his brother Peter and son Mick Nicola Jnr.

New South Welshman Andrew White crossed the line the winner in the second heat sensationally defeating Lucas Roberts. Peter Nicola bagged the third heat win ahead of Nicola Snr with Neil Witnish in his strongest drive of the evening in third.

With the money up for grabs in the feature, drama beset Nicola Snr who was unable to go the distance after damage to his machine and Peter Nicola set about locking the others out. Roberts tried hard, never letting Nicola too far out of his sights and found himself right on the tail of the leader on occasions. White was strong and eventually shrugged off Witnish and Nicola Jnr as Peter Nicola took the win from Roberts, White, Witnish and Nicola Jnr.

Ladies Standard Saloon racing were competing in the significantly supported $1000 to win feature, one of, if not the richest women’s Sedan feature in Speedway ever. The field attracted mostly South East Melbourne and Gippsland racers with a couple from Ballarat and Bendigo way. Shannon Lovell secured a win in both the first two heat races ahead of Tegan Bullard.

Debbie Hickson then won the third heat ahead of first year competitor Hayley Hutchins and visitor Priscilla Grech finished second and third before Multiple times Victorian champion Kelly McDermott secured a win in the last heat of the night in front of Sharon Morrison.

For the twenty-lap Ladies feature race Lovell, McDermott, Grech and Morrison had secured the top four starting positions. McDermott had a terrific start and took the lead position quickly whilst Bullard also started strongly moving in behind Lovell.

A battle between Lovell and Bullard finished with the latter’s car crunching the concrete wall and the Steward handing out a rear of field penalty to Lovell who then got to continue on. McDermott stretched the lead out to over half a lap by mid race, before Sarah Price picked up her pace and started to claw back some of the distance.

Morrison and Grech had a great battle through the later parts of the race also and a passing move that included contact proved costly for Grech who was penalised a place at the end of the race. McDermott took the win and bragging rights before the upcoming Victorian title at the same venue, whilst Price finished second with Morrison, Grech and Courtney Sherry rounding out the official top five placings.

An Open Sedan feature attracted some great machinery with Victorian Sports Sedan champion Jamie Paull, Darren O’Brien in his new Commodore, Mick Evans in his popular V8 Torana, Brad Hill in his V8 FJ Holden, Lucas Conder, Dale Morrison and Josh Service amongst the quicker cars.

Service had been improving quickly since the start of the season with a recent third place finish up in Victoria’s North East, however you could forgive most of the Nyora competitors for asking ‘Josh who?’

After the finish of heat one where he took the win ahead of Paull and Conder, the locals knew there was a new player in town. Conder showed superior driving to Mick Evans picking up the second heat win whilst Morrison won the third heat ahead of O’Brien and Evans. The feature didn’t go to plan for some, however as Conder and Morrison surrounded their front of the field places, Service ran away with the lead and the eventual win from Evans, Paull, Shona Bent and Adam Hutchinson.

Due to the earlier delay in racing when rain affected the track, Standard Saloons and the Junior Standard Saloons had their races cut back, Daniel Dalgliesh in his second ever race meeting took the feature win from Ash Fythe after both had earlier won the heat races.

Brendon Miles finished third with Mitch Bowyer and Ricky Connor rounding out the top five. In Junior Standard Saloons Ally Morrison clean swept the results with both the heat wins and then a feature win ahead of Jack Yeomans, Rhys Lansdown and Joh Fythe.

Nyora returns with more action on February the 25th with the Crash and Bash Association and the Victorian Grand prix Midgets headlining all regular club classes.

 

Nyora Raceway Inc also would like to thank their supporters for 16/17:
Ramsdale Wreckers Pakenham – Miles Mechanical Pakenham – Total Autos Pakenham – Tooradin Sports Club – Fun City Entertainment Complex – Moe Recyclers – ARP Earthworks – All Care Exhausts Pakenham – Bass Concreting – John Duff & CO ~ Shell – Omni Fluid Handling Solutions – Flatout Trailers & Fabrication – CBM Photography – Onsite Rental Group – Mornington Motors – Peninsula District Towing – Somerville Motor Body Works – EPH Construction – Fun City Sunshine – Yarra Valley Speedway Kart Club – Ultimate Awards – BAM Inspect & Build – Pakenham Accident Repairs – Phoenix Lubricants – BGN Auto Glass Pakenham – Cheap Tyres Morwell – QP Lubricants – Affordable Auto Salvage – Ripper Sticker – Kool Freighters – Taylor’d Fabrications – Russell Steel – Polish N Shine – Heartfelt Candles – Dandenong Pest Control – Narre Warren Flooring – ANZ Carpentry – Stephenson Transport

 

Written by
Dean Thompson
DMT Sports Media

For Nyora Raceway Inc