A large and enthusiastic crowd eager to see broken cars and rollovers filled the spectator mound at Nyora Raceway on Saturday the 25th of February when the Crash and Bash fraternity hit town and they didn’t leave disappointed after a great feature race that including spins, crashes and a huge rollover finished with recent breakfast television star Jake Young taking the big win.
Jake Young – Photo Courtesy of Napman Photography
Also competing during the night were a number of support divisions including the visiting Grand Prix Midgets with Jason Crawford taking a win, Standard Saloons with Mark Miles the winner, Sports Sedans where Jake Blencowe came out on top and Ladies Standard Saloons won by Sarah Price.
In the Crash and Bash the feature race was preceded by nine qualifying heat races with all cars till in working condition at the end of qualifying able to start the feature race in a three abreast line up.
Lee Beach looked sensational in the heat races not letting his foot leave the accelerator as he flew around the turns ah la Street Stock style. Beach won his first heat, Nathan Fawns and Grant Attewell did the same. Nyora member Rob Bushell then won the first in round two with Matt Haby and Steve Brown picking up the other wins before Rob Disher, Brad Warren and Jake Young won the last round qualifiers.
Warren also a Nyora member qualified pole position and sensing the crowd needed a perk up, he offered to start at the back of the field. Dave Rowlands from Russell Steel stepped up and offered a $500 donation to the ‘Camp Quality’ Children’s Cancer Charity of Warren could win from the rear before Dave Wilson and Anchorage and Abba Boarding Kennels stepped up with similar offers.
The challenge had been set, with Warren at the rear of the field and Steve Brown, Rob Bushell, Grant Attewell at the front, Warren had his work cut out for him. The front three started well before a lap two caution flag waved to bring the field back together, by then Warren had passed fourteen cars and lined up in twelfth for the first restart.
Leaders started to succumb to being caught and spun or breakdowns and tyre flats and Jake Young eventually hit the lead with Ryan Brown and Lennie Bonnici carving up the backmarkers. Numerous yellow light cautions allowed Warren to get into the top five, a spin by Bonnici and Brown getting caught up in action elevated Warren to second before a final caution when ‘Sheriff Jimmy Kane’ rolled over brought the race into a exciting, green, white and chequered finale.
Young had great mumbo under his hood and he got a great jump at the final green flag and Warren try as he might, just could not get close enough to Young to catch him and spin him out of the lead.
Young took the win from Warren, Beach, Attewell and Bushell.
The visiting Grand Prix Midgets competing in the Ballistics Performance Parts Masters Series had a rollover of their own when the fastest driver on track all evening Trevor Perry took a tumble whilst leading the third heat. Perry won the first two heats with a best hand held stop watch time of just under 15 seconds a lap before joining the upside down club in the third heat won by Crawford.
Top qualifier for the final Lisa Chalcraft then started at the rear of the field in the final with Crawford alongside whilst Chris Fowler who was having a horrible night started from the front of the field. Crawford then hit the lead quickly in the final with Chalcraft tagging along and both putting Fowler back to third. Sean Denning was strong in fourth place and with mechanical issues David Bacon struggled around lap after lap. Crawford picked up the win from Chalcraft, Fowler, Denning and Bacon.
Nyora members Mark Miles and Aaron Price had a great duel in the Standard saloon final with visiting drivers Dean Pederson, Jay Dickson and Andrew Dike chasing. The latter three swapped positions gradually through the course of the race whilst Miles and Price went nose to tail most of the way. Miles picked up the win from Price and Dickson snatched third with Dike and Pederson rounding out the top five.
Sports Sedan racing was competitive at the front with Jake Blencowe, Josh Service, Shane Kruger and Simon Bent in amongst the action after Blencowe had earlier won two heats and Service the other. Blencowe commanded the lead early in the final and Kruger finished infield after a top three finished looked good. Blencowe the winner, from Service, Bent, Darren O’Brien and Jeff Blencowe.
Rounding out the action was the Ladies Standard Saloons with the field robbed of Hanna Domburg’s participation after early race night damage. Domburg won the first heat, Sarah Price the next two before taking the win in the final from Danielle Ardley, Haley Hutchins and Courtney Sherry.
Nyora return on March the 25th for the Victorian Ladies Standard Saloon title and Speedcars.
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.