A terrific night for Junior Sedan racing on Saturday night at Nyora Raceway finished with victory for Koo Wee Rup racer Rhys Lansdown in his final Junior season of racing as he secured the ‘Somerville Motor Body Works’ Victorian Junior Standard Saloon title win on a night where one of his great supporters Russell Hill from Caldermeade also took a feature race win in the Miles Cup for Standard Saloons.
Junior drivers from right across Gippsland, Melbourne’s eastern and south eastern suburbs and as far away as Swan Hill competed for the right to be known as the Victorian champion for the rest of the season as a minimum and Lansdown did just that when he won ahead of Warragul racer Kacey Ingram, Nyora member Lewis Williams and Jack Yeomans and Courtney Meakins.
Six qualifying races led up to the twenty five lap title race and last season’s second and third runner ups Lansdown and Ingram went straight at it as soon as the green flag dropped. With varying levels of race ability in the line-up with some very new drivers and some veteran youngsters, Lansdown and Ingram were terrific in weaving in and out between the traffic of the back markers to the middle of the pack race drivers.
Williams, Yeomans passed and re-passed either for third and fourth numerous times. Courtney Meakins put some pressure on them two especially later in the race moving to fourth briefly before finishing in fifth. Lansdown at the front hard massive leads and then small gaps depending on traffic and caution periods.
Rhys Lansdown – Photo Courtesy of Tyler Barton Motorsports Media
When the race came to an end, Lansdown and Ingram moved themselves up the podium to first and second spots after last season’s second and third placed finished. Lewis secured third spot and Yeomans finished in fourth with Meakins in fifth.
Former Victorian champion Ricky Cornwall, now an adult race driver handed his number one plater to Lansdown on track. Lansdown later handed his number two plate to Ingram whom handed his number three plate to Williams in what is a terrific tradition the Victorian Speedway Junior kids have created.
In Standard Saloon action in the Miles Cup supported by Miles Mechanical honouring the Miles family whom have a long involvement with Nyora Raceway including Eric down to Mark, Chris, Brendan and Drew and all their immediate families, Russell Hill who has a long association especially with Eric and Mark won his second Miles Cup leading from start to finish just as Lansdown did in the Juniors.
With the Standard Saloon Victorian title on Labour Day weekend at Nyora Hill from Caldermeade in South Gippsland defeated a host of competitors whom all have their eye on the big prize in a couple of weekends time. Finishing in second spot was Mornington racer Marcus Reddecliffe with Paul Domburg in third position and Aaron Marshall and Craig Templeton rounding out the top five.
Hill had tremendous straight line speed on a small track that is conducive to the smaller powered cars getting around quickly. Hill who loves his eight cylinder engine power in the XD Falcon was never troubled one the race got passed the first few laps.
Russell Hill – Photo courtesy of Sara Benson of SBP
At the end of the Miles Cup Hill had some gracious words for the Miles family. “I really like what the Miles family are doing here at Nyora and you can see how good the club looks and how everybody is enjoying their nights when they come to Nyora. Congratulations to the other drivers and thank you to all my supporters for coming out and enjoying the night. It is terrific to win on the same night that young Rhys has won, he is going to be a superstar for many years.”
In the BGN Autoglass supported Sports Sedan support races Josh Service from the eastern suburbs won the feature event ahead of Gemma Laidlaw and Ally Morrison. Service was way out front in the lead whilst the girls and Victorian champion Jamie Paull had a terrific battle in the second to fourth spots. Morrison secured third in the back end of the race and Paull had to settle for a fourth placed result ahead of Steve Akil in fifth.
In Compact Speedcar racing Justin Paull the Australian champion defeated his sister Tania Hallett with Kerren Tangey in third place.
Rhys Lansdowne and Russell Hill – Photo courtesy of Lansdown Family Racing
Nyora will return on Labour Day weekend with the Victorian Standard Saloon title, Sports Sedan feature along with a Wingless Sprints feature also.
Nyora thank the Club sponsors for this season:
Miles Mechanical Pakenham – Total Autos Pakenham – Rip it Up Earthworks Bittern – Bursons Pakenham – Highline Racewear – HardAzz Concrete and Excavations – Tooradin Sports Club – ARP Earthworks – All Care Exhausts Pakenham – Bass Concreting – John Duff & CO – Shell – Mepstead Electrical – J Allcock Plumbing – ZT Carpentree – Ramsdale Wreckers – SS AG Services – Polly’s Auto Salvage – Sherlow’s Used Cars – Concept Trade Solutions – Flatout Trailers & Fabrication – Random Panda Photography – Onsite Rental Group – Mornington Motors – ML Automotive – Peninsula District Towing – Somerville Motor Body Works – Ultimate Awards – BAM Inspect & Build – Pakenham Accident Repairs – BGN Auto Glass – Affordable Auto Salvage – Ripper Sticker – Taylor’d Fabrications – Russell Steel – Heartfelt Candles – Dandenong Pest Control – Pakenham Towing – Wise Steel Sales – Victorian Crane Trucks – Snap-On Mornington Peninsula – EPH Group
Written by
Dean Thompson
DMT Sports Media
For Nyora Raceway Inc