By Dean Thompson
RACING at Alexandra Speedway on Saturday, 3 December saw competitive fields in the Sports Sedans and Standard Saloons.
In particular, there was a great night’s racing with the King of the Valley for Sports Sedans won by Matt Nelson, prelude to the title for Standard Saloons won by Russell Hill and the Junior Sedans won by Kasey Garlick all in very close finishes.
The Sports Sedans were competing in a state point’s event with a busy season ahead for them.
Victorian champion Damien Miller and last season’s runner up Andrew Jordan were among the line-up with nine heats preceding the feature race.
Wins went to Damien Miller, Brendan Miller, Jack Van Bremen – brothers Damien Miller and Brendan Miller again – Matt Nelson with two in a row, Samuel Williams and Matt Stampfli.
An intended 25 lap ‘Alexandra and Yea Premix’ supported King of the Valley feature event due to track conditions was reduced down to 20 laps.
Nelson, in his six-cylinder powered Commodore, was determined to get one over the Miller brothers Damien and Brendan.
In early stages Nelson had the wood over Damien Miller who soon slipped back into the Brendan’s clutches and Brendan then set about passing Damien and chasing Nelson.
Nelson was stronger through traffic while the Miller boys were slightly faster on the timing monitor.
When the chequered flag was held aloft due to the dust, Brendan Miller was trying to close in on Nelson, Nelson the winner by one second with Brendan Miller, Damien Miller then Stampfli and Dale Morrison who started way back in the feature field.
With the next race meeting at Alexandra for Standard Saloons being their Victorian State Title in March, many drivers from Gippsland, South East Melbourne, Eastern Suburbs Melbourne, North East Victoria, and Bendigo and Swan Hill, entered the last chance to sort out their car set-ups at the track before the championship.
Numerous racers who had won events this season were in the field with Nick Chrystie the top Alexandra driver this season among the field and the current Victoria two ranked driver Cameron Dike; the number three ranked Bradley Hill and number four ranked Mark Miles were also competing.
Russell Hill started strongly on one of his favourite tracks winning the first heat and his nephew Brad Hill the next.
Russell Hill backed up with another heat win in the second round with Allan Poole also taking a win and Dike then Aaron Marshall rounding out the qualifying with wins also.
Like the Sports Sedans the final was reduced in the Standard Saloon final.
However, the Hill boys, Russell and Brad, were never troubled by any of the others as they gapped the field early.
Out of 18 starters, only two didn’t finish the race and starting from position 14 Chrystie was the driver everybody was watching.
Russell Hill at the fall of the chequered flag was a 0.797 second winner ahead of Bradley Hill and fastest on the time sheets.
Then, almost seven seconds back, Chrystie finished third with Dike and Mark Miles closing out the top five.
The Junior Sedan racing once again was sensational and they too also had a close finish in the final.
Ricky Cornwall, Tyler Barton, Jesse Garlick, Cornwall again twice more and Jeremy Gorski were the six heat race winners.
When the final began, Cornwall got the best start and immediately set about getting away from Kasey Garlick.
Back in the pack there was a sensational battle between Barton, Courtney Meakins and Tim Gorski.
Kasey Garlick then made her move and she went flying past Cornwall down the back end of the race track and assumed the lead with Cornwall from there throwing everything at her to retake the position
Garlick arrived at the finish line 0.673 of a second ahead of Cornwall with Tim Gorski, Barton and Courtney Meakins round out the top five just over nine second further back.
Other racing on the night included the Ladies Open Sedans where Sonia Nelson won the first two heats on a watered down track before McPherson won the last on a dry track and the final by over ten seconds.
Nelson was second then rookie driver Jodie Finnegan finishing in third place with Alex Smith then Tegan Bullard rounding out the top five.
Finally, Street Stocks racing was dominated by Shane Roycroft and Troy Polley.
Polley won two heats and Roycroft the other before they both went at it hammer and tong in the final. Roycroft crossed the feature race finish line 0.468 of a second in front of Polley, Debbie Jones back in third then Belinda McCoubrie and Felicity Roycroft.
The Vern and Jackie Parker Photography best presented Street Stock award went by the way of Belinda McCoubrie while the Vern and Jackie Parker Photography Drive of the final in Sports Sedans went to Matt Stampfli.
Alexandra & District Speedway Club return to racing in March for the Standard Saloon Victorian title.
