The latest round of the Aeroflow National Sportsman Championship has been run and won at Queensland’s Benaraby Dragway, with a huge day and night of racing action delivering racers with valuable Eastern Conference points while the Aeroflow Wheelstanders entertained alongside them.
Championship racing for seven NDRC brackets was held across the day and into the evening, while Gavin Chisnell and John Bayliss performed as solo competitors in Modified and Supercharged Outlaws across the evening.
When the final passes were complete this evening, it was Kilarney Back (Real Street), Dylan Bennett (Super Street), Jaikai Lacey (Junior Dragster), Ace Edwards (Super Sedan), Samuel Fry (Competition Bike), Dale Marshall (Modified Bike), and James Schofield (Junior Bike) who hoisted the event winning Christmas Tree trophies.
These racers took the victories in their respective finals over runners-up, Colin Bourke (Real Street), Jim Kahler (Super Street), Ryder Goodman (Junior Dragster), Patrick Barron (Super Sedan), Mark Harris (Competition Bike), Steven Day (Modified Bike), and Adam Jordan (Junior Bike).
Earlier in the day, Cooper Leahy (Real Street), Jim Kahler (Super Street), Dakoda Bray (Junior Dragster), Tom Parry (Super Sedan), Jason Ellem (Competition Bike), Jeff Griffin (Modified Bike), and Lillian Hagan (Junior Bike), were also celebrated for taking out the Top Qualifying honours for their respective brackets.
In Super Sedan, Ace Edwards took the win over Patrick Barron, earning his place in the final after emerging as the victor from battles against Glen Soboll, Tom Parry and Daniel List, while Barron had taken on Paul Dillan and Sean Maher with a bye run in between.
“I was pretty stoked to take the win,” Edwards said.
“I won at the Winternationals and then went up to Springmount and didn’t quite get the job done there, so it was good to come out this weekend after a few little changes to the car during the week and get it done.
“I have been driving okay and the car sort of let me down at Springmount, so we put the two pieces together for this weekend, the driver was doing a decent job, and the car was doing even better!
“Thank you to Nitz Hydraulic Services for their support. I also had the $100 Head Hunter prize up on the Aussie Racer Bracket socials for whoever could defeat Daniel List – he is a current champion and won at Springmount so is one to beat – so I was pretty pleased that I managed to get him on the line in the semis,” he smiled.
In Modified Bike, Dale Marshall triumphed over Steven Day in the final after emerging victorious from earlier battles over Jacob Davis, Bruce Little, Beau Strike and Brandan Lacey, while Day had successfully taken on Chantel Beer, Martin Glusetein and Doug McMillan before enjoying a round four bye. Jeff Griffin was the Top Qualifier.
“It was an awesome event, we have been waiting ages to get to a national event and to run for a Tree,” Marshall said.
“We had an absolute ball, and we got very, very lucky! I was the second slowest qualifier in a bracket of 21 very competitive racers, and then to the last semi-final I ran a 7.73 on a 7.72 dial in and then 7.729 on a 7.2 dial-in on in the final – we were lucky!
“Thank you to my family and the team and the other competitors, they are a great bunch of guys and girls, and we just had a ball.”
In Real Street, Kilarney Back defeated Colin Bourke in the final after having earlier taken wins over Rodney Irish and her father, Craig Back. Bourke meanwhile had enjoyed a bye and a win over top qualifier, Cooper Leahy.
“I definitely wasn’t expecting the win. This is third meeting back in racing since I finished up in Junior Dragster, but it was a really good surprise and good to get back into it,” Back said.
“I thought the event was run pretty well, it went pretty smoothly apart from the hiccups you get along the way, and the event did a really good job of picking up when there were spills on track, so it ran pretty smoothly.
“Thank you to my family, my mum Nikki and dad Craig and my uncle. A lot of my family came out to the event, so a big thanks to my whole family for their support and also HJ Racing and also NDRC and Benaraby Dragway for the event.”
In Super Street, Dylan Bennett defeated Mark Rossow, Robert Forte and Ray Ross to earn his place in the final, while runner-up and Top Qualifier, Jim Kahler, enjoyed a round one bye ahead of victory over Harry Spicak and Tex Griffiths.
In Junior Dragster, Jaikai Lacey took the win over Ryder Goodman following earlier wins from Vanz Peirano and top qualifier Dakoda Bray, while Goodman enjoyed a bye and a win from Paige King.
In Competition Bike, the Chicago shootout format was utilised, with Samuel Fry taking the final victory over runner-up Mark Harris, following earlier wins over Jon Mengel and Blair Pennington ahead of a round three bye. Harris meanwhile had successfully taken on Dillan Lacey, Mengel and Pennington on his way to the final. The Top Qualifier was Jason Ellem.
In Junior Bike, James Schofield lifted the winner’s trophy after taking the win over Adam Jordan, while Lillian Hagan was the Top Qualifier.
Sportsman competitors looking to secure points in the NDRC title chase will now head to Dragway at The Bend for the brand-new facility’s grand opening Spring Nationals across October 21 and 22, with this event to count towards both the Eastern and Western Conference. For further information, visit www.nationaldrags.com.au
To learn more about the NDRC, visit www.ndrc.tv
Photo credit: Emma Hickmott – EMpowered Collective
