The 2024 NSW Track Championship fight is over with all the champions crowned at the Grand Finals. The event was held over two days alongside the PDRC professional series that forms part of the NDRC Championship, unfortunately rain washed out Friday and messed around with the schedule on Saturday, but everyone forged ahead and completed the event in the late evening.
Kicking off the results and Boosted Outlaws had another great field of blown and turbo machines for their last showing of the season. Britney Olive’s championship lead couldn’t be headed and the team stepped up the performance big time, driving well into the fives as they eye Pro Alcohol in the future.
Gareth Rogers had his blown altered rocking and into the final, he was to face Dave McGaw’s funny car, however an unfortunate mix up in the results and notifying McGaw he was the finalist in the Chicago Shootout format saw him miss the run and Rogers had a solo for victory.
Ryan Franks did all he needed to in Extreme Bike to remain on top of the points at the conclusion of the event. Darren Foley ripped a sensational 6.722 at a thumping 219mph in the final against Alex Borg to take home the final event win of the season.
Joe Gattellari was in charge of his own destiny in Top Sportsman, the points leader ran through the field taking the event win over George Matta to ensure he would become champion. Challengers Leo Georgis had a wild ride in round when the Flying Carrot took a liking to the wall, and Joe Sorbello also could not advance past round one.
Modified was one of the closest fought tussles all year long between the FEDs of Craig Davies and George Bukureshliev. In the end Davies advanced to the semi finals after Bukureshliev fell in round two when taken out by another FED in Brooke Rapisarda after she dropped .003 reaction. Rapisarda also out-reacted Davies to win their semi final match up before she won over Harrison Fletcher in the final who red lit by just one-thou. It was still a great showing to two newcomers to Modified.
Joe Zammit left the door open to his challengers in Super Sedan when Dale Hartill-Law put the VL on the trailer after round one. The field was wild open with three other racers still contention, but neither Andrew Little, Jim Denaro or Dave Gruber could go past round two and Zammit claimed another Track Championship crown.
The final came down to the recently crowned NDRC National Champion Sean Maher and Brendan Costello in his cool EK, Costello gave it a shot on the tree with a .007 light, but Maher’s .017 and 9.361 on a 9.35 at the stripe added another winner’s trophy to the collection.
The Modified Bike championship should have been over with Sean Ricketts dominating all season with an amazing five race winning streak before he missed a round to go off an win the NDRC National Championship. What should have been a formality at the Grand Final changed when an uncharacteristic red light from Ricketts in round one left the door slightly ajar for Michael Riches, if he could win the event. Riches ended up dropping out in round one as well, and by the end of the night Michael Borg pushed his Kawasaki to the stripe first on a holeshot over Matthew Hunt’s 9.581 (9.58) near perfect charge.
Championship don’t get most closer than in Super Street, both Adam Bowers and Mark Hopkins were eliminated in round two and left tied in the points lead. David Matosevic drove his Cortina to a win in the final over a red-lighting Brian Atta-Singh and would fall just 10 points short. On count-back Bowers claimed the Track Championship, out-performing Hopkins who broke out the same round.
Joe Catanzariti had the Super Gas title in his pocket going into the event and rammed home his season long supremacy with a fifth event win of the year after defeating Luke Romeo in the final with a almost-perfect 9.902 to a 9.912.
Leading the Junior Dragster championship for most the season, Piper Bennett in the end could not be caught. Zayne Condello finished an impressive year of competition with another event win to go alongside his NDRC National Championship. Condello’s final win made easy when Chloe Raikko picked a cherry off the tree in the other lane.
The inaugural Junior Drag Bike Track Championship unsurprisingly went to Joshua Bertenshaw with six wins over the season including the Grand Final against Adam Jordan, he had streaked the field in the championship.
The reverse was true in Street Fighter, Jack Matosevic outscored Danny Stadelmaier by two rounds to tie up the championship chase and would be awarded the title on countback. Wayne Smith went on to win the event against Shane McGregor. While in Street Bike, young gun Jessy Barnes broke the three-way tie going into the event by going on to win the round and the championship.
And that wraps up the NSW Championship Series for 2024, everyone will be back next year in February with a clean slate and new hope when it start’s all over again.
Photos by Cackling Pipes & Joe Maday
