The hotly-contested NSW Track Championship season has reached its halfway point with the running of round four in very brisk Winter conditions at Sydney Dragway.
The Winter conditions proved a challenge with the series not normally run at this time, but a event postponement pushed round four into July and the track came around once some temperature was absorbed into the surface. Unfortunately a number of delays caused by mechanical fiascos pushed the schedule well into the night and conditions did become a challenge for the late event runners.
Boosted Outlaws stepped up with field that saw a mix of blown and turbo machines. Britney Olive had her supercharged dragster singing all the way to a win in the final against Jeremy Boskovich. Olive chopped Boskovich on the tree and stopped the timers with a tight 6.558 (6.54) blast to run down Bosko’s blown XY for the event win and championship lead.
Brant Gilliver ended Ryan Franks’ two race win streak in Extreme Bike defeating him in the final in-part to Franks delivering himself the injustice of a heads-up race with a self-imposed red light, this closed up the championship with just a mere 10 point spread over the top three combatants.
In Top Sportsman, Leo Georgis’ Fly Carrot Escort took off again figuratively and literally, winning his second event of the season, and with some quite impressive wheelstands showing the cold track still had some teeth.
Georgis faced his son-in-law – and previously driver of the ‘Flying Carrot’ Escort – Simon Bradbury. The nitrous Holden Ute of Bradbury is dialling in a new combination but bombed the tyres in the final.
Chelsea Smith returned to Modified with a vengeance, after banging a motor big time at the last round of the championship, she returned with a new bullet that fired her to the event win, taking down reigning Track Champion Leigh Hartill-Law in the final. This was Smith’s first ever Modified victory.
In a brutal Super Sedan eliminator Joe Zammit culminated his continued improvement in results this season with his first event win of the season. Zammit faced the always tough Michael Little in the final. Little was contesting his first Track Championship event of the season after taking a rest break from the series, and he was unable to chase down Zammit’s championship lead grabbing 10.02 (10.00) pass in the final.
Can anyone stop Sean Rickett’s in Modified Bike! Ricketts decimated the field again to remain unbeaten in this season with his fourth straight event win out-riding Michael Riches in this final.
In another big field of Super Streeters, Peter Violaris dangled the front left wheel in the Torana all day to reach the final against Martin Stevenson’s HQ Panel Van. The final was unfortunately over at the tree with Stevenson pulling a -.004 cherry off the tree.
Piper Bennett went one step better on the podium from the last event with a win in Junior Dragster over Zayne Condello, taking a commanding 50 point lead in the series. While in Junior Drag Bike, Joshua Bertenshaw has appeared in every final this season, including this event, which he won aboard his Kawasaki over Lincon Delios making it three straight winner’s trophies.
A red light left Danny Stadelmaier to watch Glen Featherstone take his VZ Commodore to victory in Street Fighter moving him into a tie for the championship. On two-wheels in Street Bike, Andrew Riches rode to victory against Robert Gielb.
Super Comp and Performance Bike didn’t attract the required entries this event to create a bracket, and all the Super Gas competitors withdrew after the first round over track temperature concerns when delays pushed their schedule back into the late evening.
NEWS & NOTES
During qualifying the event also completed several unfinished eliminators from the Nitro Champs for the NDRC Aeroflow Sportsman Series.
Modified was won by Leigh Hartill-Law over Daniel “Batdan” Carranza, Thomas Leake took the victory in Top Sportsman over Paul Clarke, and Joe Catanzariti wrapped up Super Gas against Vince Panetta.
The next round of the NSW Championship Series comes to you on August 24.
