NSW MODIFIED SEDAN TITLE – MARCH 15 AT LISMORE  

Feature photo by: Tony Powell

By Dennis Newlyn

The Pro Race Parts New South Wales Modified Sedan Championship, to be decided at Castrol Lismore Speedway Saturday night March 1, has attracted a strong entry list.

Among the nominations are stars who have raced to title honours either at state or national championship level – in some cases both!

Lismore Showground Speedway means a lot to Modified Sedan long time campaigner Max Clarke. Remember the 2010-11 season at Lismore?
That’s when Clarke enjoyed one of the best moments of his superb career when he took out the Australian Modified Sedan Championship.

He is one of the form drivers entering the 2025 NSW title – and event that traces back many years to the days when this class of speedway sedan racing was originally known as Standard Saloons, before an official name change to Modified Sedan classification during the 1984-85 season.

Clarke is in title winning form this season after he took out the Queensland Modified Sedan Championship at Toowoomba Speedway last December.

In winning the forty-second running of the event, he became only the second NSW-based competitor who has taken out the title – and the first in 33 years from NSW. The nominations include plenty of heavy hitters including former national titleholder Greg Worling who earned the national number one status in the 1997-98 season when he won the crown at Tasmania’s Carrick Speedway.

Worling is sure to come into contention this weekend on a track he has enjoyed plenty of impressive main event victories.

Another driver who also has enjoyed Modified Sedan state championship honours over the years, Nathan Macdonald, was runner-up in the 2024 Queensland title and is always competitive at the Lismore circuit.

Aidan Raymont will be chasing NSW Modified Sedan honours at Castrol Lismore Showground Speedway, March 15. Photo by Tony Powell.

Also add the likes Aidan Raymont, who won the 2012-13 season national title at Toowoomba, Chris Pagel, Jason Beer, David Jacobi, Gavin Fletcher, Chris and Steve Blackburn into the mix, and the competition will be on in earnest right from the first heat.

It sets the scene nicely for what promises to be a keenly contested and highly entertaining state title.

Lismore promoters Mick and Kim Sauer are delighted to host such an important, historic NSW event.

“We expect to see some excellent racing with the New South Wales Modified Sedan Championship up for grabs, and that means the competition will be tough right from the first heat,” Kim Sauer said.

The wheel hiking V8 Dirt Modifieds return to the Lismore Showground bull ring while racing also is featured for RSA Stockers, RSA Four Cylinder Sedans, Junior Sedans (News Stars and Top Stars).

After the past two weeks that tested everyone’s endurance as the City of Lismore community was forced yet again to hold on, literally for dear life, as Cyclone Alfred threatened not only torrential rain but also mass flooding in the area for the second time since 2022.

Now the weather has eased as the population strives to get back to normality and the clean up continues, this upcoming weekend of speedway racing at the historic Lismore Showground represents an “escape”. . . time to bring some much needed sporting enjoyment to the local community.

“It has not been easy for everybody with their mental health, so we hope to bring some happiness into their life by hosting an exciting and entertaining night of speedway this weekend,” Kim Sauer explained.

It will be good to see fans together again to enjoy their sport on what is an important night for the locals.

Two times Australian V8 Dirt Modified Champion David Clarke heads the V8 Dirt Modified entry list.

The next Herne and Pezzutti family generation V8 Dirt Modified competitors, Josh Herne and Jack Pezzutti, are included on the list of nominations.

Also entered are prominent V8 Dirt Modified names Phil McNamara, Scott Quirk, Brock Armstrong, Luke Dunn, Brady Stephenson and Seiton Connor Young among other stars. 

NSW titleholder Brodie King heads the nominations for the RSA Four Cylinder Sedans, while good fields in both Junior Sedan categories – New Stars and Top Stars – also highlight the programme.