REDLINE RACEWAY: DEGOLDI’S STREET STOCK HAT-TRICK

Jason Degoldi has taken his third consecutive victory in the coveted Street Stocks King of the Mountain title, winning the 40-lap main event at Ballarat’s Redline Raceway after a race-long tussle with Scott Purdie.

Starting on the front row of the grid alongside Purdie, Degoldi was initially shuffled back to third by a fast-starting Shaun Henry, before both he and Purdie muscled their way past Henry.

Degoldi stalked Purdie for the first half of the race before finding his way past, but a determined Purdie stayed on the tail of Degoldi through to the finish, the two cars eventually crossing the finish line just 0.8s apart with Henry in third.

For Degoldi, it was a great way to rebound after a broken driveshaft and differential in his Ford Falcon forced him out of the Street Stock National Title at Hamilton last weekend.

“The King of the Mountain is always one of the events I most look forward to, so to take another win is fantastic and a great way to bounce back after last weekend,” Degoldi said.

“Full credit to both Scott and Shaun – they both raced hard but clean, and it’s fun racing against drivers who show that sort of respect for each other.”

Purdie, having his first outing in a brand-new VF Commodore, was thrilled with the performance of his car in its competition debut.

“To be honest, I’m surprised at how well the car performed in its first event, but it’s a credit to our team for how well they’ve built it,” Purdie said.

Another story of redemption was that of Tim Reidy, who won the AMCA Victorian title after an accident eliminated from last weekend’s National Title in Moama.

Reidy led every lap of the feature race; he faced pressure in the opening laps from rapid Tasmanian Adrian Bassett, but Bassett’s challenge ended when he crashed out on Lap 5.

Some lapped traffic in the closing stages enabled Queenslander Steve Price to make bold lunge on Reidy at the last corner; in the end, Reidy held out Price by just 0.08s.

“There was a lot of work to do on the car after the damage we sustained last weekend, so this is a sensational result for the whole team,” Reidy said.

“I love racing here at Redline Raceway and I’ve enjoyed some great success here in the past, but this is one of the sweetest victories.”

Third place went to another Queenslander, Matt Hardy, whose team was faced with the challenge of some rapid repair work after he was involved in a crash during the evening’s seventh heat.

The final category on the program was the Wingless Sprints, which made their return to Redline Raceway after an absence of several years.

After a strong run in the heat races (including a win in Heat 4), Peter Logue started on pole position and led every lap of the final, but was kept honest by Mick Rigby and Brayden McKay all the way to the chequered flag; the three cars were separated by less than a second at the finish.

“It was close racing all night, just how I enjoy it!” Logue said.

“Mick and Brayden drove really well and I couldn’t afford to make a single mistake with them both so close behind me.”

The next event at Redline Raceway will be held on April 13, featuring Standard Saloons, Street Stocks, Compact Speedcars and Unlimited Sedans.