RIECK ROARS TO VICTORIAN CHAMPIONSHIP AT REDLINE RACEWAY

Feature photo courtesy: IMAGEWORX PHOTOGRAPHY – STEVE MITCHELL

By Dean Thompson

DMT Speedway Media  release for Belmont Speedway Drivers Club

Seventy Sports Sedan competitors descended upon Ballarat’s Redline Raceway on Saturday March 15 for the 2024-25 season Victorian Sports Sedan Championship which was won by Chris Rieck.

The defending Victorian champion Jamie Lock almost completed the ultimate back-to-back result, just falling short by following Rieck (from Bannockburn) to the finish after thirty gruelling laps in the title event.

Also on the night, Warragul’s Kacey Ingram made the trip worthwhile when he won all three of his qualifying heats before he took out the feature event for the Standard Saloon category.

Three rounds of qualifiers for the Sports Sedan title provided twenty-one heat races with Brendan Miller the only driver to win all three of his races to put him off pole position in the title race. Jamie Lock, David Donegan and Caleb Lincoln won two heat races each to both secure starting spots on the front two rows.

Rhys Meakins, Ian Thomsen, Jamie Thomsen, Chris Rieck, Tommy McDonald, Corey Knox, Damien Miller, Zac Swanson, Jack Chiminello, Shane O’Brien, Jay Nicolaisen, and Jacob Tinworth from Riddell’s Creek all won heat races. Brendan Miller was the fastest winner of the heats in his very first race with a ten-lap time of 2:56.528, whilst Lincoln won the closest finish holding off Daniel Knight by just .225 in the second-round heats. Nathan O’Brien and Tinworth won last chance qualifiers into the main race, completing a twenty-four-car starting field.

Defending champion Lock led the field past the start-finish line on lap one before a crash in between turn one and two on lap two took Brendan Miller, Caleb Lincoln, Jay Nicolaisen, Corey Knox and Nathan O’Brien out of the title race. Lock led the first eight laps with Rieck, who started back on the sixth-row, moved into second by lap eight. Donegan took the lead on lap fifteen (moving from third to first) and led until lap twenty when Rieck hit the front. Donegan later regained the lead, however, was penalised for passing from underneath the pole line.

Rieck went on to claim a tremendous victory over Lock and Donegan with Shane Simpson fourth and Jake Tinworth in fifth place after a penalty for passing from below the pole line was placed on Drew Harrison.

Both Lock and Donegan praised Rieck and also were pleased with their own results, whilst Rieck enjoyed the race and thought it had got away from him when Donnegan hit the front, reclaiming the lead.

In Standard Saloon competition Ingram who travelled from West Gippsland won all three of his heat races with the others going to Ballarat’s Bailey Sinclair, Mitch Foster, and Austin Chivers. Ingram was never headed in the final, despite being seriously challenged all the way and was almost passed late in the race by Foster who attempted to slide up the inside of Ingram through turn three. Ingram took the feature race win by just .849 with foster ahead of Zac Barwise, Austin Chivers and Sinclair.

Redline Raceway returns to action on March 29 with the Wingless Sprints Super Series, the Standard Saloon Gold Rush and Unlimited Sedans.

Photo caption: Victorian Sports Sedan Champion, Chris Rieck. Pic courtesy Imageworx Photography – Steve Mitchell.

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