HALLETT MAINTAINS WINNING FORM, DAVIS TAKES WINGLESS EVENT, SMEE DOMINATES MIDGETS

Sprintcar main event, from left to right: Jordyn Brazier (third), winner Brock Hallett, second-placed Lachlan Caunt. Photo: by Gary Reid.

  By Dennis Newlyn.

Brock Hallett continued his good form this season at Eastern Creek Speedway when he took out the 30-lap 410 Sprintcar main event, while Jason Davis overcame yellow light interruptions to win the coveted Wingless Sprint Peter Craft “No Bull” feature, Saturday, June 11.

Midget feature race winner, Nathan Smee. Photo: by Gary Reid.   

Nathan Smee dominated the Midget events after two heat victories and then followed up with a feature race win.

The final meeting of the season – a twilight fixture – brought down the first term at the new state government built venue.

Hallett was a deserving main event winner, though he admitted after the race he had a few anxious moments when a late yellow was thrown. “I was just pacing myself until that yellow and then just needed to do two good laps. I just then had to be sure I could get the job done to the finish,” he explained . . . and he did!

Early leader of the main event was Sam Walsh who started from the pole position after he won the gold shoot out.

The first yellow occurred seven laps into the feature and at the green, Walsh again took command. This was the early pattern as Hallett, Michael Saller, Jessie Attard, Lachlan Caunt, Robbie Farr and Jordyn Brazier kept within range of the leader.

Then, after one third completion of the 30-lap distance, Hallett made his move on Walsh and commanded the front running. 

Once in front, there was no stopping Hallett. 

Michael Saller was one of the hard luck stories of the race. He ran strongly from the outset and was knocking on the door for a major placing before a tyre failure sent him to the infield. Biggest incident of the night occurred near the end of the event after Matt Geering took a flip that finished up against the inner concrete turn three wall. It was a tough ending for Geering who was also busy with Midget duties.

In the latter stages, the battle for the minor placings continued between Walsh, Caunt, Farr and Brazier. Walsh had dropped back to fourth as Caunt moved into second with an impressive drive, while Farr was in third until a last lap pass by Brazier who grabbed the top three spot. 

At the finish it was Hallett from Caunt, Brazier, Farr while the top ten were rounded out by Richard Morgan, Walsh, Grant Tunks, Zac Pacchiarotta, Brendan Scorgie and Warren Ferguson. 

Hallett also took out a heat, while other heat winners were Caunt, Ferguson, Brazier, Walsh and Farr. Troy Little won the Last Chance Showdown to gain entry into the feature.

WINGLESS PETER CRAFT “NO BULL”

Previous Peter Craft race winner Jason Bates got his title defence off to a sensational start with a spin in the opening lap before he continued further back in the field.

Brian Briton bolted to the lead in the opening laps and for a time it appeared as though he might just go right on with the job. 

Bates moved his way up through the field as Davis later closed on Briton. 

Davis earlier passed Jackson Delamont for second and was on the charge. Luke Weel, Bailey Goodwin and Mark Blyton also were in contention. 

Soon after Davis reached the lead, while the only red light was thrown after the Nathan Dicker crash. Tyre wear also played a part in the race as a number of drivers blew the right rear – one of those was Briton who quit around the 36 lap mark.

Yellow lights also came into play but on each re-start Davis turned back the challengers. Weel later took over second spot he held to the finish, while Mark Blyton, who was always there at every restart, commanded third as the laps ran down.

Davis was just pleased to get the win, mindful of tyre attrition. “I could feel it (right rear), and I was just counting down the laps,” he said. 

Weel was happy with his choice of tyre after “we opted for a pretty hard tyre that we felt would work for us.”

Blyton later explained he was plagued with an engine problem at each restart and “it just wouldn’t take off, after a misfire.”

Wingless Sprint Peter Craft top three: from left to right, second-placed Luke Weel, winner Jason Davis, third placegetter Mark Blyton. Photo: by Gary Reid.

 Heats were won by Davis, John Newman, Corey Summut, Weel, Paul Freeman, Goodwin, Mark Blyton and Ben Matchett, B-main one was taken out by Jason Bolitho and B-main two, Tyson Williams. 

Kacy-Lee Black took a wild ride on the back straight during the opening Midget heat in a spectacular crash that also involved Gary Rooke. Black was shaken but ok, while Rooke repaired the damage to his car and returned to action later in the night. But the night’s Midget events belonged to Nathan Smee who won the two heats and feature race in a solid performance.

(ECS media release by Dennis Newlyn).