CANNON CONQUERED IN CATEGORY DEBUT AT ECS

Story: Brian Van De Wakker 

Feature photo by: Gary Reid …Dirt Modified feature race winner, Scott Cannon.

 (Eastern Creek Speedway – November 19, 2022). 

 Former Australian V8 Dirt Modified Champion Scott Cannon fought off a hard charging Todd Hobson to be the first feature race winner for the category at Eastern Creek Speedway. Cannon started the 20-lap feature from pole with Hobson alongside. 

The pair traded slidejobs in the opening laps before Cannon took control of the race lead. Hobson continued to sit on the rear bar of Cannon but jumped the cushion on multiple occasions at turns one and two, costing him a chance of going for the win. 

Cannon claimed the win with a 1.3 second margin by races end. “It was very tough, I thought he was better on the bottom, that’s why I had to go to the bottom in three and four, and I felt like it worked better on the top in one and two,” Cannon said. 

It was a chaotic 24-hours for Hobson and his team after their truck broke down on the way to the track from Victoria, and only arrived just in time for drivers briefing. “Just a couple of mistakes into one, I was just really over driving it,” Hobson said after the race. 

“I just wish I didn’t show Scotty the bottom too early, he drove a really good race, it was pretty much a chess game at that point.” Blake Eveleigh finished third to record his first podium in the open class. Brett Clarke was fourth with Zak Blanch in fifth, while Owen Scott was the first of the sportsman cars home in sixth. 

 MIDGETS 

Kaidon Brown claimed a brilliant Midget feature to record his first win at the venue in the category. With the handicapped feature starting position system, Brown started the 25-lap race from 16^th. 

Brown moved up four spots on the opening lap before nailing his car on the cushion and slotting into the top 10. Hayden Williams made the trip over from New Zealand for his first appearance at the venue this season.  

He was forced to start from 14^th and was moving forward at the same pace as Brown. Brown pulled off a daring three-wide move on lap five in between Gary Rooke and Williams to move into seventh. 

Caleb Mills ventured up to Eastern Creek Speedway after a late decision made by the team to come and race at the venue. He enjoyed a comfortable lead out in front after starting from pole position. Mills was slowly being caught by Matthew Jackson as the pair encountered lap traffic. 

With six laps to go, Mills was working his way through turns three and four before a lapped car slowed in front of him, he had nowhere to go and looped the Mills Motorsport M10. After being sent rear of field, Mills recovered by races end to finish in 13^th. 

Jackson restarted in first with Brown right behind him, but it didn’t take long for the former Australian champion to get by, doing so in turn three with four laps remaining. 

Two laps later, Williams got by Jackson and set after Brown – Williams went for one last lunge on the bottom through turns three and four on the final lap, the pair came off the final turn side by side, but Brown got the better drive and claimed the win as Williams got caught with traffic. 

“That was an awesome track, from my seat that was a great race,” Brown said. “We nearly lost it, there was obviously a lapped car there and I went one way and I seen Hayden go the other way and we had the drive off so really cool to get the win.” 

Brown, Williams and Jackson completed the podium, while Nick Parker and Jay Waugh rounded out the top-five. 

 LIGHTNING SPRINTS 

Scott Withers broke through for his first feature win in the Lightning Sprints for a number of years. Withers started on the outside front row alongside AJ McTaggart – Withers got the jump and led all 15-laps in the feature. “It means a lot, it’s my first win since my Pop passed away a couple of years ago and it means the world to the family,” Withers mentioned after the race. 

McTaggart secured his third podium at the venue in second, while Chris Davis backed up his feature win from the 29^th October with a third-place finish. 

Pete Styles and Jordan Binskin completed the top-five. 

RSA STREET STOCKERS 

Shaun Davoodi held on for back-to-back feature wins in the RSA Street Stockers in what was a drama filled race. 

Davoodi led from start to finish after starting on the outside front row – Mat Alexander was challenging him in the early stages before Davoodi pulled a margin. Troy Dawes was aiming for his third podium of the season when he was running in third but shot up the racetrack on lap 11 as he blew a right front tyre. 

Ray Tyler showed impressive late race pace and vaulted his way up into second with four laps to go. He couldn’t catch Davoodi who claimed the race win, 0.6 seconds ahead of Tyler. Alexander was third while Adrian Clark made a late charge for the podium in fourth, and Stephen Kurtz completed the top-five. 

RSA JUNIOR SEDANS 

In what a brilliant battle for the win, Wyatt Lawler held on over Cooper Croker in the first feature race at Eastern Creek Speedway for the RSA Junior Sedans. 

The two were nose to tail for the entire 14-lap journey, but Lawler withstood the pressure to claim the win. “I could feel him all race, he (Cooper Croker) was up there, I want to congratulate him on second,” Lawler said. Croker finished second, while Jake Smith completed the podium in third. 

Jake Clark had the save of the night with 10 laps to go after his car hit a rut and shot up on two wheels. He had to turn the car down to save it from going into a series of rolls, and somehow, he brought it back onto all four wheels and kept pushing hard for the podium. Toby McAlister finished fifth as the Juniors put on a brilliant show for their first night out at the venue. 

Sprintcars return for round five for the track series next Saturday night (26^th November), along with Late Models, Compact Speedcars and Legend Cars.