BAIRNSDALE SPEEDWAY ATTRACTS BIG CROWD

Feature photo:  Sprintcar winner Adam Greenwood. Photo by: Napier Photography.

(DMT Sports Media . . . for Bairnsdale Speedway Association).

By Dean Thompson

Boxing night racing at Victoria’s Bairnsdale Speedway entertained with Sprintcars, Wingless Sprints, Ladies Standard Saloons and Standard Saloons featured on the programme.

Local East Gippsland driver Adam Greenwood was amongst the winners after he took out the Sprintcar main, whilst Ally Morrison from West Gippsland in the Ladies Standard Saloons, Mark Miles from South Gippsland in the Open Standard Saloons and Adin Robertson from Melbourne’s south-eastern Suburbs (Wingless Sprints) were the other winners.

A great crowd attended the evening, as they do each and every Boxing Day with the speedway the biggest event in town, and the Sprintcar racing did not disappoint. Andrew Nielson got his night off to a great start after he won the first heat of the night, leading from start to finish finishing a second ahead of Alistair Bastian. Roddy Dennison won the second qualifier emulating Nielson with a start to finish result finishing ahead of Trent Nielson, Andrews son. Adam Greenwood then took out the final of the qualifying heat races.

From the front row Greenwood lined up with Trent Nielson alongside and Shane Steenholdt and Greenwoods team-mate Bastian behind. Leading every lap of twenty-five, Greenwood went on to record his first feature win of the season in front of Steenholdt, Andrew Nielson, Trent Nielson, and Nigel Laity.

Wingless Sprints were competing in round three of the Gippsland Wingless Sprints series with Daniel Goldoni from the Northern Territory and Liam Atkinson (Queensland) amongst the drivers. Round one winner Ricky Mills from Traralgon won the first heat race of four with Goldoni winning in the second heat race, Adin Robertson in the third and Wayne Logue from Morwell in the fourth.

Thomas McDonald and Robertson began the final from the front row with Mills and Jeremy Pearson behind them and Ben Hodge and Goldoni rounding out the top six starters.

Adin Roberston heads to Wingless Sprint victory. Photo: Napier Photography

Robertson took control of the race lead on lap one with Hodge moving into third by lap nine. Robertson, although not setting track records, consistently set fast lap after fast lap of the final and went on to win ahead of McDonald, Hodge, Mills and Goldoni.

The Ladies Standard Saloons were in town to get some lap time before their upcoming Victorian title at the Bairnsdale venue. The round was the first of five in a Victorian state series for the Ladies. The current back-to-back state champion Ally Morrison was in town and set records for the one lap and eight lap marks for the class. Morrison won all three of her qualifying race starts winning in the first, fourth and fifth race whilst Bronwyn Miles won the second, Dette Miles the third and sixth races during qualifying. 

Morrison then led every lap in the twenty-lap final despite pressure for some of the time from Caroline Allen. Morrison finished four seconds in front of Allen, then came Bronwyn Miles, Dette Miles and Jemima Borkowski. 

Standard Saloons gathered a huge field of thirty plus cars for the Christmas Classic event with a welcome contingent of Nyora members making the trip up to compete with our regular Latrobe and East Gippslanders. Nine qualifying races determined starters for the feature event later in the evening with Shane Stewart winning in round one as did Chris Miles and Damon Ingram from Warragul.

In round two Kane Gibson from Traralgon and Damon Ingram again and his brother Kacey Ingram the winners. Rookie adult racer made it a spectacular start to his adult career winning all three of his qualifying races by winning the first heat of round three with Steven Danks and Mark Miles winning the last two.

Damon Ingram unfortunately suffered a mechanical malfunction in the final and was almost immediately out of the feature race whilst Mark Miles led. The other of the two Ingram brothers competing Kacey took up the challenge in chasing and hassling Miles to try and pinch the lead. Miles who had recently won at Drouin went on to take the victory from Ingram, Chris Miles a brother of Mark, Leigh Gooding and then in fifth Andrew Miles another brother of Mark. 

Bairnsdale Speedway Association returns to action on January 14 with the Victorian Super Rod title and the Limited Sportsman King of the Rock feature events on the program.

Record times at this meeting were:

VSC LADIES STANDARD SALOONS
1 Lap – ALLY MORRISON – NYORA – 19.682 – 26/12/22

8 LAPS – ALLY MORRISON – NYORA – 2:44.415 – 26/12/22

Bairnsdale Speedway Association would like to thank these wonderful supporting partners;
A1 Trailers

Active Sound Systems; Assist A Lift Bairnsdale; Aussie Septic Solutions; Bairnsdale Autobarn;

Bairnsdale Automotive; Bairnsdale Bearings & Industrial; Bairnsdale RSL; Boost 2 Drive;

Bridgestone Service Centre Bairnsdale; Buchan Towing; Curtis Engineering Dennison Quality Roof Restorations; East Gippsland Locks and Keys; East Gippsland Plumbing and Drainage; East Vic Hydraulics; Eastern Signs & Designs; Egee Printers; Eye Care Plus; EZ Print; Gillicks Busline;

Gippsland Treated Pine; Gippsland Truck Centre; Granite Rock Quarries; Great Southern Kitchens;

Kennedy Trailers; Logue’s Autowreckers; M&S Laity Hay Contractors; Mitchell Valley Excavations Pty Ltd; Napier Photography; Patties Food; Phaselink Electrics; RCI Services; Riviera Automotive;

Riviera Concrete; SS Auto Wholesalers; Tambo Waste; Tim Bull; Todd Plumbing Supplies; TRFM & Gold 1242; Wayne Trinder Plumbing & Gasfitting; Westpoint Motors; WGI Earthmoving & Heavy Haulage