HIBBERT’S BREAKTHROUGH VICTORY

Feature photo by: Cory Gibson…Andy Hibbert celebrates his first Pro Sprints main event success.

Geelong’s Andy Hibbert has scored many feature wins across his speedway career but on Saturday night, April 1, at Sungold Stadium Premier Speedway, Warrnambool, Hibbert achieved his first ever Pro Sprint feature win, doing it by the slimmest of margins.

Hibbert and Jordan Rae, both of whom race Domain Ramsay owned cars crossed the line a mere 0.030 seconds apart with Rae taking second and Matthew Symons finishing third.

Hibbert reflected post-race that he got lucky with the late race caution. Rae had actually made a pass for the lead after finding the rubber in turns three and four, however a caution relegated Rae back to second for the restart.

Hibbert, while still not finding the rubber on the bottom, stayed on the top groove just holding out Rae who worked the bottom well falling agonisingly short of the win.

The win for Hibbert vaulted him into second place in the C&H Trucking series and into the lead of the A Plus Powdercoating Triple Crown series after round one. Rae, however, maintains the C&H Trucking Series points lead.

Former Pro Sprint National Champion Brett Milburn, driving a third Domain Ramsay owned entry, challenged for a podium position in the back half of the race.

Milburn reached third before Rae, who started twelfth, charged past leaving Milburn under a second off the podium position in fourth.

The top ten in the Pro Sprint feature behind Hibbert, Rae, Symons and Milburn was James Hennessy in fifth followed by Sam Wren, Dennis Jones, Shaun Lyness, Shane Steenholdt and Brett Smith.

Jamie May was able to make it back to back wins in the annual Super Rod Cup pulling away after some early race challenges with the W21 car of Troy Gleeson who finished second. Gleeson was running the low line with May running the top with May holding sway. Jacob Pitcher quickly moved his way forward in the A-Main to a podium position, passing Gleeson for second until Gleeson made the pass back with five laps to go, relegating Pitcher, the current Victorian champion back to third.

Paul Verhoeven and Alan Pitcher rounded out the top five in the twenty-lap feature.

Todd Hobson and Mount Gambier’s Mitchell Broome lined up on the front row for the thirty lap Wingless Sprint A-Main. While the records will show Hobson leading every lap of the race, Broome, with some great driving on the top of the track, made the pass to take the race lead before the red lights came on without a lap being recorded.

The race was marred by some big crashes from lady drivers Carly Walsh and Kasey Garlick. Both Walsh and Garlick were able to walk away.

Wingless Sprints feature race winner, Todd Hobson. photo by: Cory Gibson

Hobson showed his strong race craft moving up the track on the restart after Broome had shown him the fastest way around to temporarily take the lead. From there Hobson moved away from the rest of the pack, an ailing engine still not enough to stop him. In victory lane with a motor emitting strong fumes, Hobson mused that he didn’t consider pulling in, counting on the engine holding together for the remaining laps.

Behind Hobson there was a great battle between Broome, Chris Temby and Nicholas Ryan with Temby then Ryan moving past Broome to take second and third respectively. Ryan who started sixth was patient and in the last ten laps made two positions to get himself onto the podium. Broome held on to finish fourth with Cobden’s Blake Walsh in fifth.

To view the individual event results please visit www.premierspeedway.com.au under our Race Night Live section on the main page.

The next event at Sungold Stadium Premier Speedway is Easter Sunday April 9 featuring the Easter Sprintcar Trail and the final round of the Total Tools Warrnambool Track Championship. Super Rods and Late Models are also on the programme presented by WMI Feeders.