From the AWSR
Warrnambool, AU — (February 23, 2013) — Call it Warrnambool, call it Premier Speedway, or call it Sungold Stadium. Last night the venue for the Heytesbury Stockfeeds Australian Wingless Sprint Title became Slidejob City, with a 34 degree day ensuring vastly different track conditions to the Friday night action when a series of showers put plenty of moisture into the track. Sungold Stadium went from blisteringly fast, to wide and multi laned overnight, and the 20 lap feature race in particular was an exhibition in close racing and the need for well executed passing.
Darren Mollenoyux started from the front row courtesy of his heat race efforts which netted two wins from this his three starts. The second of those wins was a precursor to the final with Mollenoyux passing his way from the front to the back in the Parr Motorsports V37 and setting himself up for the remainder of the title. Mollenoyux shared the front row with fellow Victorian, David McKay in the McKinnon Civil Civic V30, and the eventual fortunes of the front row pair couldn’t have been different.
While Mollenoyux went on to win the event, McKay endured the frustration of ending his A Main parked on the infield. Brett Milburn wrestled second away from McKay in the early going, and McKay settled into third ahead of Sam Wren in the Wren Diesel V19. Stephen Bell was lurking in fifth and with around eight laps to go made the move on Wren for fourth. With five laps to go came the most contentious moment of the night, and one that is likely to have major ramifications on the outcome of the title. Bell, who entered the weekend as one of the favourites aboard the Lucas Oil Products V88, attempted to annex third away from McKay with another slide job in turns one and two. There was hefty contact as Bell didn’t clear the McKay car, sending McKay into the wall and ultimately lucky not to roll. McKay pulled infield, a chance at a podium finish gone, while stewards made the call to send Bell ROF.
McKay now enters the final night of competition 12th in the standings, with a best A Main start possible of 9th if he can triumph in the A2 dash event. The tightness in the points is such that had McKay finished 3rd or even 4th he would have entered the final night with an opportunity to contest the A1 dash and earn pole in the title final. The incident came at a cost for Bell as well of course, his eventual 15th place seeing him end the night set for a B Main start Sunday night. Prior to the incident Bell looked a likely starter in the A2 dash for Sunday night, needing a good haul of points after his two heat wins were supplemented by a tough first heat when the track did have more moisture in it and he struggled to move forward.
As with Friday night, several title contenders had a night that didn’t go to plan. After the Keen Racing Team’s struggles on Friday night with Michael’s horrendous flip, brother Daniel looked strangely off key. Daniel has performed with success at Sungold Stadium previously, with a podium in last season’s Victorian Title. Keen eventually romped to a B Main win to qualify for the Preliminary A, ultimately making his way to 12th in the race, and 17th for the night on points. Unofficially, Keen looks like he will be starting the C1 dash from the front row, with the dash and two main events to survive if he is to qualify for the final and have any chance of replicating his runner up finish to Todd Wigzell in 2012.
In what is turning into a forgettable weekend for the West Australian contingent, former Australian champion Daryl Clayden was another that just seemed to be missing that all important last couple of percent required on a night like this. Clayden wheeled the Rogue Race Products W45 to a 2nd and a 3rd in his heats, qualifying him 10th for the final. Clayden was 11th at mid race when an engine bay fire put an end to his night. It is believed the Clayden crew have been up until the early hours of this morning effecting an engine change. Clayden will now start his night in the B2 dash with an opportunity to earn a starting spot as high as 9th in the B Main.
Earlier in the night heat race wins went to McKay, Phil Micallef, Trent Martin, Jarman Dalitz, Sam Wren, Stephen Bell (2), Darren Mollenoyux (2), Shannon Barry, Jay Waugh and Mark Laity.
Arguably the pick of the heat race action came in Heat 4, notwithstanding Mollenoyux’s barnstorming run from the back later in the evening, with Dalitz’s win coming despite intense pressure from fellow South Australian Cody Atkins. The pair were side by side for much of the distance, with Dalitz eventually prevailing in the Murray Bridge Glass S95 by 0.172 of a second.
Young Victorian speedster Luke Walker endured a big roll in Heat 5, but in a great show of resilience he returned to contest the C Main in the Total Dairy Service V50, missing a transfer to the B by a solitary position. Ryan Callow took out the C Main to tag onto the back of the B, along with Tasmanian Scott Bissett in the MJ Miller Electrical T2.
Daniel Keen then closed out the pre A Main action with a win from the front of the B Main, beating home a very fast finishing Jason Bates in the Wales Truck Repairs N41. Bates was looking stronger and stronger as that race wore on, the distinctive green and black entry showing there was plenty of speed looking ahead to tonight where he will likely start his night in the C1 Dash. Dalitz and Leigh Balcombe were the final transferees.
The full A Main finishing order went Mollenoyux, Milburn, Sam Wren, Barry, Sam Louttit, Martin, Troy Little, Darren Meade, Kane Newcombe, Mikayla Hein, Micallef, Keen, Jay Waugh, Daniel Flood and Bell.
All this has left the title finely poised heading into tonight’s final night of competition, with the full combined points for both nights of qualifiers below.
OVERALL POINTS
Darren Mollenoyux 81
Jye Saunders 78
Todd Wigzell 77.5
David Eggins 75
Jack Lee 74.5
Adam Butler 72.5
Brett Milburn 70.5
Charlie Brown 70
Dan Moes 69.5
Sam Wren 69
Rhys Baxter 69
David McKay 68.5
Daniel Storer 68
Trent Martin 67.5
Mathew Balcombe 67
Sam Louttit 67
Mathew Balcombe 67
Shannon Barry 66.5
Stephen Bell 65.5
Damien Meade 64
Andy Hibbert 64
Tom Payet 63
Troy Little 62.5
Mick Rigby 62
Mikayla Hein 61.5
Jeff Judd 61.5
Daryl Clayden 61
Phil Micallef 60.5
Jay Waugh 60
James Wren 59.5
Daniel Flood 59.5
Stephen Trigg 59
Kane Newcombe 58
Daniel Keen 55
Joel Chadwick 54.5
Jarman Dalitz 54.5
Jason Bates 54
Leigh Balcombe 52
Justin Barton 52
Gary Bell 50.5
Andrew Chivell 50.5
Scott Drew 50.5
Sean McKeever 48.5
Daniel Obst 47.5
Glenn Jones 46.5
David Cook 46
Troy Small 46
Josh Padman 45.5
Luke McCutcheon 45
Robbie Paton 44.5
Bayden Knight 44.5
Mark Balcombe 44
Michaela Dumesny 42.5
Neil Howard 42
Glenn Watts 39.5
Cody Atkins 39.5
Dan Dubois 39
Mark Laity 38.5
Heath Hunter 38.5
Sean Dicker 38
Brad Herbert 37
Warren King 36.5
Jonathan Cornwill 35
Ryan Callow 35
Peter Temby 34.5
Scott Elst 34
Scott Bissett 34
Travis Luke 33.5
Corey Pretlove 32.5
Jake Smith 31
Tim McAvaney 30.5
Peter Green 30
Ray Klemm 29.5
Jason Langdon 28
Mitch Gowland 28
Luke Walker 27
Daniel Beard 25.5
Brendan Balcombe 25
Luke Cole 24
Terry Watson 23
Aaron Ackerley 22.5
Aidan Corish 20
Brock Zonca 19
Paul Adams 16.5
Chris Gallagher 16
Karl Jason Skelton 11
Michael Keen 4
Robert Heard 0