Jack Yeomans snatches victory from local club member Warrick Howie after a last-lap penalty decision in the coveted Lachlan Howie Memorial. The event is one of the premier events of the season as it recognises a former member and Warrick’s brother who has passed on. Photo: Vern Parker Photography.
Wahgunyah Speedway has yet again wowed race fans with another terrifically entertaining show on Saturday with visiting Gippslander Jack Yeomans claiming a big win in the Lachlan Howie Memorial for Standard Saloons whilst Corowa businessman Billy O’Donoghue won the G.O.S.A 1000 event for his Goulburn Ovens Sedans Association category.
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For local club members the Lachlan Howie Memorial is one of the premier events of the season as it recognises a former member of the club now passed on. Also visiting Geelong racer Trent Susol claimed a win in the Unlimited Sedans series round.
Lachlan’s brother Warrick from Chiltern competes each season in the event and this year was no different and other locals such as Micheal Fleming-Robertson makes it a priority event for themselves each season and got away to a great start in the very first heat race of six defeating Chris Miles and former Victorian champion Rhys Lansdown.
Corowa’s Billy O’Donoghue won the G.O.S.A 1000 event for his Goulburn Ovens Sedans Association category.
Kasey Ingram was entertaining moving from last to third in three laps before his car broke down and Lansdown ran the long way around the track with his car right on the wall most the way around finishing with his engine bay steaming along with his third place.
Jack Yeomans from Moe in Gippsland then claimed the win in heat two ahead of Warrick Howie also a former Victorian champion, the margin was just .177 of a second with Jack Braz in third.
After a messy start where cars resembled the scene of a local shopping centre carpark after a incident in the pack, Howie picked up a win in round two in heat three with Chris Miles and Howie’s partner Jaimi Barber in third with Fleming-Robertson the first competitor to double up with heat wins when he crossed the finish line first in heat four with Yeomans and Josh Cambell close behind. Lansdown due to start this race advising officials his gasket was blown and he was out for the night.
Miles finished just .014 in front of Braz, and Yeomans. Securing pole position in the feature event Fleming-Robertson won his third and final heat race for a clean sweep in qualifying. Howie was close behind in second with Kasey Ingram in third.
Fleming-Robertson led the main event the Lachlan Howie Memorial until lap four where Yeomans made a move to the lead. Howie moved into second on lap seven and at the ten-lap mark Yeomans led Howie, Fleming-Robertson, Miles, and Campbell.
On the very last lap of fifteen Howie made a pass to the lead however Stewards deemed a penalty was required and after the chequered flag and Yeomans was given the win from Howie who had made a pole line infringement, Miles, Campbell, and Barber.
Co-main eventing the evenings racing was the Goulburn Ovens Sedan Association competing for the G.O.S.A 1000. The category has many Corowa members representing local interests and one such racer Justin Brockley started the night locking in a win for himself in front of Marty Bassett and Danny McCarten the current Victorian champion of Goulburn Ovens Sedans.
Justin Ewert then dominated in heat two winning by almost eight seconds finishing ahead of Shane Barkley and Tom Barnard. Tay Barnard, Tom’s wife, then won the next heat finishing just .260 of a second in front of Bassett and Billy O’Donoghue in third.
Leeton lads Tommy and Ben Schmetzer finished first and second in the fifth qualifying race whilst Brockley crossed the line in third and rounding out the qualifying O’Donoghue was a winner in heat six with Tay Barnard and Bassett rounding out the top three.
Starting on the front row in the main event were Bassett and Brockley with O’Donoghue Ewert, Ben Schmetzer and McCarten in the top six for the fifteen-lap race.
O’Donoghue went straight to the front and at the five-lap mark led Brockley after drama’s put Bassett out of contention on lap one. Ewert sat in third, with Tommy Schmetzer now in front of sibling Ben.
O’Donoghue held command through to lap ten with Brockley still chasing and a couple laps later Ewert moved ahead of the second placed racer Brockley, only for Brockley to make a place retake pass on the last lap, regaining second spot. At the chequered flag O’Donoghue claimed the win from Brockley, Ewert, Tommy Schmetzer and Ben Schmetzer.
Racers in their big Unlimited Sedan race cars also held their own important series points event known as Lucky Sevens round six.
With drivers from Bendigo, Echuca, Geelong, Gippsland, and Melbourne’s Southeast amongst the drivers in action. After an initial race lead to Peter Farley, last round winner Trent Susol started well with a win in the first qualifier winning in front of Farley and Nathan Lightburn.
Susol then set a one lap record for the class at Wahgunyah in heat two of 21.373 in defeating Lightburn and Anthony McKean. Ramsdale led the race early before suffering mechanical issues and Susol had to work hard to pass Lightburn. Susol once again claimed victory making it a clean sweep defeating McKean and Farley in the final qualifier.
In the fifteen-lap final for Unlimiteds after dramas during qualifying Travis Ramsdale made it on track with Susol, Farley, Lightburn, and McKean occupying the front two rows. By lap five Ramsdale had passed a number of competitors to sit in second behind Susol with Farley in third.
At the ten-lap mark with Susol, Ramsdale and Farley still the top three, Lightburn and McKean filled out the next two places. Peter Schmetzer made some moves from the back of the field also and by lap twelve after starting at the rear Schmetzer had moved into fifth, a lap later, he was third however, under protest from the Stewards due to a starting cone infringement.
As the chequered flag unfurled Susol crossed almost three seconds in front of Ramsdale, Lightburn promoted to third, and Farley promoted to fifth due to a two-place penalty from Stewards on Schmetzer who was slotted back into fifth.
Production Sedans also competed with Scott Hawkins of the Leeton Club securing a perfect result of four wins in four starts. Hawkins defeated Andrew Cunningham from Heny and Corowa member Brayden Creek, Tom Barnard, and Anthony Hanson.
Taijan Ussher set a new one lap, six lap and eight lap records in the recently introduced to Wahgunyah Speedway Sedans Australia Junior Sedan class on his way to winning the night ahead of Zade Ussher, whilst Cooper Lack did not make the start line in the final. Ussher’s new records are 26.258 for one lap, 2:43.928 for six laps and 3:32.822 for eight laps.
Kenneth Mankey started the night with a win in heat one of the Sports Sedan’s class. Craig Cottier returned to winning races in heat two before Mick Mannix almost broke the single lap record in the third qualifier. Mannix returning to racing after some time away committed to his career, then set a new one lap and twelve lap record for Sports Sedans at Wahgunyah in the feature event on his way to victory by almost sixteen seconds. Mannix finished ahead of Mankey, Martin Heiner, Cobie McGraw, and Garry Gapes.
Ladies Sports Sedans also held some racing with Tay Barnard setting a six-lap record during qualifying of 2:30.077 on her way to winning all three heat races. Things didn’t go according to plan in the final as Numurkah racer Cobie McGraw finished at front with almost seven seconds back to Chloe Creek, then Barnard and Bianca Ballantyne.
