s w e n Y A SPEEDW Image: Geoff Rounds
AMERICA AWAITS Darren Mollenoyux after a victory in the final SRA round at Warrnambool was a real confidence-booster for his first US trip in four years. “We’ve been pretty quick here all year but to get one in the books (is good). We’re going to pack our equipment up and head to America to do Ohio and PA Speedweek, so we might assess it and if we have enough bits still lying around, we might run back here on Easter Sunday but we’ll have to have a look at that.” IT WAS an emotional win for Ricky Mills who finally captured his first Victorian Division 2 Hot Rod Championship held at Bairnsdale Speedway. Mills, who started the title race from third position, took the lead on lap 19 of the 25-lap race to defeat Leigh Burkett, with defending champion Scott Laidlaw in third. “Thanks Bob Callanan for the opportunity to race his car and all the others drivers for welcoming me back in the class to have one last run for dad,” Mills said.
Image: Ray Ritter
CARUSO THE ALL STAR CHAMP Image: Nelson Photography
SOME RARE history was made in the 2019 Grand Prix Midget Australian Championship when Rod Saville became just the third driver to have the honour of winning three titles in the same season. Saville from Goulburn completed the triple crown of winning the NSW, Victorian and national titles in the same season, joining Lester Appleton (1997) and Ashley Booker (2012 & 2014) as the only drivers to accomplish the feat. Until his recent 2019 win in the 42nd running of the prestigious race, it had been 24 years since Saville’s last national title victory. He grabbed the lead on lap 11 and defeated Jason Crawford, Steve Bennett, Gary Bowyer and Paul Perry during the 20-lap race at Wangaratta Speedway. LINDSAY TROTTER proved too good and won the 2019 Victorian Limited Sportsman title at Western Speedway in Hamilton. The Laang Speedway member beat home Darren Adams of Bairnsdale, Chris Ansell of Hamilton and Dillon Siely of Bairnsdale. JOSH BUCKINGHAM made the long trip to Tolmer Speedway, Bordertown and came away with the South Australian Formula 500 Championship. The Geelong racer defeated SA driver Angelo Karoussis and multiple state champion Chris Bellman, just ahead of his brother Dion and Jordan Mansell was fifth. Further north at Narrabri Speedway, Lachlan Caunt greeted the chequered flag first ahead of his father Steve and Nathan Pryor to win the NSW Formula 500 title. KLINTON HANCEY had a perfect night on his way to winning the Modlites South Australian title at Murray Bridge Speedway. The star Queensland racer set a new one lap record and was untroubled on the night, to led home fellow Queenslanders Trevor Leerventveld and Sam Gollschewsky. Hancey’s win adds to the Victorian title he won earlier in the year at Portland Speedway. Image: Ray Ritter
FOR THE second time in his career Mark Caruso has been crowned the Australian Sprintcar All Stars series champion. Caruso clinched victory in the 12 round series with a third placing in the final round behind race winner Brenten Farrer. He only had to start the A-Main to win the series and did so by 93 points after the final race was run. Brendan Guerin was second with Michael Tancredi in third, 200 points behind the winner, with veteran All Stars driver Phil Lock another 61 points back. It is Caruso’s first tournament win since 2011 and is some redemption after last year’s heartbreak when he finished second overall, losing only in a countback after tying with Paul Solomon. This season has been so very different for Caruso. He stood on the podium five times and was a one-time winner and set quicktime on five occasions.
All Stars Final Standings: Mark Caruso 5963, Brendan Guerin 5870, Michael Tancredi 5763, Phil Lock 5702, James Wren 5652, Dan Evans 5578.
CHADWICK IS CHAMPION AGAIN FORMER NATIONAL Wingless Sprints champion Joel Chadwick has returned to the winner’s circle, clinching victory in the New South Wales title. Chadwick put the pain of a disappointing Australian championship earlier in 2019 behind him and put in another patient drive to win ahead of runner-up Kyle Mock. It was a heartbreaking night for Luke Storer, who led all but two laps of the feature race after starting from pole only to have a front right radius rod let go in the closing stages, which forced him to settle for third place. A week earlier Storer travelled to the Perth Motorplex to contest the Silver Cup aboard the Travis Clark-owned car and there he reigned supreme. He went flag-to-flag and won by nearly four seconds clear from WA’s Brad Fitzgerald and Matt Iwanow, who both rounded out the podium. FURTHUR SOUTH at Simpson Speedway it was a return to the Wingless Sprint competition by Sam Wren who is a 410 Sprintcar regular. He came out on top in the annual Peter Merrett Memorial, followed by another 410 Sprintcar regular
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“What a well-deserved result for Mark and his team. After last season’s heartbreak for the entire team, it was a great way to finish,” Searle said. “They have been fast and consistent all season and their hard work has finally paid off.” Series runner-up Guerin of Broken Hill only planned to do a few races but showed speed and consistency throughout the entire season, and after strong early season results decided to continue, while Tancredi’s third overall had him on the podium four times but a couple of DNFs hurt his points aggregate
Image: Gary Reid
in Tim Van Ginneken, while Clint McLaren rounded out the podium. Also at Simpson former Australian Formula 500 champion Jess Moulden got her series campaign off to the best possible start, first home in the Ladies of the Dirt Series with Carly Walsh second after her first open win a week prior, and third went to popular and busy speedway mum Renae Eastham. IN THE final round of the Tasmanian State Series at Carrick Speedway it would be current and three-time Tasmanian Champion Luke Redpath emerging victorious from Brad Whitchurch and Troy