Saturday night December the 16th saw Super Sedan action return to Redline Raceway Ballarat after a number of seasons absence and it would be Bendigo driver Ash Bergmeier who would take the win in the Fun City Entertainment Complex Victorian Super Sedan Association series round, also on the program Kasey Garlick and Ballarat racer Kasey Ferguson won their respective graded class in Junior Sedan racing to take home Piston Cup victories.

With over one hundred competitors at Redline to compete, the night was packed full of action with Andrew Ryder from Tasmania winning the AMCA Nationals series round, Trevor Perry the Grand Prix Midgets series round and Darren Giacometti also from Ballarat the Street Stock final.

For the Super Sedans, a thirty lap final on a tough track to master had plenty of spins and a couple of bingles whilst Bergmeier held firm out at the front of the field. Behind him Mick Nicola Jnr, Brad Wicks, Dave Gartner the South Australian champion and Peter Nicola the Victorian champion were dicing with each other before Wicks stepped up higher on the track and passed Gartner and Nicola Jnr to start troubling Bergmeier.

Wicks made an outside pass to take the lead from Bergmeier before North Queensland driver Trent Wilson slammed the concrete and the restart began on positions on the last completed lap. Bergmeier had a great restart and went on to win from Wicks, Nicola Jnr, Gartner and Nicola.

Earlier the qualifying race wins went to Nicola Jnr, Gartner, Bergmeier, Wilson and Bergmeier. Gartner ran a one lap time at 14.314 the best recorded lap for the night and the margin of victory in the feature race was just .943, just one of a number of results determined by less than a second.

After the race Bergmeier had this to say. “Coming back to Redline I had so much fun, It is definitely fast and banked and whilst tonight was difficult conditions early, the track came back a bit to us for the final. We are excited that the Victorian title is at this track this season. We will take some knowledge away from tonight and try and capitalise on that for the state title in February.”

The Junior Sedans were on hand to compete for the Piston Cup. Split into two grades with the A Grade and then B Grade competitors, the kids were racing for top five sashes and top three trophies in each grade.

Jye Irving from Hamilton then South Australian Brad Gartner from South Australia and Kasey Garlick from Lilydale took qualifying wins in the A Grade Juniors before Gartner began the feature race the strongest. Gartner put distance between himself and Garlick before Garlick began to wind up and reel the leader in. The passing move for the lead from Garlick was sensational and Garlick went on to win from Gartner, Ryan Harris from New South Wales, Ricky Cornwall and Darcy Giblin.

In the B Grade Juniors Kasey Ferguson won all three of the qualifying races in a dominate display. Jack Secombe and Bailey Rumler both rolled their Sedans over however were un-injured. In the final Ferguson and another Ballarat local Bella Rizzoli cleared out from the field and carved their way in and out of traffic. Bradin Claridge was back in third and was also running strongly however unable to reel in the leaders. Ferguson took the Piston Cup win from Rizzoli, Claridge, Breanna Simpson and Holly Harris.

In the Action Series for AMCA Nationals as a lead in to the Australian title in the new year a competitors came for one last test and tune opportunity with Andrew Ryder coming from Tasmania whilst his race car is based here for the rest of the season, Jeremy Moore from South Australia and others came from Mildura.

Qualifying race wins went by the way of Dean Heseltine, Jamie Collins who was racing Super Sedans and AMCA Nationals for the evening, Grant Cullinger, Ryder after a steward penalty to Collins, Neale Peachey and Darren McCarthy.

With Collins a non starter, the battle in the final came down to Ryder, Heseltine, McCarthy, Grant Cullinger and Moore. Ryder found himself challenged by McCarthy initially before Heseltine made a low line pass at turn two to put himself into second and hound Ryder for the race duration. Peachey lost a wheel bringing on the caution lights before Ryder secured the win after the re-start from Heseltine, McCarthy, Cullinger and Moore.

Grand Prix Midget series racing was fast and furious with Australian and Victorian champion Trevor Perry and multiple times national Compact Speedcar champion Danny Stainer a potential dream feature. Perry won the first heat race and then Danny Stainer picked up the win in the second heat race whilst top runner Travis Florimell’s car was trashed in an incident with Perry which resulted in Perry being black flagged out of the race. Jason Crawford went on to win the third heat race.

Perry from the second row then quickly asserted dominance in the feature race with Fowler for a short time chasing before Crawford made the move into second. Back in the field there was a great battle for fourth and fifth. Perry stormed to the twelve lap win from Crawford, Fowler, Mark Blackeby and the returning Shawn Ward.

Street Stocks were the supporting class of the night and closing out the evening local Darren Giacometti took the win after a disastrous ending to the feature race when a defective car turned sharp left into oncoming traffic taking out Giacometti and Jason Degoldi who were running first and second allowing Anthony Beare to cross the line first.

However with the steward was quick to declare the race at the completion of the previous lap handing the win rightfully to Giacometti from Degoldi, Beare, Shaun Henry and Morris Ahearn.

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Written by
Dean Thompson
DMT Sports Media

For Belmont Speedway Drivers Club