Drouin Speedway produced a great Sunday’s entertainment on the 15th of January with the running of the West Gippsland Stampede for Victorian Speedway Council Sedans the main event supported by all the club classes & visiting Vintage competition, Scott Ellis from Coldstream took the big win in the Stampede with stiff competition in the field.

The field in the West Gippsland Stampede competed in six qualifying races to determine their starting order in the twenty-five lap final with Ballarat driver Lucas Conder, local competitor Mick Evans, Alan McKinnon from Rosedale, Jake Blencowe, Conder again and Ellis securing wins.

The twenty-five lap final was tricky early with a freshly watered track served up to try and help the drivers get through the complete race. Ellis from the front row beat Conder in the sprint to the first corner, Evans from the second row soon found a way to get in front of Conder also and then those three set about dodging & weaving their way through traffic in a battle for the win.

Blencowe and Bent were clear fourth on track at stages before both succumbed to mechanical issues, Evans had a hard shunt into the turn three wall and ended his race & with lap traffic in his way at the restart to complete the race under green, white & then chequered flags, Conder had his work cut out for him.

Ellis took the big West Gippsland Stampede win ahead of Conder, Peter Angus who himself was very consistent during the day, McKinnon & Adam Hutchinson.

Standard Saloon competition during the day was close as it always is. Mitch Blencowe won the first two heat races, Andrew Dike took a win & Brendan Miles. Action in the final saw some of the front of the field runners take spins and off track excursions that placed them towards or at the back of the field. Miles, Dike, Jeff Blencowe & Ben Randall all made errors.

Mitch Blencowe had strong leads on a couple of occasions before Leigh Gooding closed up behind him and they raced for about ten laps bumper to bumper. Mitch Blencowe won from Gooding, Dike, Miles & Justin Hutchins.

The Haze Hair by Design track championship round for Ladies Standard Saloon’s was fierce competition also with great tussles all the way through the field. At the front Tegan Bullard & Sarah Price showed themselves as being the two strongest, with Debbie Hickson the best of the rest getting clear to chase the lead girls. Bullard won the first two heats & Price the last before feature time.

Bullard & Price resumed their competition in the final & everything was going according to script before Price found out that concrete walls do not like cars, her car was towed off the track after coming unstuck during the race. Bullard went on to win for the second meeting in a row & Hickson strong in second position with Courtney Sherry third then Jess Wilkinson & Hayley Hutchins the top five.

Rhys Lansdown took the feature win in the Junior Standard Saloon field with Jack Yeomans & Riley Lawrence the ten year old rookie driver in third place. Lewis Williams won the first heat before crashing the car in heat two & Yeomans won the second and third.

Drouin’s next show is February the 12th with the Victorian Division 2 Hot Rod title the main event.

Drouin Speedway club thank their supporters for 16/17:
Alberni Engineering – AmpWorks Audio – Baw Baw Shire – Berwick Legal – Boost 2 Drive – CBM Photography – JA Signs – Keena Fencing – Laser Electrical – Latrobe Waste Recycling – Leigh & Anne Gooding – Longwarry Hotel – Longwarry Meat Safe – Miles Mechanical – Monckton Concrete – Norstar Steel Recyclers – Polish & Shine – Ramsdale Wreckers – S.S Plastering & Painting – TNT Auto Parts – Victorian Crane Trucks

Written by
Dean Thompson
DMT Sports Media

For Drouin Speedway Club