Brock Atkins has continued his incredible form of late, this time by travelling across the water and winning the Gene Cook Memorial at the Cranes Combined Carrick Speedway.
Atkins would start on the front row of the forty one lap feature race alongside Callum Harper, the duo locked together through the opening turns before Atkins used the top line to get the advantage on Harper.
Lucas Roberts would move into third on the opening lap with Marcus Alexander and David Nichols rounding out the top five.
Nichols rounded up Alexander to take over fourth while up front Atkins was building his lead over Harper, who in turn had a significant gap on Roberts.
Atkins would set the quick lap of the race early on, moving into lapped traffic by lap ten and already with an advantage of over two seconds.
Shortly after Nichols would move past Roberts to take over third.
Even with the heavy traffic Atkins still managed to build his lead to over two and a half seconds, while further back Mick Nicola Snr was moving his way through the field, passing Roberts and then Alexander to move into fourth.
With seventeen remaining Atkins was nearly six seconds ahead, having lapped everyone up to position ten in the field, Harper battling his own way through traffic as Nicola closed on the back of Nichols.
Atkins extended the lead again to over seven seconds before finally the yellows came on with fourteen remaining as Zac Pascoe and Corey Jetson came together, Harper also involved, his front end wedged under the stranded Jetson car.
Harper was the only one of the three able to resume, taking his position back in second: Atkins to lead away Harper, Nichols, Nicola and Alexander.
Nichols moved around Harper to take over second place on the restart, Alexander also getting by Nicola for fourth, but up front it was all Atkins as he again pulled away.
The battle for the minors was really heating up, but the cautions came out again as Harpers car appeared to slow coming out of turn three, with cars going every which way but all spinning, ten cars making contact and coming to a stop strewn across the track.
Just eleven cars would resume the race, Atkins now leading away Nichols, Nicola and Michael Hally. Nicola moved straight into second while Lee Aylett made the big moves, diving through to grab third while Hally advanced into fourth ahead of Nichols.
A couple of laps later the cautions were out again, this time for Andrew Poke who came to a stop on the back straight.
Again Atkins held strong on the restart, Nicola clean in second while Aylett was under pressure from Hally, Nichols and Harper who had raced his way back through the field to sixth.
Aylett dropped back as all three drivers got by him, and with five to go Atkins was clear, running to the chequers and officially defeating Nicola, Hally, Nichols and Harper in an exciting race.
Courtesy of leading every lap of the forty one lap tribute race, Atkins not only pocketed the winners cheque, but also $100 per lap he led, giving him a very tidy sum indeed and setting him up as one of the favourites for the upcoming SSA Super Sedan National Title, which nominations have now opened for!
Photo courtesy of Angryman Photography.
Feature, 41 laps: 1. V35 Brock Atkins, 2. V3 Mick Nicola Snr, 3. Q98 Michael Hally, 4. T3 David Nichols, 5. T1 Callum Harper, 6. W4 Lee Aylett, 7. T12 Luke Gunn, 8. T23 Chris Gallagher (40), 9. T48 Wayne Dillon (40), 10. T9 Mat Crawford (40). DNF: T10 Andrew Poke (32), T4 Marcus Alexander (30), V0 Lucas Roberts (30), T71 Robert Bird (29), T75 Brendan Flynn (29), Q6 Zac Pascoe (27), T6 Corey Jetson (26), T73 Grant Hopkins (17), Q10 Steve Jordan (6), T14 Adam Beechey (2). Total Time: No Time. Winning Margin: 2.501. Fastest Lap: 15.596 V35 Brock Atkins.