In what was the opening round of the Junior Speedway Racing Association – JSRA Series for 2025/26, Luke Bailey and Blake McGaffin have taken out the Top Star and New Star Junior Sedan feature races.
Held as part of the two-night Ash Page Memorial event at the Hillview Speedway a good field of fourteen Top Stars and six New Stars would begin the weekend, with thirteen and five starting their respective features.
In the twenty lap Top Star feature only Koru McBrydie was unable to start, but hometown hero Malik Gordon would only last a quarter of a lap in his Junior Sedan swan song as he nudged the wall.
Take two at a start was much better with Joel Bowman leading Luke Bailey and Archie Root on the first lap.
The yellows came out with two laps complete as Katie Beadle found herself spun to a stop in turn four.
Bailey applied the pressure to Bowman on the restart, the two just 0.054 seconds apart as they completed the third lap, with Bailey able to pull past and take the lead on the fourth circulation.
A lap later Archie Root, who recovered well from going upside down on night one, would pass Bowman to take over second.
The top three began to pull away from the rest of the field led by Koby Rickerby, with Bowman able to get back by Root for second on lap seven.
Rickerby was now running a lonely race in fourth while behind him was a five-car battle pack that lap after lap was fighting it out in close quarters, Brax Root making his way to the front of that group on lap nine.
Back up front and Bailey, Bowman and Archie Root were now running line astern, and they would remain this way right through the middle of the race, never separated by more than half a second.
With five to go Bowman began to show the nose under Bailey, the two making contact coming out of four which seriously slowed Bowman and allowed Root to get back by him and right onto Bailey’s tail while Bowman was now forced to hold off a fast closing Rickerby.
With one to go Rickerby got underneath Bowman for third, while Bailey and Root continued to fight it out for the lead, Rickerby running the highline right behind them.
In the final run to the flag Root didn’t get the run out of the final corner he wanted, with Bailey able to go on to take the win while Rickerby drew alongside Root and got past him by 0.004 seconds on the line to take second, Root finishing third in what was an epic finish.
The New Stars feature race saw just five starters after rookie Oliver Burnett was unable to make the call for the fifteen laps.
Blake McGaffin grabbed the lead from the drop of the green flag and he would maintain this position throughout, Noah Eyre following behind and maintaining pace but never able to get close enough to make a move.
Cooper Sayer ran a lonely race in third from go to whoa, while Brinley McGaffin Jnr and Bella Crowe rounded out the field.
There is now just a weeks break for the JSRA, with the second round of the series being held next weekend at Ellenbrook Speedway.
Top Stars Feature, 20 laps: 1. W52 Joel Bowman, 2. W17 Koby Rickerby, 3. W15 Luke Bailey, 4. W51 Tyler Bowman, 5. W23 Archie Root, 6. W20 Wyatt Van Der Mey, 7. WA21 Travis McGaffin, 8. W47 Emily Bates, 9. W21 Brax Root, 10. W29 Lincoln Hoath, 11. W19 Katie Beadle, 12. W27 Malik Gordon, 13. W18 Xavier Crowe, 14. W4 Koru McBrydie.
RESULT
1. W15 Luke Bailey, 2. W17 Koby Rickerby, 3. W23 Archie Root, 4. W52 Joel Bowman, 5. W21 Brax Root, 6. W20 Wyatt Van Der Mey, 7. W18 Xavier Crowe (19). DNF: W51 Tyler Bowman (17), W29 Lincoln Hoath (15), WA21 Travis McGaffin (9), W47 Emily Bates (6), W19 Katie Beadle (3), W27 Malik Gordon (0). DNS: W4 Koru McBrydie. Total Time: No Time. Winning Margin: 0.675. Fastest Lap: 23.142 W23 Archie Root.
New Stars Feature, 15 laps: 1. W58 Blake McGaffin, 2. W22 Noah Eyre, 3. W6 Brinley McGaffin, 4. W95 Cooper Sayer, 5. W8 Oliver Burnett, 6. W16 Bella Crowe.
RESULT
1. W58 Blake McGaffin, 2. W22 Noah Eyre, 3. W95 Cooper Sayer, 4. W6 Brinley McGaffin Jnr (14), 5. W16 Bella Crowe (14). DNS: W8 Oliver Burnett. Total Time: 6.00.957. Winning Margin: 5.808. Fastest Lap: 23.787 W22 Noah Eyre.