Official Release Saturday 9th March 2024.
South Australian Dave Gartner has ventured to the Mount Barker Speedway for the second time in his racing career and has once again walked away with the SSA Super Sedan WA State Title after taking victory this evening.
Gartner held off the fast finishing Brad Pascoe with Matt Pascoe officially third in the event for the second time in his racing career with Western Australian’s Gary Higgs and Dustin Higgs rounding out the top five.
Twenty four Super Sedans began the event which was held in cloudy and cool conditions at the daytime venue which would race in the evening for just the second time in its history.
Ian Wright would collect the converted Ian Beard Best Presented Car Award prior to the racing getting underway before a bumper crowd at the great southern venue.
The nine qualifying heats began with Mick Nicola leading all the way despite reigning Western Australian Champion Dustin Higgs throwing everything at him in the concluding stages.
Nicola held off Higgs by 0.168 of a second with Kemble Aylett officially third.
Three Time Western Australian Champion Gary “Dusty” Higgs lead every lap of heat two as Queensland’s Zac Pascoe stole second on the final lap from 2003 WA Super Sedan Champion Keith Higgs.
South Australian Dave Gartner held off Matt Pascoe in heat three with local Mount Barker competitor Rob Knox coming home in third as Pascoe set a new one lap track record for the venue.
Dustin Higgs dominated heat four winning by over two seconds from interstate competitors Dave Gartner and Ash Bergmeier.
Early in heat five Zac Pascoe would wrestle the race lead from Rob Knox before Mick Nicola and Matt Pascoe worked their way through the field to fill the minor placings.
The first major incident of the state title occurred in heat six when Keith Higgs suffered suspension failure before the race even began.
Once the race got underway a heavy crash involving Matthew McMahon and Warren Hambley saw Hambley unable to continue for the remainder of the State Title.
A depleted field would greet the chequered flag as Queensland Champion Brad Pascoe crossed the line five seconds clear of Terry Green and Kemble Aylett.
Brad Pascoe would become the first multiple heat race winner in the event as he won heat seven by over nine seconds from Mount Barker youngster Bryce Fisher who held off Keith Higgs for second place at the end of the ten laps.
Heat eight was the domain of Gary Higgs as he defeated Kemble Aylett and Ash Bergmeier as Matt Pascoe collected the final heat from Dave Gartner and Mount Barker’s Nathan Thiele a distant third.
Twenty One competitors would receive their medallions prior to the forty lap main event as the Super Sedans paraded four wide prior to the final before a great crowd in Mount Barker.
Dave Gartner and Matt Pascoe would share the front row for the main event with the race only one lap old when Mick Nicola came together with another car causing him to spin in front of the field.
Nicola was collected by both Tristan Green and Nathan Thiele with all three cars able to restart.
As the race got back underway Gartner lead the early laps from Matt Pascoe, Gary Higgs, Brad Pascoe and Dustin Higgs the top five.
Dustin Higgs had moved into fifth after starting from position eight for the final before the yellow lights came on for Keith Higgs who lost a wheel on lap four.
The race would also be over at that point for Tristan Green and Ian Wright aswell as Higgs with lap eight bringing about yet another stoppage.
Kemble Aylett and Rob Knox came together while battling for ninth place with Knox’s race over shortly after.
The lap traffic proved to be the only obstacle for Gartner as he worked his way through the traffic with Brad Pascoe stealing third place from Gary Higgs as the race reached its halfway mark.
Bryce Fisher would bring about the final stoppage of the race as he crawled to a stop on lap twenty three while running in ninth place with just eight cars on the lead lap at that point.
The final seventeen laps would prove to be a heart stopping affair as Gartner had Matt Pascoe trying everything in the book to find a way past the eight time state champion.
Before long Brad Pascoe was challenging the two leaders as the laps wound down.
Matt Pascoe tried to find a way around the outside of Gartner with the driver of the Castrol S18 Dominator barely holding on.
As the leaders came to the white flag Matt Pascoe ran wide coming into the straight handing second place to Brad Pascoe with the dual state champion trying to pass Gartner on the final corner.
Gartner held on to claim his second win in the SSA Super Sedan WA State Title by just 0.282 of a second from Brad Pascoe with Matt Pascoe, Gary Higgs and outgoing state champion Dustin Higgs the top five.
In victory lane Dave Gartner would be appreciative of the Mount Barker crowd as he claimed the ninth state title victory of his career in Super Sedans.
Gartner also thanked his crew chief Kristen and long time sponsors for their continued support with all the placegetters enjoying the last two weekends of racing in the West.
The 2025 SSA Super Sedan WA State Title will be conducted at the Kalgoorlie Speedway in April 2025.
Official Result of the 2024 SSA Super Sedan WA State Title
A Main, 40 Laps: 1. S18 Dave Gartner, 2. Q1 Brad Pascoe, 3. N1 Matt Pascoe, 4. W81 Gary Higgs, 5. W1 Dustin Higgs, 6. V16 Ash Bergmeier, 7. Q6 Zac Pascoe, 8. V3 Mick Nicola, 9. W10 Kyle Larson (39), 10. W25 Nathan Thiele (39), 11. W17 Lukas Lampert (38), 12. W23 Ryan Huxtable (38), 13. W85 Matthew McMahon (36), 14. W96 Steve Larson (34), DNF W80 Bryce Fisher (22), W9 Kemble Aylett (14), W68 Rob Knox (8), WA85 Keith Higgs (4), W6 Tristan Green (4), W2 Ian Wright (4), W91 Darren Larson (2), DNS W76 Terry Green, Winning Margin 0.282, Fastest Lap S18 Dave Gartner 15.742.
