HARM WINS A THRILLER!
In what was one of the most exciting finishes in recent memory, Queenslander Josh Harm has taken the win on the final lap after starting in position ten to be crowned the 2025 SSA Production Sedan National champion at the Hi-Tec Oils Toowoomba Speedway.
Harm was solid all weekend, accumulating enough points to start from position ten in the forty-lap final, while the front row was shared by more Queenslanders, in Chris Pagel and Kaine Richters.
Defending National champion Kyle Sayer would start from position three alongside Darren Lester.
Pagel and Richters hit the line evenly as the race went green, Lester and Sayer tucking in side by side behind them.
Richters got the advantage on Pagel as Lester got by Sayer, while behind them Joel Berkley was quickly into the top five after starting from seventh.
Lap three saw Sayer make his move, diving from fourth to second, with Lester also able to get by Pagel for third.
A lap later Berkley moved past Pagel for fourth.
Sayer drew alongside Richters on lap seven but was unable to make the move stick, while Berkley had the exact same experience behind as he tried to get by Lester.
Lap ten saw Sayer again alongside Richters and this time he was able to affect the pass, taking the lead.
With eleven complete the first yellow light came out, a number of cars coming together in turn three, but only Dale Corbett unable to restart.
Sayer got away cleanly upon the resumption, Richters, Lester, Berkley, and Josh Harm all following along as they looked to gain positions.
As Sayer pulled away, Richters would also run a race on his own as Lester, Harm, and Barkley fought it out for third, Berkley able to grab the position on lap sixteen.
By this time, the top five had pulled well clear of the rest of the field.
At the halfway point Sayer was over two seconds ahead of Richters, with Harm able to grab third from Berkley a lap later.
Not long after that, the yellows came on for just the second time in the race as Josh Fraser slowed with a flat tyre.
Richters stayed right with Sayer this time as the race went back under green flag conditions, while Berkley moved to the outside of Harm and began looking for a way through, the duo side by side for a number of laps and separated by the barest of margins at the line.
Lap twenty-five saw Nuno Mendes, having raced all the way from deep in the B Main, moving into fifth place past Darren Lester, the top six line astern, and again pulling away from the rest of the field.
Berkley dropped off the side of Harm and this allowed Mendes to look for a way through, making the pass for fourth on lap twenty-nine.
As the laps wound down, Sayer, Richters and Harm would be running their own race, the trio of Mendes, Berkley, and Lester a fair way back, and the rest of the field well behind them.
With six to go Harm had a look on the inside of Richters, the duo 0.047 seconds apart at the line, and the next lap Harm was able to race by and take the position.
With five to go the order was Sayer, Harm, Richters, Mendes, Berkley and Lester, with Sayer quickly approaching lapped traffic.
This allowed Harm to close on the back of Sayer while Mendes was now chasing Richters hard for third.
Lapped traffic was thick and Harm took the opportunity, moving to the outside after the white flag flew.
In the final corner, he swept around the outside of Sayer, who was stuck down low and it was enough for him to take the win right on the line. Sayer would be forced to settle for second while Richters finished an epic weekend by rounding out the podium. Nuno Mendes and Joel Berkley would complete the top five.
Congratulations to all 121 drivers who took part in the record field this weekend, and well done to all the place getters. Also a big thankyou to the events major sponsor Ian Boettcher Race Parts and of course the team at Hi-Tec Oils Toowoomba Speedway for hosting the final SSA Title for season
A Main, 40 laps: 1. Q8 Chris Pagel, 2. Q32 Kaine Richters, 3. A1 Kyle Sayer, 4. QA59 Darren Lester, 5. W5 Josh Fraser, 6. Q97 Rory Evans, 7. Q2 Joel Berkley, 8. N47 Dale Corbett, 9. N65 Stuart Fawcett, 10. QA55 Josh Harm, 11. Q84 Jarrod Peacock, 12. W8 Calon Ball, 13. N36 Max Clarke, 14. QC18 Bryce Bayfield, 15. Q12 Brodie Hollyman, 16. W77 Jorj Park, 17. Q48 Hayden Turner, 18. V61 Matt Nelson, 19. QA18 Murray Dioth, 20. Q99 Jye O’Brien, 21. QC16 Jim Cowley, 22. W11 Nuno Mendes.
RESULT
1. QA55 Josh Harm, 2. A1 Kyle Sayer, 3. Q32 Kaine Richters, 4. W11 Nuno Mendes, 5. Q2 Joel Berkley, 6. QA59 Darren Lester, 7. Q8 Chris Pagel, 8. Q97 Rory Evans, 9. V61 Matt Nelson, 10. N36 Max Clarke, 11. W8 Calon Ball, 12. W77 Jorj Park, 13. Q84 Jarrod Peacock, 14. Q12 Brodie Hollyman, 15. Q48 Hayden Turner, 16. QA18 Murray Dioth, 17. Q99 Jye O’Brien, 18. QC16 Jim Cowley, 19. QC18 Bryce Bayfield. DNF: W5 Josh Fraser (21), N47 Dale Corbett (11), N65 Stuart Fawcett (1). Total Time: No Time. Winning Margin: 0.332. Fastest Lap: 16.438 A1 Kyle Sayer.
