Author : Jason Crowe – SSA Media

Blake Iwanow and Elysha Cooper have capped off a brilliant days racing at Ellenbrook Speedway, capturing the Tom Green Memorial for Top Star and New Star Junior Sedans respectively.
Iwanow was dominant all day, winning all of his heats, starting on pole and leading every lap of the feature in the Top Stars, while Cooper was similar in the New Star division, dominating the opening heat before having a few issues in the following two heats. She was still able to garner enough points to start on the front row of the New Star feature and she too was able to lead every lap of the twenty lap feature event to claim a strong win.
The first attempt at a start in the Top Stars feature lasted less than four seconds, with cars going everywhere as they crossed the start finish line, bringing out the yellows immediately and setting up a complete restart. Taj Vanzetti and Jesse Steele were the only cars unable to restart with flat tyres.
The second attempt was much better, Iwanow racing out to the lead ahead of Blake Webb and Alex Swift, the first lap completed before Darryl George clouted the turn three wall. Shortly after a number of cars came together in turn two to bring out the yellows with nineteen remaining, with Bradley Short the unlucky car that was unable to restart.
Iwanow would lead away the field, Webb in hot pursuit while Ethan Cooper began to apply the blowtorch to Swift for the third place running.
As the laps wound down Iwanow began to extend his lead, Webb, Swift and Cooper left with nothing to do other than watch Iwanow pull away into the distance.
Mitchell Baker made the moves at around the mid race distance, closing on and then passing Cooper for fourth and setting out after Swift who had also pulled away; the task made easier shortly after as Jae Noonan came to a stop in turn two to bring out the yellows with seven laps remaining.
Iwanow and Webb raced away on the restart as Swift and Baker were caught napping, but a few laps later it all evaporated for Webb as he suddenly slowed and dropped back through the field before eventually retiring infield.
Up front though it was all Iwanow, going on to be undefeated all day and winning by over five seconds ahead of Alex Swift and Mitchell Baker, who had a great race in the closing laps for the minors.
In the New Stars division it was all Elysha Cooper who jumped to the lead from the front row and sped away immediately, and similar as to Iwanow in the Top Stars, all the others were able to do was watch her pull away into the distance.
Cooper found herself in lapped traffic on lap four as behind her Erika Vary moved past Axel Fiedler into third and set out after second placed Riley Hanson.
Vary dove low on lap six and grabbed second place from Hanson, then a lap later in the same corner Fiedler made his move on Hanson and took over the third placed running.
From here the order remained unchanged, Cooper even surviving an incident as she lapped the third and fourth placed cars to record an all the way win by over thirteen seconds in a race that was free of stoppages, a massive effort from all drivers.
OFFICIAL RESULTS
Top Star Feature, 20 laps: 1. W24 Blake Iwanow, 2. W108 Blake Webb, 3. W19 Bradley Short, 4. W7 Alex Swift, 5. W73 Darryl George, 6. W31 Ethan Cooper, 7. W23 Jae Noonan, 8. W20 Bronty Fraser, 9. W2 Jesse Steele, 10. W84 Beau Oldfield, 11. W121 Taj Vanzetti, 12. W67 Nikita Donohoe, 13. W91 Mitchell Baker, 14. W9 Izak Davies, 15. W22 Luke Malcolm, 16. W87 Riley Beaumont, 17. W119 Joshua Ahearn, 18. W26 Jasmine Arnold, 19. W27 Jackson Derrick.
RESULT
1. W24 Blake Iwanow, 2. W7 Alex Swift, 3. W91 Mitchell Baker, 4. W84 Beau Oldfield, 5. W31 Ethan Cooper, 6. W119 Joshua Ahearn, 7. W87 Riley Beaumont, 8. W67 Nikita Donohoe,. DNF: W20 Bronty Fraser (19), W9 Izak Davies (18), W108 Blake Webb (16), W23 Jae Noonan (13), W26 Jasmine Arnold (6), W19 Bradley Short (1), W73 Darryl George (1), W2 Jesse Steele (0), W121 Taj Vanzetti (0). DNS: W22 Luke Malcolm, W27 Jackson Derrick. Total Time: No Time. Winning Margin: 5.352. Fastest Lap: 23.531 W24 Blake Iwanow.
New Star Feature, 20 laps: 1. W87 Riley Hanson, 2. W13 Elysha Cooper, 3. W59 Erika Vary, 4. W98 Axel Fiedler, 5. W49 Jasmine Kennedy, 6. W66 Possum Lawrence, 7. W75 Tylah Steele, 8. W4 Emma Ahearn, 9. W3 Joshua Wardley, 10. W71 Olivia Earle.
RESULT
1. W13 Elysha Cooper, 2. W59 Erika Vary, 3. W98 Axel Fiedler (19), 4. W87 Riley Hanson (19), 5. W49 Jasmine Kennedy (19), 6. W75 Tylah Steele (18), 7. W4 Emma Ahearn (18), 8. W3 Joshua Wardley (17), 9. W71 Olivia Earle (17). DNS: W66 Possum Lawrence. Total Time: 8.28.227. Winning Margin: 13.660. Fastest Lap: 24.433 W59 Erika Vary.
Photo: Blake Iwanow
Details courtesy of Scott Beattie