Author : Jason Crowe – SSA Media
In a result like no other, the Bill Miller, Super Sedan Fireball Derby at Adelaide Motorsport Park on Saturday night, had just one driver finish the forty lap main event.
Kym Jury took the lead late in the race, and completed the last two laps as the only car on track, in an extraordinary finish.
The main event had the highest qualifiers start from the back of the field, which would see Kym Hammerstein and Michael Brown start on the front row.
It would not be long though before Ryan Alexander took the lead on lap five, demoting Hammerstein and Brown to second and third.
Paul Blenkiron made his way to third on lap eight and then into second on lap fourteen, as Alexander moved well clear of the field.
The retirees from the race were already mounting on the infield, with Steve Schwarz, Kym Leeson and Trevor Ware all out of the race very early, with Jason Gantz, Kym Hammerstein and Michael Brown all joining them by lap twenty.
Dave Gartner had taken a long time to make his way to the front half of the field, which was assisted by the retirees, which was further assisted by Paul Blenkiron, who pulled off the circuit with eleven laps remaining.
This left just three cars on track, reminiscent of the National Street Stock Title at the same venue a month previous. No-one saw what would happened next, with race leader, Ryan Alexander, pulling to the infield while in the lead with nine laps remaining.
This would leave just Dave Gartner and Kym Jury on track for the remainder of the grueling forty laps, and with just two laps to go, mechanical woes struck Gartner who had inherited the lead from Alexander. Kym Jury took the lead with three laps remaining, and with two laps remaining, Jury was the last man standing, the only driver on track for the final two laps, in a bizarre finish to a prestigious race.
:: Super Sedans
Heat One, 10 laps: 1. S1 Dave Gartner, 2. S5 Trevor Ware, 3. S36 Ryan Alexander, 4. S22 Paul Blenkiron, 5. S12 Kym Hammerstein, 6. S52 Michael Brown, 7. S34 Kym Leyson (9). DNF: S2 Daniel Obst (1). Total Time: 2.38.585. Winning Margin: 7.539. Fastest Lap: 15.524 S1 Dave Gartner.
Heat Two, 10 laps: 1. S1 Dave Gartner, 2. S93 Kym Jury, 3. S22 Paul Blenkiron, 4. S99 Steve Schwarz. DNF: S5 Trevor Ware (8), S52 Michael Brown (8), S43 Jason Gantz (7). Total Time: No Time. Winning Margin: 1.616. Fastest Lap: 14.998 S1 Dave Gartner.
Heat Three, 10 laps: 1. S47 Ryan Alexander, 2. S93 Kym Jury, 3. S1 Dave Gartner, 4. S99 Steve Scwartz, 5. S34 Kym Leyson (9). DNF: S2 Daniel Obst (1). Total Time: 2.33.257. Winning Margin: 3.286. Fastest Lap: 15.165 S47 Ryan Alexander.
Heat Four, 10 laps: 1. S47 Ryan Alexander, 2. S22 Paul Blenkiron, 3. S93 Kym Jury, 4. S99 Steve Scwartz, 5. S12 Kym Hammerstein, 6. S34 Kym Leyson. Total Time: 2.33.921. Winning Margin: 1.599. Fastest Lap: 15.198 S47 Ryan Alexander.
Feature, 40 laps: 1. S93 Kym Jury. DNF: S1 Dave Gartner (38), S47 Ryan Alexander (31), S22 Paul Blenkiron (29), S12 Kym Hammerstein (20), S52 Michael Brown (20), S43 Jason Gantz (17), S5 Trevor Ware (3), S34 Kym Leyson (1), S99 Steve Schwarz (1) Total Time: No Time. Winning margin: 2 laps. Fastest Lap: 15.258 S1 Dave Gartner.
Photos courtesy of Linda Savage and Scott McIntosh
Kym Jury all smiles after his stunning win.