Official Release- Sunday 5th June 2022
Busselton’s Kyle Sayer has finally become the SSA Production Sedan Western Australian Champion at the Nickol Bay Speedway in Karratha tonight after over a decade of heartache and near misses in the event.
Sayer crossed the line 0.651 of a second ahead of Collie’s Beau Riley with Geraldton’s Ashley Baker rounding a trifecta of Holden Commodores on the podium at the end of the forty lap main event.
Forty seven competitors returned for the final of competition in what was the 25th anniversary of the Western Australian State Title for SSA Production Sedans.
Near perfect weather conditions and another bumper crowd witnessed a fitting finale to a great weekend of action in the Pilbara region of the state.
Derby’s Rowan Drysdale drove a brilliant race to win the opening heat race of the final round of preliminary events getting the better of overnight points leader Beau Riley to take the win.
Western Australian Modified Sedan Champion Jason Batchelor recorded his second heat race win of the weekend in heat seventeen holding off Jayden McCuish who charged around the outside of the field to finish second.
Kyle Sayer laid down an impressive performance in heat eighteen winning by over eleven seconds to guarantee himself a front row start for the A Main.
The Best Presented Car Award winner for the State Title Newman’s Bernie Matkovich claimed heat nineteen from Benny Curtin & Jordan McGinnis.
Karratha local Jack McAuley tried in vein in the final heat race of the weekend to find a way past Kane McDiarmid with the pair putting on a great display of hard & fast speedway sedan racing.
The twin B Mains both twenty laps in duration produced a huge amount of drama and many incidents.
Jordan McGinnis drove a lonely race to lead all twenty laps in the opening B Main with the battle for the minor placings worth the price of admission alone.
Tylar Main, Barry Rose, Jamie Graham and 2020 National Junior Sedan Champion Mitchell Baker changed positions on multiple occasions throughout the race, with Main & Rose stealing the final two transfer positions on the final lap.
The second B Main got underway with a multi car pile up ending the weekend’s of Morawa’s Peter Katona Snr, Esperance’s Jeff Dickerson and Broome’s Dylan McLaughlin.
Jhye Kent aboard the McCorry Brown Earthmoving Holden Commodore from the Kimberley took the win from Derby’s Paul Squires who charged through the field to finish second with Sam McAuley rounding out the placegetters.
Twenty two finalists faced the start for the forty lap A Main to decide the 2022 SSA Production Sedan Western Australian Champion.
The first attempt at a start was aborted for the spun car of Daniel Flavel with Sayer getting the jump on pole sitter Beau Riley when the race finally got underway.
Rowan Drysdale would be the first retirement on lap four as Sayer lead Riley and Jack McAuley.
McAuley moved into second place just before the first stoppage for the slowing Peter Katona Jnr on lap eleven.
The battle for the lead began to intensify as McAuley hounded the back bumper of the Katchana Beef Holden Commodore of Sayer.
Try as he may McAuley just couldn’t find a way past Sayer as the race for the minor placings continued to be a point of interest.
The red lights would come on for Daniel Flavel who softly rolled his Ford Falcon in turn four on lap twenty four.
Jason Batchelor’s race was also over at that point with a broken brake rotor on the Ford Falcon.
During the red light stoppage the Karratha Smash Repairs Holden Commodore of Jack McAuley limped to the infield with a flat right rear tyre ending the brilliant run of the hometown favourite.
Sayer would lead the field away from Riley who was now second as Geraldton’s Ashley Baker moved to third from Benny Curtin and Kane McDiarmid the top five.
The gap between the leaders was never more than a second as the two time Victorian champion tried to keep the pressure on the leader.
Sayer looked on track to record his maiden state title victory before the yellow lights came on for the slowing Jayden McCuish who suffered a flat right rear tyre while in seventh place.
Hayden Norman would also head infield with a similar issue to McCuish along with the ODH Mechanical Holden Commodore of Lindsay McAuley.
Just three laps remained for Sayer as he lead the field to the green flag once more.
Sayer negotiated the final few circulations to record a long overdue victory in the Western Australian State Title from Riley and Ashley Baker an outstanding third place in his Western Regional Towing Holden Commodore.
Benny Curtin was officially fourth from McDiarmid and outgoing state champion Drew Ogle who crossed the line in sixth place after a enduring a tough title defence.
Josh Fraser, Jake Hoath, Barry Rose & Tylar Main would be the final cars to complete the forty laps.
At post race Scrutineering Kane McDiarmid would disqualified from the placings elevating Ogle too fifth place.
A relieved winner thanked his extended family for their unwavering support throughout his racing career.
The 2023 SSA Production Sedan Western Australian State Title will be held at the Tyrepower Manjimup Speedway in the South West region of the state.
Official Result of the 2022 SSA Production Sedan Western Australian State Title
A Main, 40 Laps- 1. W95 Kyle Sayer, 2. W40 Beau Riley, 3. W11 Ashley Baker, 4. W99 Benny Curtin, 5. WA1 Drew Ogle, 6. WA5 Josh Fraser, 7. W29 Jake Hoath, 8. W181 Barry Rose, 9. W7 Tylar Main. DNF: WA6 Hayden Norman (37), W5 Lindsay McAuley (37), WA74 Jhye Kent (37), W58 Jayden McCuish (37), W28 Jason Batchelor (25), W96 Jack McAuley (25), W114 Daniel Flavel (24), W36 Sam McAuley (22), W32 Jordan McGinnis (17), W16 Peter Katona Jnr (11), W15 Paul Squires (10), W211 Rowan Drysdale (4), DSQ W31 Kane McDiarmid. Total Time: No Time. Winning Margin: 0.651. Fastest Lap: 20.301 W95 Kyle Sayer.

