Press Release by Speedway Sedans Western Australia.
Title Season for Speedway Sedans Western Australia kicks off this Australia Day Long Weekend with the 2023 Bendotti Exporters SSA Production Sedan State Title at the Tyrepower Manjimup Speedway .
Fourty-Nine drivers will head to Manjimup for the twenty sixth running of the WA Production Sedan Title and there are no less than three of our former champions nominated to context this one.
Kyle Sayer comes in as the defending champion and judging by the form he has been in recently, is certainly going to be tough to beat. Sayer won last years event up at the Nickol Bay Speedway in Karratha, winning two heat races en route to victory.
He has been previously second on two occasions (Collie and Albany) so knows what it takes to be consistently up the front and is a massive chance to become the first driver since Matt Noakes to go back to back as WA Champion.
Local hero Drew Ogle is a two time champion of the event, having win his first in 2016/17 in Broome, then grabbing his second Title win two years ago at Moora.
The former WA Junior Sedan Champion hasn’t had the ideal lead in to this event after a crash just after Christmas saw his car severely damaged and his nomination to even race the event was in question.
Thankfully the team has burnt the midnight oil and should be strong contenders here this weekend.
The final former Champion of this event in the field this weekend is Kye Blight.
Winning his first title at a sixteen year old in Kalgoorlie, Blight also became part of the first father/son duo to win the WA Production Sedan Title, emulating his fathers Darrens victory, though Darren has won the Title four times, an aim that Blight would love to continue working towards.
Looking through the field, we also have a pile of former place getters in the field, most prominently former National Champion Rod Musarra.
Though stepping out of Production Sedan racing recently, Musarra is back in the seat normally occupied by brother Rick and he would love to finally get the WA#1 on the door after previously finishing second on five occasions.
Kane McDiarmid, Beau Riley and Jacky Moroney have all finished in the top five in National Titles for Production Sedans previously, with Riley also a former Victorian Champion, as well as the current WA2 after last years Title.
All three have had minimal runs in the lead up to this Title but rest assured they wont be taking it easy as soon as that first green flag flies.
Ashley Baker comes into this weekends event as the current WA3, and he will be joined by drivers who have had plenty of success in other sedan divisions including younger brother Mitchell who is a former National Junior Sedan Champion, plus Frank Does who won a WA Super Sedan Title (plus multiple other podiums in Super Sedans the then named Modified Productions), former WA Modified Sedan Champion Aydan Trewern and current champion Jason Batchelor, as well as Wayne Leviston, who actually came third in the WA Production Title some five years ago.
All of these drivers simply love racing and any one of them could race away with the win if things fall their way at Manjimup.
There are also plenty of other drivers in the field who could also figure prominently, including Karratha’s Jack McAuley who qualified in position three for last years Title final, running second before succumbing to a flat tyre.
He is joined by names like Jake and Cody Blight (who would also love to continue the family history in this event), as well as the Macalpine brothers Josh and Hamish (Presidents of Esperance and Kalgoorlie Speedway’s respectively), Moora President Jayden McCuish, local hot shot Shane Whild, the Katona father and son duo from Morawa and exciting youngsters including Tylar Main, Jake Avins, Josh Martinelli and Jackson Derrick.
No matter which way you look at it, this Title is going to be huge with any number of drivers coming in as potential winners.O
fficial Practice gets underway tomorrow afternoon, with three rounds of heat races Friday night and the 40-lap Main Event Saturday.
To keep up with all the information from the Bendotti Exporters SSA Production Sedan WA State Title, follow the Speedway Sedans Western Australia Facebook Page.
Official Nominations – 49
W00 Hamish Macalpine
WA1 Kyle Sayer
W2 Shane Whild
W3 Frank Does
WA3 Rob Fraser
W4 Mitchell Killeen
W6 Peter Katona Snr
W7 Tylar Main
W8 Calon Ball
W9 Mitchell Baker
W11 Ashley Baker
WA11 Josh Macalpine
WX11 Jake Avins
W12 Aydan Trewern
W13 Drew Ogle
WA13 Rowan Burrell
W14 Anthony Page
W15 Gaje Price
W16 Peter Katona Jnr
W19 Josh Stewart
W21 Trent Claybrook
WA21 Rod Musarra
W25 Dwayne Meagher
W26 Gemma Laidlaw
W27 Jackson Derrick
W29 Michael Clark
W31 Kane McDiarmid
W36 Joe Wilson
W40 Beau Riley
W41 Kye Blight
WA41 Rickie Nuccini
W46 Jason Batchelor
W48 Matthew Jones
W51 Cody Blight
W52 Paul Bowman
W57 Kelsey Beard
W58 Jayden McCuish
W61 Jake Blight
W67 Josh Martinelli
W75 Stephen Pearce
W77 Possum Lawrence
W78 Jacky Moroney
W86 Wayne Leviston
W92 Ricky Williams
WA92 Shane Devonshire
W96 Jack McAuley
W99 Benny Curtin
W122 Stacey Lake
W211 Rowan Drysdale
