Official Release- Sunday 9th April 2023.
Mildura’s Jarod Waters has won a brilliant Speedway Sedans Australia National Modified Sedan Title presented by The City of Albany at the Attwell Park Speedway in Western Australia on Sunday Night.
Waters moved from his fifteenth starting position to claim his first National Title in Modified Sedans, joining his younger brother Cameron as a National Champion in the class.
Western Australian Luke Fraser was a gallant runner up with Queenslander Joel Berkley moving from ninth to be officially third in the National Title.
A fantastic crowd headed to Albany’s Attwell Park Speedway on Easter Sunday, as forty one Modified Sedans returned for night two of the event.
The final round of heat racing kicked off with a great drive from sixteen year old Victorian Dylan Barrow as held off Joel Berkley and Jamie Higgs over the ten laps.
2016 Western Australian Champion Matt Noakes led all ten laps of heat seventeen as he won by over two seconds from Albany’s Calon Ball and former Victorian Champion Daniel Simpson.
Branden Fraser took the reigns at the front of the field in heat eighteen early on to claim victory from Laurie Dowsett and Brad Wicks.
The ODH Mechanical Holden Commodore of Lindsay McAuley was out early in heat nineteen as he sustained damage to the left rear corner putting him out of the race.
Former Western Australian Champion Jason Batchelor held off Luke Fraser to claim the maximum points in heat nineteen as Fraser guaranteed himself pole position for the A Main with Brendan Selleck officially third.
National Champion Brock Atkins went from position nine to claim victory in the final heat of the National Title, with Atkins earning a front row start for the main event.
This just left three races to run in the 2023 SSA Inc National Modified Sedan Title as the first B Main over twenty laps had just twelve starters.
Matt Nelson appeared to have the first B Main won before he slowed on the final lap handing victory to 1999 National Champion Gary Pagel as Nelson limped home for second ahead of fellow Victorian Brody Chrystie.
A thrilling B Main two saw Victorian Dylan Barrow, Aydan Trewern and Daniel Simpson advance into the A Main, as Queensland Champion Nathan Macdonald finished a distant fourth missing out on qualifying for the big dance in Albany.
Twenty Two Cars made their way out on to Attwell Park Speedway in readiness for a thrilling forty lap finale.
Western Australian Luke Fraser and defending National Champion Brock Atkins shared the front row as the Albany crowd showed their appreciation for the finalists ahead of the forty laps.
Fraser took the lead on the opening lap as both Aidan Raymont and Matt Noakes worked their way past Atkins.
The Modified Sedans raced two and three wide around Attwell Park behind the leader Luke Fraser, as the battle for the minors was a spectacle to behold.
Jarod Waters would be into the top five by lap ten as the Enzed Mercedes set the fastest time of the race in the early stages.
Second and third place running Aidan Raymont and Matt Noakes raced side by side as Waters motored his way into fourth place on lap fifteen.
Waters was second by lap seventeen putting Noakes and Raymont back a spot as he was soon in pursuit of the leader.
Just 1.5 seconds covered Fraser and the pursing Waters before 2013 National Champion Aidan Raymont retired to the infield with engine issues aboard his Ford Falcon while sitting in fourth place.
2008 Western Australian Champion Brendan Selleck began to slow on lap twenty three bringing the yellow lights on for the first time in the race.
Victorian Champion Kye Walters would also retire at this point of the race with a flat right front tyre on the Australian Racing Products Ford Falcon.
Fraser led the field away for the restart with seventeen laps remaining with Waters, Noakes, Atkins and Branden Fraser the top five.
The two leaders soon pulled clear of the field as Waters threw everything at the Civil Hirings Ford Falcon as he hit the lead on lap twenty six.
Waters assumed the lead as Brock Atkins would begin to slow on the top side of the race track bringing his reign as National Champion to an end.
As the leader brought the field to the green flag the Mercedes of Jarod Waters began to slow as Luke Fraser and Matt Noakes came together causing a concertina through the field which saw Sam McAuley spin on the exit of turn two.
Albany’s Laurie Dowsett brought his Ford Falcon to the concrete pad to have his cosmetic damage repaired on the Dowsett’s Autos backed entry allowing him to restart in fifth place.
The final thirteen laps saw Jarod Waters control the race as his earlier mechanical issues appeared to be behind him as the Mercedes cleared away from Luke Fraser.
2023 Western Australian Champion Joel Berkley began to work the top side of the racetrack going around the outside of both Laurie Dowsett and Branden Fraser to move into the fourth place.
Waters would bring the V92 entry from Mildura home for the National Title victory in the West by 3.3 seconds from Luke Fraser who put together an outstanding weekend.
Remarkably Joel Berkley stole third on the final lap from Matt Noakes with Branden Fraser officially fifth.Laurie Dowsett would be sixth from Brad Wicks, Jason Batchelor with B Main winners Dylan Barrow and Gary Pagel rounding out the top ten.
The large Albany crowd showed the new National Champion Jarod Waters some great support as he celebrated in victory lane.
The new National Champion thanked his family and supporters as he put together a truly memorable performance to win the National Title after starting from position fifteen.
Jarod Waters joins his brother Cameron Waters as a National Modified Sedan Champion after Cameron won at Horsham in 2018.
The Speedway Sedans Australia National Modified Sedan Title in 2024 will be conducted at the Cranes Combined Carrick Speedway in Tasmania at Easter.
OFFICIAL RESULT
1. V92 Jarod Waters, 2. W15 Luke Fraser, 3. QA9 Joel Berkley, 4. W21 Matt Noakes, 5. W2 Branden Fraser, 6. W14 Laurie Dowsett, 7. V17 Brad Wicks, 8. W46 Jason Batchelor, 9. VA17 Dylan Barrow, 10. Q9 Gary Pagel, 11. W36 Sam McAuley, 12. V33 Daniel Simpson (39), 13. W12 Aydan Trewern (39). DNF: W84 Jamie Higgs (34), W6 Paul Stevens (34), V46 Kye Walters (28), A1 Brock Atkins (28), W8 Calon Ball (28), W3 Brendan Selleck (23), Q28 Aidan Raymont (21), V61 Matt Nelson (15), V32 Brody Chrystie (7). Total Time: No Time. Winning Margin: 3.305. Fastest Lap: 18.625 V92 Jarod Waters.
Images by Dirt Track Nutters.
