Author : Jason Crowe – SSA Media
The curtain came down on season 2018 at Ellenbrook Speedway tonight and it was one of the best overall days of racing all season, with some awesome finishes across all four Sedan feature races.
Both Junior Sedan divisions would see a driver dominate through the heats, start on pole and lead much of the feature, before suffering mechanical issues and clouting the same part of the wall to end their races and their perfect runs.
In the Top Stars Blake Iwanow was that dominant force, as he had been all season, winning all three heats to start on pole. He shot away to a good lead, surviving a restart until he suffered a flat right rear tyre. Despite valiantly racing on it became too much as he was swamped by a number of other drivers and eventually clouted the front straight wall to bring on the yellows, with two flat right hand tyres.
The restart however certainly was not lacking for action, with Bryden Southwell and Darryl George trading places a number of times for the lead with Beau Oldfield also right in on the action. In the end though it was George who would claim a strong win over Southwell and Oldfield.
Elysha Cooper went into the New Star Junior Sedan feature event undefeated through the heats and looked to continue on that form early as she shot into the lead. Unfortunately she went too high coming out of turn four on lap eight, clouting the wall and slowing, before heading infield. This would hand her season long sparring partner Erika Vary the lead and she never looked back, racing away to lap all but second place and take a strong win. Olivia Smith was the only other car on the lead lap and came home second, while sister Lexi was officially third.
With four laps to go the same thing happened to Jamie Oldfield in the Production Sedan feature, the leading driver being forced infield with a flat right rear tyre. This allowed second placed Rod Musarra through for the win, while behind him Ashley Baker put in an astounding drive to pass Wayne Leviston in the dying stages to grab second place.
The final feature of the night and the Ellenbrook season was the Street Stocks, with State Champion Hayden Norman finally ironing out all the bugs in his new machine and claiming a dominant win over the impressive James Westerman and Freddy Kinsella.
Although the Elllenbrook season is now over, the summer season is about to pick up and many of the drivers that competed at Ellenbrook tonight will start their seasons in a big way, with the 50th Anniversary event at Bunbury Speedway next Saturday!
Official Results
New Star Junior Sedan Feature Result, 12 laps: 1. W59 Erika Vary, 2. W33 Olivia Smith, 3. W133 Lexi Smith (11), 4. W71 Olivia Earle (11), 5. W75 Tylah Steele (11), 6. W3 Joshua Wardley (10). DNF: W13 Elysha Cooper (8). Total Time: 5.08.365. Winning Margin: 26.111. Fastest Lap: 24.910 W59 Erika Vary.
Top Star Junior Sedan Feature Result, 15 laps: 1. W73 Darryl George, 2. W63 Bryden Southwell, 3. W84 Beau Oldfield, 4. W22 Jesse Steele, 5. W108 Blake Webb, 6. W7 Alex Swift, 7. W25 Kurtis Blackburn. DNF: W9 Izak Davies (12), W24 Blake Iwanow (11), W26 Jasmine Arnold (9), W31 Ethan Cooper (5). Total Time: No Time. Winning Margin: 0.661. Fastest Lap: 23.680 W24 Blake Iwanow.
Production Sedan Feature Result, 15 laps: 1. W12 Rod Musarra, 2. W11 Ashley Baker, 3. W86 Wayne Leviston, 4. W5 Dale Cockman, 5. W36 Richard Baker, 6. W115 Jayke Malcolm, 7. W92 Ricky Williams, 8. W53 Leon Wood, 9. W28 Martin Devries, 10. W616 David Francis (14). DNF: W51 Jamie Oldfield (11), W112 Warren Flavel (10). DNS: W49 John Castagna. Total Time: 5.42.633. Winning Margin: 3.732. Fastest Lap: 22.458 W12 Rod Musarra.
Street Stock Feature Result, 12 laps: 1. WA1 Hayden Norman, 2. W28 James Westerman, 3. W318 Freddy Kinsella, 4. W66 Ben Norman, 5. W21 Anthony Heelan, 6. W9 Marty Kelly. DNS: W84 Brooke Oldfield. Total Time: 4.41.855. Winning Margin: 3.877. Fastest Lap: 22.914 WA1 Hayden Norman.
Photo: WA Champion, Hayden Norman wins the final Feautre Race of the Ellenbrook Season. Photo Courtesy of Morgan Melvin.
Details courtesy of Scott Beattie