SA Season Underway

By Phil Michell 15-10-06

A large and enthusiastic crowd turned up at Murray Bridge for the opening night of the 2006/07 South Australian Speedway to witness and all sections meeting which also included Sprintcar hotlaps and the second running of the Great Aussie Caravan Race. Despite it being early season the competitor numbers were quite strong in a majority of classes with the Sidecars, Supers Sedans, AMCA’s and the Formula 500’s being the standout categories of the evening.

The Sidecars were out in force early with 10 combinations trackside with the pairings of Mick Headland / Paul Waters, Chris and Adam Pascoe and Ronnie Parker / Nick Schwarzer all performing exceptionally well.

In the Formula 500’s division it was Christopher Brooks who led the 14 car field home in the only heat of the night after passing Tom Bowey on the final turn but it was New South Welshman Col Adams who defeated the locals in the 12 lap final ahead of Tom Bowey, Terry Marks and rookie Jarrod Moore.

In the remaining open wheeled classes it was Gawler resident Cory Read who remained undefeated in the V8 Dirt Modifieds while Bradley Keller and Nathan Squiers shared the victories in the V6 Sprints.

After a strong showing at the practice a week prior the AMCA Nationals once again had a strong showing at Murray Bridge but no one could catch former National Champion Michael Miller, as he claimed both 12 lap events and he set a new track record in the process. Former State Champion Matt Crimmins and Brian Chadwick also showed that they will be a force this season as they were clearly the “best of the rest”.

The Sedan ranks also produced some tight and intense racing with the Super Sedans starting the year in impressive fashion. Despite only eight cars fronting for action, with six cars supporting a yellow paint scheme, the racing was red hot with Colin Neville, Gil Worthely and rookie Daniel Miller putting on a great show. Neville claimed the opening 12 lap event by less than a car length over Worthley while Worthley got the job done in the final defeating Miller by a similar margin. Even though he failed to take a win on the night Miller was clearly the standout in his ex Luke Pyne Pontiac and he proved that once he gets a few more laps under his belt he will be a regular front runner in this State.

The Street Stocks kicked off there season with a massive 28 cars in the pit area and as a result the on track action was quite entertaining despite the results. Both Nigel Reichstein and Craig Buchanan claimed two victories but a number of other drivers also impressed including Rick Emery, Darren Brumfield and Paul Hayes.

Terry Brown gave his new BA Falcon a dream Murray Bridge debut as he claimed two wins in the Modifieds Sedans while Jason Gantz, David Gartside, Adrian Cottrell and Chris Hayden each took a victory in the Junior Sedans.

For the second week in a row the Sprintcars were also on show with ten Sprintcars conducting a series of hot laps on the 360 metre venue. Bordertown’s Wayne Rowett and young Lee Dillon looked extremely comfortable throughout the night along with locals Darryl Wright and Ryan Jones.

In the grand finale, the Murray Bridge Caravan and Outdoor Centre Great Aussie Caravan Race, it was regular Street Stock competitors Barry Schmidt who survived the chaos to claim the winner’s trophy.

The next meeting at the Murray Bridge Speedway will be on October 28 with the opening round of the National Speedcar Super Series, the MJS Street Stock Series, Classic Speedcars, Formula 500’s and V8 Dirt Modifieds.