By Andrew Ferguson
Over 40 drivers contested the 2022 Victorian Street Stock Titles last weekend, with Anthony Beare entering the event as favourite after winning all of his five heats.
Morris Ahearn was not to be outdone, after securing three heat wins and was expected to push him all the way – as was the highly competitive Justin Brumfield, Ricky Cornwall and Mark Purdie, with all three drivers winning two heats.
Shane Ardley, Drew Flatman, Jason Degoldi, Jae Irving, Matt Crawfield and Matt Nelson all won heats, which meant the title was very much up for grabs.
In the Final, Beare and Ahearn were fighting it out in front until mid-race when Beare’s clutch gave out, sending him to the infield. Ahearn then took the lead in a close battle with Cornwall and Nelson – that was until Ahearn also had mechanical troubles that ended his race.
After thirty-five laps of close racing, it was Nelson who greeted the chequered flag first, crossing the line just ahead of Cornwall, with Brumfield, Mick Dann and Degoldi rounding out the top five.
The Junior Formula 500s visited Sonic Speedway for the first time and left a great impression on the large crowd, especially for 12-to-16 year olds. Riley Flanagan won Saturday’s Final and ran second on Sunday – and despite a rollover on Saturday, Koby O’Shannessy recovered to win every heat and the Final on Sunday.
Neil Bedggood dominated our local Formula 500s on Saturday night, with two heat wins, a disqualification in the other heat and victory in the Final. Jess Bedggood had one heat win and two seconds, but couldn’t front for the Final, allowing Tom Nietvelt to run second and Jordan Caddy third. On Sunday, Neil and Jess again dominated the heats, with Brendan Crabbe making a comeback for a third.
The visiting Standard drivers took the honours over the locals, with Warrwick Howie leading partner Jaimi Barber home in each heat on Saturday, with Josh Campbell’s also claiming the other heat victory. Howie went on to win the Final ahead of Kiel Tripcony, Barber, Campbell and Claude Pearson, who had no luck all weekend.
History looked like repeating itself on Sunday, with Howie winning all of his heats ahead of Barber and Pearson. In the Final, Pearson pushed Howie all the way but couldn’t quite catch him, with the consistent Tripcony finishing third.
The next meeting is on Saturday, May 7 and will feature Wingless Sprints, the Jordy Davis-Ewart Memorial, Juniors, Standards and Formula 500s.
