By Dean Thompson
It was a packed schedule at Nyora Raceway on Saturday night.
More than 30 Junior Sedan competitors from around Australia arrived to do battle with Victorian racers as they set about trying to win the Speedway Sedans Victoria Junior title.
At the end of the evening it would be Australian champion and Queensland racer Aidan Rigby who would come out the victor.
Also, on the program, Bradley Hill from Drouin went on to take the win in the Miles Cup for Standard Saloons, whilst Michael Conway won the Compact Speedcars, and Lismore racer Harley Graham won the Mini Lightning Sprints Gold Cup series round.
In Junior Sedan action, 12 heat races prior to the feature event determined where racers would start in the title race final.
Bittern’s Kiarna Barton won the first race of the evening with Western Australia’s Hunter Downs winning the next race in the fastest heat race time of the evening.
Aidan Rigby started well with a win as did Jaiden Santin from New South Wales.
Logan Mair from Melbourne’s Southeast started round two as the first winner, followed by Kurtis Peall, whilst Linken Paterson closed out round two as a winner.
Jackson Kunny from Western Australia picked up a win in round three with River Paterson winning the closest finishing race by just .189 of a second.
Billy McDonald from Queensland and Donny Davis from Western Australia were also winners.
Poowong racer Harry Cecil won the last chance qualifier to get a state title start and AJ McDonald from Queensland, Blake Glynn and Maddi Capon also qualified for the title race.
As the green flag sent the 10 to 16-year-old boys and girls on their way it would be Rigby taking command at the front of the field from Davis early in the race whilst Paterson moved from eighth to fourth by lap two.
At the 10-lap mark, Rigby was leading, before Santin moved in front of Paterson by lap 20.
In the final portion of the race River Paterson entered the top five, as he got past Kunny, whilst Santin passed Paterson and then Davis to move into second.
Rigby greeted the chequered flag for the win, whilst Santin Paterson and younger brother River Paterson rounded out the top five.
Rigby set the fastest one lap time of the night for the Junior’s with a 17.541.
In Compact Speedcar racing, Trevor Perry, Australian champion Justin Paull and Michael Conway all took heat race wins.
Conway won his second feature in succession, following up a win at Swan Hill a few weeks ago, as he defeated Perry, Mitch Whiting, Tania Hallett and Chris Curren.
The Victorian Mini Lightning Sprints Club competed in round one of their Gold Cup Series which will take in three rounds this season around Victoria.
Harley Graham from Lismore proved too strong as he defeated his cousin Luke Graham and Heathcote race driver Ally Moore in the final.
The prestigious Miles Cup for Standard Saloons was another big event on the evening with Drouin-based racer Bradley Hill going back-to-back following last season’s victory in the race by defeating a stellar line-up that included reigning series champion Wayne Sheerman.
Across six heat qualifiers to determine the feature event field, Sheerman and Catani’s reputable Mark Miles won first-round heat races.
Hill and Warragul racer Kacey Ingram won in round two and Pakenham’s Andrew Miles, and Matt Leek won the final race.
In another terrific Standard Saloon feature event, Nyora club members would fill four of the top five placings.
Hill took his second Miles Cup in succession, a popular victor, with Sheerman second, Miles third, Shane Ardley in fourth and Ingram in fifth spot.
Nyora Raceway returns on 11 February with the 360ci engine-powered All-Star Sprintcar series and feature events for the Formula 500s senior and junior categories.
