Sport
14 February, 2023
Marco wins Podger Memorial
STAN Marco Junior has added his name to the illustrious list of winners of the Trevor Podger Memorial for super rods.
STAN Marco Junior has added his name to the illustrious list of winners of the Trevor Podger Memorial for super rods.
HeytesburyStockfeeds Simpson Speedway came alive last Saturday night for an action-packed program.
From position two, Marco lead all 25 laps of the feature race despite pole-sitter and current Victorian champion Jacob Pitcher’s best efforts to gain the lead throughout.
For much of the journey it was a battle of the front pair, while 2018 Podger winner Michael Coad made steady progress from a state position of ninth.
Allan Pitcher, Jamie May and Peter Duynhoven were also strong and climbed to challenge from mid-pack.
The course of the race took a dramatic change on lap 14 when Pitcher’s desperate effort saw him succumb to a tractor tyre as he raced hard into turn one.
His race was immediately over; forced out with severe front-end damage.
Coad was then in second place, followed by Allan Pitcher, May, Duynhoven, Jason Poustie and Bailey Proctor.
Spurred on by his big fan base at the track, Marco Junior led home Coad, Pitcher, May, Duynhoven, Poustie and Proctor.
Ballarat’s Sam Wren became a two-time winner of the Front Row Challenge for wingless sprints with a solid display of front-row driving.
The 15th version of the 25-lap Challenge was all Wren’s after being gifted a front row start which saw the sprintcar regular gain pole position when point-scorer Mick Rigby ‘took the challenge’ and went to the rear, taking a selection of five other drivers with him.
Rigby managed to finish sixth but got as high as fourth before stripping a radius arm.
The first stoppage of the race occurred on lap 16 when multiple Challenge winner Luke Weel careened into the turn four wall with a broken rear axle.
Just two laps later Mitchell Glynn took a hard roll in turn two and joined other retirees on the infield Michael McDonald, Matthew Symons, Aron Lawrence, Hayden Clifford and Brayden McKay.
Kim-loong Gosling drove superbly to finish fourth after starting 12th while Cobden’s Blake Walsh showed good form to climb om 15th to fifth in what was his best drive of the season.
Wren drove a faultless race and the win adds to his 2015 Challenge victory as he defeated Christopher Halesworth who trailed the leader the whole way, with Nick Ryan in third.
The fifth round of the Dutton One Southern Speedcar Tour was an all-the-way win to Melbourne’s Nick Parker.
With just five cars taking the green flag for the 12-lap feature from an original six cars entered, it was Justin McMinn who led the opening lap until Parker got by and took the flag.
Parker set a new 12-lap record of 2.52.464, winning easily from McMinn and Ashley Booker, followed by Zoe Pearce and Jack Day.
Twenty-four cars put on some hard and fast action in round five of the Dirt X Industries VSC Sports Sedan power series.
After their two rounds of qualifying heats, winners were Russell Smith, Rhys Meakins, Brendan Miller and Josh Service.
Unfortunately that was the end of their racing as a quick burst of rain saw the program end around 10pm.
Organisers were forced to abandon the final event and all prize money and series points for the sports sedans from the feature will be split evenly between the drivers.
The next race meeting at Simpson will be the annual Green Night in support of the Gillin Boys Foundation for Muscular Dystrophy awareness on March 11.
All those at the track are encouraged to wear green for the night.
The Victorian Pro Sprint title will headline the action with Formula 500s and junior formula 500s also on the card.
