By Dean Thompson
ALEXANDRA and District Speedway Club began the 2016/’17 season with club category drivers battling for club points as they chase the possibility of being the class champion at the end of the season.
Alexandra local resident Luke Fallon was among the winners, along with Courtney Meakins for her first feature win in the National Junior Category and Nick Chrystie taking a hard-fought win in the Standard Saloon division.
Fallon had been a standout driver all evening.
After securing pole position, he was able to out drive the number two ranked driver in Victoria, Andrew Jordan, in the final.
There was lots going on behind the lead duo with Steve Kershaw, Dale Smith and, for a while, Shane Kruger in the top half of the field.
Kruger was deemed to have been tapped and spun in the final and trying to wash off speed Lisa McPherson had nowhere to go and crunched into Kruger, ending both their attack on the top five.
Rookie driver Matt Stampfli showed great skill as he stayed out of trouble and worked his way forward in the changing conditions of the race track.
However, as he made his way into the top five, Fallon stretched his lead over Jordan, eventually crossing the finish line three seconds ahead of Jordan then Kershaw a further 5 seconds from Healesville back, Stampfli, Smith, Danny Eastham, Matt Chiminello and Paul Allen.
With the Standard Saloon Victorian title at Alexandra in March when 60 cars are expected to fill the pit enclosure, local young gun Nick Chrystie was able to survive the challenges for the win.
A great stoush between Brendon Eames and Scott Angus soon ended, as Angus at full speed lost traction of the rear of the car and slammed into the concrete.
Amazingly, he continued on with a damaged car that later his father said will be a write-off.
Chrystie took the win over Poole, while Wangaratta club members Andrew Robl and Trevor Evans were next.
Darryl Joosten from the Corowa-based club, and Angus and Kenneth Mankey were another competitor from Wangaratta.
Pole position driver in the Junior Sedans, Kasey Garlick, led at the drop of the green in the final with Tim Gorski and a quick moving Courtney Meakins battling behind.
Meakins started at the back of the field and was in third in the first couple of laps while Garlick led the trio up to the back markers in the field in the first couple of laps.
Meakins passed Gorski and soon set about catching up to Garlick.
As the 10-lap heat ran down Meakins ran a high line and started to get closer to the leader.
On the very last lap, Garlick had to make a split second decision on how to deal with a backmarker and she hesitated and Meakins pounced and had the great speed out of turn four and clawed past Garlick at the line to win by .122 of a second.
In third place behind Meakins and Garlick in the Juniors was Tim Gorski, then the second of the Garlick sisters Jessel; then the second of the Gorski brothers Jeremy, Nick Cherry, was next ahead of Rhys Meakins and Sharlotte McPherson.
Lenny Bates was too good in the Street Stocks, winning all three heats and the final with Debbie Jones ad Lee Beach sharing the podium and the Ladies top three on points was Lisa McPherson, Alex Smith and Tegan Bullard.
Great racing from the juniors with four races from five going the distance without a stoppage, the same to for the Sports Sedans and three out of four races for the Standard Saloons.
Fastest drivers in each class for the day include Luke Fallon 20.019 in heat two, Allan Poole 23.104 in heat three, Lisa McPherson in the Ladies at 22.370 in heat two, Bates in Street Stocks 22.344 during heat two and Kasey Garlick in heat four of the Junior Sedans with a one lap time of 22.810.
Alexandra returns on 19 November, with the visiting Production Sedans slated in for a feature race.
