Bumper cup ends Drouin Speedway season

by Dean Thompson
A terrific crowd and a terrific day ended Drouin Speedway's season recently when fans came to see the standard saloon 'Eliminator Cup' and the demolition derby.
They did not leave disappointed, with a terrific victory to Gippslander Jack Yeomans on one of his two home tracks and, in a popular win amongst his competitors and fellow automotive industry colleagues, Matt Williams won the demolition derby.
Across six qualifying heats the action was tight as drivers set a target of a top eight feature race start to try to avoid early elimination in the cup.
Andrew Miles from Pakenham won the first heat race by just .441 of a second from Latrobe Valley driver Kane Gibson with Jack Yeomans from Moe third.
Andy Evans was more convincing in his first heat, winning by over four seconds ahead of Matt Leek and Owen Cecil from Poowong.
Cecil then won the next race as he defeated Yeomans and Miles and Jack Braz another from the Latrobe Valley was a winner in heat four in front of Bunyip's Jeff Blencowe and Leigh Gooding from Yinnar.
Leek, another from Pakenham, claimed victory in heat five from Cecil and Gibson and rounding out the qualifying was Yeomans winning heat six from Gooding and Blencowe.
Over 28 laps the Elimination Cup removes drivers at stages until a final eight drivers remain to do battle for the last portion of the race.
Yeomans, who has been in terrific form behind the wheel, qualified from the front with Cecil and Miles and Leek behind them.
Blencowe and Evans rounded out the top starters and from the green flag, Yeomans was on the move with Cecil behind.
Mark Sweet did not last more than four laps and was first to go before eliminations were due. Haiden Boyes, a rookie, and Kane Gibson also were out early.
At around the nine-lap stage Cecil passed Yeomans to take the lead and just four laps later Yeomans hit the front again.
At lap 16, due to elimination, Evans, Anthony Murray, Ashley Cormack, and Andrew Cormack had their race finished.
Jack Braz passed Aaron Cormack on lap 16 for seventh place and Leek, who had been passed by Blencowe on lap one, reversed positions with him on lap 17 for fourth.
Braz passed legend Gooding on lap 25 and a few laps later Yeomans sealed the win from Cecil, Miles, Leek, Blencowe, Braz, Gooding, and Aaron Cormack in the final eight.
Junior standard saloon competition attracted six youngsters to the pit paddock for the day's racing and Ella Sheedy began well when she made a pass late in heat race one to get by Cooper Joynson to take the lead.
Tom Braz finished in third, two thirds of a lap behind the front two, who crossed the finish line just .391 of a second apart.
Sheedy won heat two in much easier fashion from Cooper Joynson and rookie racer Ashton Joynson.
Making it a clean sweep in the heat races, Sheedy won a close one ahead of Braz in the third heat with Cooper Joynson in third.
In the final a great start from Cooper Joynson put him in front whilst Braz passed Sheedy early.
Braz and Sheedy battled each other, whilst Joynson had the front to himself.
Sheedy passed Braz again for second on lap five and the top three put a lap on the field.
Joynson went on to win from Sheedy, Braz, Ella Robertson, and Grace Evans to round out the top five.
In women's racing Bree Walker, one of the standouts of the women's season, began the day with a win in heat one by a huge margin before winning again in heat two and three.
Walker led every lap in the 10-lap final with Warragul woman Caroline Allen in second however setting a faster one lap time during the race as she fell .616 short of taking the win.
Maddison Miles from Catani was in third place with Tasharni Murray the only other to finish in fourth.
A huge crowd-pleasing demolition derby finished the day for the crowd with Pakenham man Matt Williams taking the win in an event he was not even going to start in before the day started.