Sportsman winners at The Bend
In addition to the big titles, there were 12 Christmas Tree on offer in the NDRC Aeroflow National Sportsman Championship at The Bend.
In Competition Eliminator, Western Conference runner-up Matt Forbes got his weekend off to a great start by top qualifying before taking the event and title win over runner-up Peter Pisalidis in Sunday’s elimination round.
Forbes found his way to the final with a bye in the first round thanks to his top qualifier status from Saturday’s outing, before lining up against Pisalidis in the semi-final. Pisalidis meanwhile had gotten the better of Mitch Oxley in the first round to get to the final.
To add excitement to his win, Forbes also ran a new personal best in the final while resetting the bracket record.
“We had a sensational weekend. The organisation of the event was terrific, we top qualified, then while we had a couple of struggles with the car we were able to work around them and then it was just really strong – we ran a personal best in the final and we couldn’t be more pleased,” Forbes said.
“It was an amazing weekend between being the top qualifier, resetting the record and winning the event to claim the championship – it was just a dream weekend.
“Like anything, it is a team effort – the crew do all the work on the car; I actually sold the car a month ago, and the guy who purchased it came down from Queensland and crewed for me this weekend and is towing it back home now! The crew do all the work and I just do the easy job, they make it all happen for me, and I can’t thank them enough.
“What a great weekend it was. It was truly amazing. This is not one we will forget for a while; that is for sure!”
In Competition Bike, Ken Collin proved victorious over Chris Allen in the final elimination running of the day on Sunday.
Ken Collin. Image: Cackling Pipes photography
Collin’s journey to the final began in round one with a victory over Rob Church and a win over Jake Hamilton-Moderate in round two before enjoying a bye in round three.
Meanwhile, runner-up Chris Allen made it into the final thanks to a round one win over Jake Hamilton-Moderate and a bye in round two before a win over David Willis in round three. Top Qualifier Edge Mallis enjoyed a bye in round one and a win over David Willis in round two before being beaten in round three by Rob Church.
The championship win was a welcomed surprise for Collin, who was incredibly happy with the result.
“This feels really good,” Collin said.
“Especially to get that first NDRC Championship, I was really hoping for it, although I wasn’t expecting it!
“This is a combination of a few people’s effort to get me here – thank you to Mary, my wife of 45 years; Ken Peatey my engine builder with Rascal Race Engines; Blaze Hansen who spent the whole weekend remotely tuning the bike; and Dave Finlayson who accompanied me to The Bend and helped me as crew chief for the whole weekend.
“The track preparation was spot on all weekend, and I felt that the whole event was well organised and run smoothly, too – it was just great to participate in the Grand Final!”
In Junior Drag Bike, top qualifier and Yamaha rider Lillian Hagan took out the win over runner-up Lawrence Raschella in the final run.
Lillian Hagan. Image: Cackling Pipes Photography
To get to the final, Hagen enjoyed a bye in round one before a match-up in round two against Marcus MacDonald, ahead of another win in round three over Lucas Bergamin.
Raschella, meanwhile had taken wins over MacDonald and Bergamin in rounds one and two, before enjoying a bye in round three.
The win was a family effort for Hagan, who couldn’t be happier with the weekend’s result.
“It is pretty cool, especially being the first one (NDRC title), it is pretty good,” Hagan said.
“It was a pretty good weekend, I was feeling a bit iffy heading into the event as to whether we could do it (win the title), but we got there eventually.
“The whole family was very excited, dad has lost his voice! Thank you to them for all of their support, my crew, mum and dad and my little brother, and also all of our sponsors.”
In Junior Dragster, it was a battle of East meets West when winner and NSW racer Zayne Condello lined up against WA’s Seth Jarvis in the final.
Zayne Condello
To get to the final, Condello took wins over James Barlow in round one, Cooper Plumber in round two, and Alex Rottenburry in round three after Rottenburry got the best of top qualifier Nixon Cannuli in round one.
Meanwhile, runner-up Seth Jarvis enjoyed wins over Lachlan Walker in round one, Todd Wagner in round two, and Taylor Horton in round three to get to the final.
The win saw a life-long dream came to fruition for Condello, who has had a love of drag racing for as long as he can remember.
“I honestly don’t even know how to feel at this stage – this is genuinely a dream come true, it has been my main goal in life ever since I was a little boy,” Condello said.
“I have always looked up to all the previous national champions before me and to be a part of that list now, especially as the first NDRC Junior Dragster Champion, just means the world to me.
“The weekend was absolutely perfect. The car was on song all day, the car was doing its job, the driver was doing its job, I cut a triple-0 light, I was exactly where I wanted to be all weekend and I honestly couldn’t have asked for anything more.
“I would like to thank my grandfather and also the rest of my family – my grandma, my mum, my two sisters and my dad – as well as Fineline Motorsports, Scruffy, and everyone supporting me at home.
“I also want to send a very big and special thank you to my best mate, James Lowday, for helping me through my entire junior career and shaping me into the racer that I am today – without him I wouldn’t have even gotten a car to start with, so I want to say a very big thank you to him.”
In Modified Bike, Sean Ricketts took the win in his Kawasaki over top qualifier and runner-up Dean Jamieson on Sunday.
Sean Ricketts. Image: Cackling Pipes Photography
Ricketts got to the final with wins over Johnny ‘Hog’ Ireland In round one and Cheryl ‘Ms Vrod’ Beddoes in round two.
Jamieson meanwhile got the better of Matthew Yard in round one before enjoying a bye In round two to get to the final.
Ricketts was ecstatic with his win and won’t forget this weekend for a long time.
“I am feeling really good about the championship,” Ricketts said.
“It was a great event, as a sportsman racer I felt really well looked after and that was really good. It was a well-run event and the track was top class, the prep was just outstanding. I was really happy with the officialdom; it was all positive and I was really happy with the event as a whole.
“We went into the event with a really strong mindset that we couldn’t take anyone lightly as there were six pretty good runners there.
“Dean Jamieson (runner-up) had a great season and really deserved to be on the top step but he just fell a bit short in the final. He is a really good guy, a friend of mine, and I have to say that is one of the best parts of doing these events – meeting people like Dean and the friendships that grow out of our racing.
“Every facet of this trip was enjoyable and the bike went fantastically, it was really consistent. I had to work out the start line a bit but then I was right and I was really pleased with my lights, which were probably the backbone of my success at the weekend.
“It is very satisfying to win the united championship, and I really like these Christmas Trees, they are very pretty!
“We are going home with some really good memories, that is for sure.”
In Modified, dragster racers Cory Dyson and Daniel ‘BatDan’ Carranza faced off in the final run on Sunday, where Dyson ultimately triumphed.
Cory Dyson. Image: Cackling Pipes Photography
In round one, Dyson had dispatched Fiona Crisp before a win over top qualifier Simon Barlow in round two to get to the final match-up against Carranza.
Meanwhile, Carranza had beaten Derek Willis in round one and Kenny Stewart in round two on his way to the final.
The victory saw a childhood dream come true for Dyson, with all of the hard work and determination over the years paying off in the form of an NDRC Christmas Tree.
“This is a bit of a dream come true,” Dyson said.
“Being a champion is something I have been dreaming about and wanting since I was a child and since I started drag racing.
“To be able to race against some of the greatest in the sport in Modified and also be alongside all the other classes in the same boat as them was very humbling.
“I can’t thank my family and sponsors enough for all of their support, and also I want to say thank you to NDRC and Aeroflow for making it all happen.
“To win the first Championship, they have held and the first under the new united banner has been fantastic and I am still trying to soak it all in – to be honest it doesn’t feel real yet!”
In Supercharged Outlaws, Mike Evans took the victory in the final run of the day with a solo victory after Hunt was unable to traverse the race track.
Mike Evans
To get to the final, Evans took wins over Dale Tucker in round one and Bob Sherry in round two. Meanwhile, Mark Hunt had got the best of top qualifier Davydd Estcourt in round one before enjoying a bye in round two on his way to the final match-up.
Evans overcame a few niggling issues early on to come out on top, but all of the hard work and perseverance paid off in spades when he lifted the Christmas Tree at the end.
“It still hasn’t really sunk in yet that I have won the national title.
“We had the gearbox out of it first thing on Saturday morning, and then when we headed out for a test run early in the day and we had no air in the bottle! So, it wasn’t a great start, but on the second run Saturday we got down there pretty well and from there, things were much better.
“I have been fighting this car for five years to get it down the track – anyone that has one of these blown cars knows what I am talking about – but we managed to pick a number and it repeated and the driver didn’t stuff up, and it all came together!”
In Super Gas, Rob Bergamin took it all the way to the end with a win over runner-up Colin Griffin.
Robert Bergamin
As top qualifier, Bergamin enjoyed a bye in round one before a win over Warren Bull in round two to set up the final showdown against Griffin.
Griffin, meanwhile, took a round one win over Des Woolstencroft before enjoying a bye in round two.
After a few struggles with his 1969 VF Hardtop this year, Bergamin was over the moon to take out the 2023/2024 championship title.
“This is absolutely fabulous,” Bergamin said.
“I am so over the moon. I won the 2022/2023 championship (ANDRA series) and I wanted so badly to win this one.
“I started the season winning two meetings and taking home two Silver Trees, but then mid-season, I slipped back a little bit and had some struggles with the car, but I changed a few things to get it back to where it was, and I got hungry again, and it worked out for me. I am really happy.”
In Super Sedan, the size of the field called for four rounds of eliminations on Sunday, with Sean Maher ultimately proving victorious over Chris Lioulios.
Sean Maher
Maher found his way to the final by dispatching Ace Edwards in round one and winning over top qualifier Tony Miskelly in round two before enjoying a bye in round three.
Meanwhile, runner-up Lioulios won against Patrick Barron (round one), Robert Kardum (round two), and Martin Micro (round three) to secure a place in the final.
Maher was incredibly pleased with the national championship format and was proud to line up against the best racers in the country to take home the win.
“It is safe to say I am pretty stoked! It is still sinking in,” Maher said.
“We were so excited heading into the weekend. I supported (the championship) because I wanted a true national series to see how well I could go against everyone if you know what I mean.
“Everyone that was there at the weekend had to qualify so you knew there was no easy rounds, and if you won it, you deserved it. It was really hard-fought, and to come out on top, I am pretty stoked! I am still buzzing!”
In Super Stock, Top Qualifier Steve Norman took it all the way to the end with a win over runner-up Kim Fardella.
Steve Norman
Steve found his way to the final with a win over Darren Gay in round one before the final round matchup with Kim in round two. Kim, meanwhile, got to the final with a win over Leigh Donaldson in round one.
“It was a really good event and it was good to win the inaugural NDRC championship, that is for sure,” Norman said.
“We were definitely chasing it all year, and the car performed flawlessly.
“After the rain of Friday, the weather was absolutely magnificent across the weekend, you couldn’t have asked for better weather, it was absolutely beautiful.”
In Super Street, it was a final round match-up between Tex Griffiths and Andrew Waight to decide the winner, with Griffiths coming out on top.
Tex Griffiths
Griffiths got to the final with wins over Tony Antonino in round one and Top Qualifier Craig Warren in round three while enjoying a bye in round two.
Meanwhile, Waight defeated Brian Keane and Julian Semmler in rounds one and two before enjoying a bye in round three on the way to the final run.
With a fast car to play with over the weekend, Griffith’s efforts proved fruitful, leaving him ‘blown away’ by the final result.
“I am beyond chuffed; totally blown away,” Griffiths grinned.
“The weekend was pretty good, and I had some good luck in the first round as I made a terrible driver error, but I got through and I just took it and ran after that.
“The car was just screaming, it was absolutely hammering, the best it has been in a really long time! It was fantastic.”
In Top Sportsman, Paul Partridge proved victorious following four rounds of elimination racing on Sunday.
Paul Partridge
Partridge took the win over runner-up and Top Qualifier David Foster after finding his way to the final with a win over Enio Marrocco in round one and Cory Read in round two before enjoying a bye in round three.
Meanwhile, runner-up David Foster enjoyed a bye in round one before wins in round two over Leon Davies and Vlado Turic in round three to get to the final round.
With the win starting to sink in, Partridge reflected on his time as a Super Sedan racer and how special this weekend’s win truly is.
“It is slowly sinking in; I can’t believe that I won it!” Partridge said.
“I won a Super Sedan title in 2010, but since then this is our first one and the first with NDRC as well which makes it extra special with the new format.”
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