By Daniel Powell
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CASTROL Lismore Speedway saw plenty of action last night - both on and off the track - but in the end, it was David Clark in the V8 Dirt Modifieds and Darren Brumpton in the RSA Four Cylinder Sedans who emerged as the big winners.
With a massive storm approaching the Castrol Lismore Speedway venue as afternoon and turning into night, it had the track promoters Kim and Mick Sauer pushing the race meeting through with the fabulous help of their team and the associations of the competing classes in order to win the race to beat the storm.
It turned out to be one of the most impressive wins of the night.
In the on-track action, the Castrol Lismore Speedway track has always been a favourite for Queensland-based V8 Dirt Modified driver David Clark, mainly due to the fact it was the venue of his one and only Australian Title win back in 2014.
Fast forward to last night, Clark showed the field a clean pair of heels during the third and final Mr Modified Series round, after he got to the lead early on and was never headed. Despite the best efforts of local and defending Mr Modified Series Champion Mark Robinson throughout the 25-lap event, he was unable to deny Clark of the win and had to settle for second.
Brayd Stephenson, who had one of the best nights in V8 Dirt Modifieds, completed the podium in third. Youngsters Seiton Connor Young and Ryley Smith rounded out the top-five finishes.
As a result of winning the final Mr Modified Series round, Clark was crowned the 2023-24 season overall points winner. The previous two rounds earlier in the season were forced to be cancelled due to wet weather.
Sticking with the successful Queensland driver theme on the night, it was Toowoomba- based driver Darren Brumpton who drove to NSW Title victory for the RSA Four Cylinder Sedans.
Up against a competitive field of drivers, Brumpton, who was the lone Queenslander in the NSW Title field, only took control of the lead in the latter stages of the NSW Title deciding feature race, but he was thrilled to come away with the NSW Title spoils.
Long-time leader Scott Lawler ended up greeting the chequered flag in second, while third place on the podium was filled by local youngster Jeremy Wade. Rated as one of the favourites heading into the NSW Title, Wade, along with the rest of the local challengers, were outpaced by the out of town drivers, but he was still happy to finish on the podium.
Finishing just off the podium in fourth and fifth place were fellow locals in Brodie King and Wally Rudder.
In the support class action, feature-race wins were shared between another two Queenslanders in Scott Thomsen (Wingless Sprints) and veteran Bruce Marshall (AMCA Nationals), while Jackson Bailey, from Nana Glen, picked up a win for the NSW drivers in the Junior Sedans.
For the Wingless Sprints, last night was only the second last occasion for the drivers to get laps around Castrol Lismore Speedway prior to next month's Australian Title at the venue.
Current Queensland Champion Thomsen proved too strong for his rivals and scored the win ahead of local and NSW Champion Jacob Jolley and Queenslander Lachie Robertson in second and third place respectively.
Marshall impressively defeated the Hardy duo of Matt and Russ in second and third place in what was his fifth feature-race win of the season in the AMCA Nationals. For Marshall, this was his first feature-race victory at Castrol Lismore Speedway in 20 years.
Jackson Bailey has been one of the form Junior Sedan drivers in northern NSW so far this season, and last night was just another example of this, when he scored the feature-race spoils by outpacing Indi Butcher and Brock Stubbs to the chequered flag.
The next race meeting at Castrol Lismore Speedway is going to be on March 16 with the headlining act being the return of the 410 Sprintcars, along with Wingless Sprints, Compact Speedcars and Junior Formula 500s as the support classes.
For more information about Castrol Lismore Speedway, visit www.lismorespeedway.com.au or follow their social media channels on Facebook and Instagram by searching Lismore Speedway.