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LMRA BUNBURY, Western Australia (December 26) - The weather might have been scorching but that didn't diminish the quality of racing supplied by the Late Model Racing Australia drivers as they produced one hell of a show at Coates Hire Bunbury Speedway on Boxing night, 2010. With visiting drivers Jeep Van Wormer from the USA and Ross Nicastri from New South Wales, the locals knew it wouldn't be easy.
It started from the drop of the first green flag as current points leader before this round of the R2C Competition Filters Pro Dirt Series Craig Vosbergen in his Ductworks/WCM/Valvoline #8 Rocket showed he meant business as he powered away to a strong lead over the rest of the eleven car field in the opening heat.
Jamie Oldfield (Ultratune Morley/Carahaul #51 Rocket) and Van Wormer (Bayline Fire/Globe Technologies #55 Masterbuilt) from ROF were the two big movers through the field until Van Wormer came in to contact with Jay Cardy in the BBT Steel/TL Dozing #52 Cardy Chassis and brought on the yellows with just two laps to go.
This brought Oldfield on to the tail of Vosbergen but it put no pressure on the driver of the #8, as he drove away for a win over Oldfield, Van Wormer, Michael Holmes (OzMine/ Holmes & Associates #91 Rocket) and Lee Watt in the GT Brake & Clutch #10 Rayburn rounding out the top five.
Heat 1B proved once again that when the best start from the front they are hard to stop. Brad Blake turned it on in his Blake Auto Centre #0 Rocket as the rest of the field battled hard behind him. Mark Matthews made plenty of moves early in the RACIN Tyres & Accessories/Tilco Engineering #30 as local Mick Hamon (ACDC Welding/Valvoline #57 Rocket) started a run towards the front in the closing laps.
Hamon closed in on second placed Ross Nicastri and a good battle ensued as the laps run down. Blake would take the win over team mate for the weekend Nicastri, Hamon, Matthews and the ever improving Jeremy Hale (Western Process controls/Trailstar Caravans #77 GRT).
Van Wormer bolted to the lead as fellow front row starter Clint Noakes spun to the infield in the Diverse Directional Drilling/Caltex Energy Narrogin #23 Rocket, as Blake once again showed his class as he powered through the field. A big crash at mid-race distance saw Peter Seton collecting the wall in the Professional Interiors #65 Intimidator, bringing on the reds and ending his night.
This gave the 'O Show' the opportunity he desired and in successive laps moved from third to first in two brilliant moves coming out of turn two, and took the win over the fast closing Van Wormer, with Cardy claiming third over a very good drive by Matt Nylander (Cars-WA/True Core Pilates #34 AJN Chassis) and Jason Moyle in the family supported Moyle Engines/Valvoline #6 Rayburn.
An uncharacteristic spin by Jamie Oldfield almost brought the field undone at the start of heat 2B, and was sent ROF for his misjudgement. Mat Goodlad (Diversified Contracting/JRH Signs #18 Rocket) took a hold of the lead at the second restart and never relinquished it as he powered to a fine win, as Ben Ludlow (DiCandilo Steel City/Lucas Oils #9 GRT), Vosbergen and Hamon put in a brilliant battle to fight it out for second place.
Veteran Ludlow crossed the line in second with Vosbergen and Hamon finishing on his rear bumper. Vosbergen was then relegated two spots to fifth, giving Hamon third and the fast finishing Oldfield claiming fourth.
The top six dash showed how good Blake is around his home track, even with the pressure of fellow front row starter Vosbergen on the outside line early. Vosbergen then had to contend with American Van Wormer heading to the top line but not being able to make it work. In the end Blake won the right to start from pole over Vosbergen, Van Wormer, Oldfield, Hamon and Goodlad.
As the teams lined up for their first start it turned into some 'good' bad luck for Mick Hamon as his left rear tyre decided to part ways with his #57 Rocket. "It could have been a lot worse" he said "it could of happened in turn one under green!"
For Blake it was a case of survival once the twenty five lap final got underway as restart after restart the pressure was applied on him, at first by Vosbergen and then after mid race distance Van Wormer as Vosbergen suffered mechanical problems and pulled infield, joined by the likes of Ben Ludlow, Matt Noakes, Nicastri and others as the race became to fierce for some.
Behind the two warriors battling it out in front, the likes of Cardy, Goodlad, the Clint Noakes, Nylander and Watt swapped places many times over the duration. Some would fall by the wayside as the pressure of running on the tough Bunbury bullring caused some to falter by the time the chequered flag fell.
But it was the battle at the front that had everyone enthralled as Van Wormer closed in on Blake as the laps wound down. With the handling going away on the #0 machine Van Wormer gave it one last shot as they went through turns three and four for the final time. Blake was tapped in the left rear corner, but fortunately it didn't ruin the result, as he held on to take the win over the visiting American.
Following Van Wormer home were, Oldfield, Goodlad (after a car bending crash in hot laps), Cardy, Holmes, Watt, Jason Oldfield in the Litchfield Motorsports #69 Rocket, Clint Noakes and Bryn Haythornthwaite rounding out the finishers in the Alan Nylander owned Striking Signs #54.
Third placed Jamie Oldfield was happy with where he finished in his sick sounding racecar. "Yea I struggled a bit. There was something wrong with the carbie, I don't know what it is, it was flooding plus it was misfiring all night. But the car was working well and we were moving forward."
Van Wormer talked highly about Blake and that last corner 'touch up'. "We got next to him on the one lap, and we could of pushed the issue. The carburettor was missing a little bit and I thought we could get next to him and (the last corner) it didn't work out. He's a fierce competitor, tough to beat and I'm thankful we got to run second and had a good run."
Blake naturally had a smile like the proverbial Cheshire Cat as this was his first win of the summer. "We were a bit loose at the end of the race and that's where Jeep was able to get to us, but I had a real good car at the start of the race and I wasn't banking on so many restarts so that's why we were a bit off at the end. So I held my line, kept it tight and if anyone knows their way around Bunbury, I do."
It made it special to take the win at home against someone like Van Wormer. "Definitely special to win it here, I knew if I was going to break the monkey's back (first win) it would be here at Bunbury. Jeep's top five in the world, he's no slouch and I knew I had my job cut out. But to our credit we had a good car and I had the race face on for a change too."
It will only be a short break for the stars of the LMRA, as they prepare themselves for the first meeting of the New Year when they race at the super quick, super exciting Manjimup circuit, January 2, 2011.
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