Nagambie Speedway’s first meeting of the season doubled as the first round of the new Crash and Bash Association women’s club championships with a number of rounds ahead of them this season whilst the Open Crash and Bash Field (Predominantly guys) held their second race of the season won by Jake Young.

The Ladies competed three heat race events with Sharon Morrison leading the girls in the absence of local track top gun Danielle O’Brien who recently became a mum changing her plans for racing for this season.

Morrison in the offered and loaned Rob Disher owned second car got off to the best possible start when from the third row start she gradually moved forward until the last lap she took the lead from Bianca Brown who had a wonderful first race for the season showing much improved pace, the win margin was .402 of a second between Morrison to Brown with Lea Judd in third, Leanne Young the current Victorian champion, Bronwyn Miles, Bridgette Morgan, Erin Brown, Kelly Oliver and Tori Warren.

Morrison left it to the last lap of heat two to take victory also after again starting on the third row. This time it was Young who was the leader until Morrison got by her on the final lap to go on to win with Miles in third, Bianca Brown, Morgan, Erin Brown, Oliver and Warren. Young was fast and this was the fastest race of the day as she clocked a 30.808.

Bianca Brown made the charge early in the third heat race as she hit the lead passing Young on lap one to assume the lead and lead from start to finish. Young finished behind Brown with Miles, Warren, Morgan and Oliver rounding out the positions.

All that was left was to get through the big finale without Morrison and Erin Brown who had fuel issues starting. Morrison had issues in heat three when the starter ceased, then issues with the clutch cable and the air cleaner, Morrison elected to not start so that James Carden-David who was the competitor in the same car in Open Crash and Bash racing could continue in his next race.

Young led the final early with Bianca Brown behind her until lap six when Young’s race came to an end after hitting a pole line tyre leaving her with a bent tie rod. Brown inherited the lead of the twenty lap race and from there was never troubled as she drove away to a 10 second win from Judd who had overcome power steering issues and Miles who were both on the lead lap and then Warren, Morgan and Oliver.

It was Bianca’s first heat win and then feature win, she was just a little bit happy as we can tell from her after race speech. “I got to thank dad, the family, the other Ladies, all the Crash and Bash guys and girls, Nagambie and their volunteers and the Lord Jesus Christ."

A number of new and returning drivers in the Open Crash and Bash field competed in five heat races each before they filled the all in finale on the second day of the two day weekend.

On the Saturday, Richard Lewandowkisi was in and Mark Hebblethwaite was out in the 422 car and Lewandowski set about winning the first heat race by a couple of seconds over William Leeson, although Leeson was running the faster lap times. Andrew Corlett, Murray Lewis, Josh Mitchell, Daniel Williams, Zac Leeson and William George rounded out the field.

Adrian Brown in the second race had a huge win over Jason Judd, in the end the margin was ten seconds with Andrew Miles in a Ford Territory, yes a Ford Territory you read that right, Jake Young the Victorian Champion, Rob Bushel, James Carden-David and Anthony Segond rounding out the field.

The biggest heat race win of the weekend was up next with William Leeson winning by 16 seconds from Williams, once again Leeson was the fastest on track whilst Victoria number three ranked competitor Corlett finished in third.

The top three in the next heat were led by Young with a seven second margin over Judd and Victoria number two ranked driver Bushell.

Lewandowski picked up a second win in his third heat of the day with William Leeson second and Corlett third. Leeson and Corlett in particular were having strong runs up to this point on day one.

Zac Leeson got whacked hard by Williams and as a result broke the gearbox mount and both engine mounts which meant the engine moved nearly touching the thermos and putting Leeson out after day one.

Day two and with the Ladies racing finished, some of the drivers sharing a car were able to be a little more aggressive on track and that as a result brought a little more heat into the racing. Young zipped around with a lap time of 29.087 to finish ahead of Corlett and William Leeson in the first heat on day two whilst Shannon Mair took over from Adrian Brown and won by ten seconds over Lewandowski and Mitchell.

Bushell returned to the winners list when he won from Corlett and William Leeson in the second last heat of the weekend before Mair doubled up and won the last heat by almost ten seconds from Anthony Segond and Miles.

Murray Lewis lost oil pressure after heat five and he parked the car after a successful debut weekend and went out in the final as a passenger and Ron George had a broken power steering rack and the car gave up the ghost.

In the thirty lap final with Young and William Leeson at the front of the field, Lewandowski and Corlett on the second row and then Bushell and Williamson the next, things didn’t quite go according to plan with Young dropping back to fifth by lap four before making a barnstorming run back to the lead by lap six.

Carden-David had the lead when he moved forward from the fourth row into the lead by lap three. His race was over as quick as he got into this position and Lewandowski who led the first lap of the race started to drift back after being roughed up early, Leeson went backwards early in the race also with Young before recovering to third for a short period of time. Bushell was solid once he moved into second before the first ten laps were finished.

The gruelling thirty laps was made to look easy by Young as he started to pull out two seconds a lap over his competitors. Bushell and Corlett were still going and Lewandowski recovered into fourth place. When the chequered flag unfurled, Young had won from Bushell, Corlett, Lewandowski and Williams.

Mair broke an axle with a handful of laps to go whilst in third place, William Leeson who blew the radiator hose, Miles blew the differential, W George, Segond due to broken steering arms, Josh Mitchell, Carden-David who had found the concrete wall on the way out of the dog-leg and bent a rail and the steering and could no longer control the car, they were all non finishers.

The Crash and Bash Association thank sponsors for this season:
Ladies Crash and Bash Supporters:
Pakenham Towing
Longbeach Metal Polishing
Butcher Shop Hotel
Miles Mechanical
Trik Trailers
Pakenham Towing

Open Crash and Bash Supporters:
The Truck Doctor

Open Crash and Bash Association Supporters:
DNAirbrushing
Gully Tattoo
Random Panda Photography
Gooses Autos

Written by
Dean Thompson
DMT Sports Media
For Crash and Bash Association

Womens winner Bianca Brown (C) Random Panda Photography

Jake Young won yet again in the Open Crash and Bash field (C) Random Panda Photography