The Crash and Bash Association began their 18/19 season at Drouin Speedway with a healthy twenty plus car field in the first point score event for the season with plenty of entertainment, especially so with front row qualifiers Dale Morrison and Jake Young electing to start the feature event from the back of the field, with Morrison coming through the pack to take the victory in front of a large appreciative crowd.

Each competitor was afforded the opportunity to complete three qualifying races to determine their ‘War on Wheels’ thirty lap final starting position, a handful of drivers dominated the nine heats that were completed.

In the first heat Nick Hill looked fast out front of the field early. After getting turned sideways near the entry to the dog leg Hill got cleaned up good and proper by Cory Whiting in the right front wheel and that put Hill with the damaged front end into the infield. Jake Young went on to win from Richard Lewindowski and team mate Mark Hebblethwaite.

Dale Morrison won the second heat in the first round ahead of Beau Evans and William Leeson and his mate Tim Cole in the Kingswood Premier won the third race in front of Mark Haby and Danny Cox.

Morrison backed up his first round win with another in the first heat of round two defeating Jason Judd and Brad Warren with Cole also backing up a first round victory this time defeating Ian Lamb and Nathan Taylor in the second heat. In the final heat of round two, Jason McKendry took the win over Jake Young and Evans.

One of the bigger hits in the first two rounds was Danny Cox on Steve ‘Goose’ Young bringing out some passion amongst Goose’s supporters through the crowd who thought how could that dirty nasty scoundrel hit one of their hero’s so hard! Well that’s Crash and Bash for you.

Round three to close out the qualifying started with Haby winning ahead of Daniel Williams and Lewindowski in the first heat then Jake Young defeating Cox and Nathan Taylor in the second heat with McKendry closing out the qualifying with a win in the final heat ahead of Morrison and Steve Young.

Pakenham Towing and Mr Bruce Bullard put up $100 dollars each if the top qualifier would start rear of the field in the feature and go on to win the event. Morrison and Jake Young drew equal on points after qualifying with Morrison running the fastest lap time during racing making him, the top qualifier. Once he accepted to go rear of the field, Young decided to do so also giving the crowd some extra excitement during the big race.

Thirty laps was ahead of the field in the final, for Cole his race would not go far at all as his fuel pump played up on the way through the gate onto the track putting his Kingswood in the bone yard early.

McKendry was quick out of the blocks as Young made the best start from the two from the rear quickly moving into mid pack of the field and then soon after into the top half dozen with Morrison by then in the middle of the field.

McKendry got hit in the dog leg section around about a third of the way through and as he continued on he missed the timing loop putting himself a lap down despite to the crowd looking like he was still out front of the field.

Caution periods gave stewards a chance to make a decision to try to give McKendry a lap back by moving him out of the front of the field and to the tail of the field. However he still did not cross the timing loop and that plan did not work, McKendry laughed about it after the event when he found out he still came in fifth place!

Young exited the race around the half waypoint whilst his old man Steve continued and put himself in the frame at the front of the race. Morrison took over the lead, Richard Lewindowski continued to circulate whilst the big hitters did not realise Lewindowski was actually a challenger for the win. Brad Warren who had the lead spent a lot of time in second and got whacked and back into the race was there abouts also.

When the race ended, Morrison took the win from Lewindowski, Steve Young, Warren and McKendry and Morrison sent the crowd home happy with a few donuts and a burnout on track.

During the race Danny Williams got t-boned and after the big hit could not push on the accelerator rendering his machine cactus, Anthony Segond lasted about six laps before retiring with a flat tyre and Jake Young snapped a tie rod adjuster in half and that curtailed his charge.

The Crash and Bash Association had a tremendous opening to the season with events to come each month through until May 2019.

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

The Winner Celebrates - Dale Morrison (C) Random Panda Photography

Neil Davey collects Jordy Smith (C) Random Panda Photography