by Geoff Rounds
TASMANIAN Shaun Dobson produced a stunning highline pass to win the annual Sharp Cranes Sprintcar Gold Cup at Avalon Raceway on Boxing night.
The 21-year-old executed the move on lap six of the 30 lap A Main around the top of early race leader Brett Milburn who made Dobson earn the right to lead as the pair race wheel to wheel for one whole lap.
Dobson who came from the front row for the feature after a win and a fourth in his heats alongside Milburn, stayed in front after the jaw-dropping top-line move, and win from Milburn and a fast finishing Grant Anderson who came from position seven to grab third.
“It’s unbelievable to get the win after a tough start to the year,” Dobson said.
“We were told over our headsets that the race only had eight laps to go so I thought I better get a hurry-up. It was actually eight minutes to go, that’s when I thought I better try and get to the front now.”
Further back in the pack Anderson was cutting through the field and picking off positions quickly and with two laps to go got to second under eventual fourth-placed Stephen Bell who raced from 10th.
The meeting which was also doubled as round five of the Eureka Garages and Sheds was punctuated with a number of early rolls and damage to the catch fence, causing the late night.
Californian Geoff Ensign who was solid all evening just failed to finish the feature and retired with nine laps to go citing a lack of grip in his car after starting from third.
Series leader Jeremy Cross improved slightly from sixth to fifth grabbing fifth while Darren Mollenoyux would miss the podium altogether after superb wheel-to-wheel racing with Dobson early when he was caught in Adam King’s spin and rolled and was also out.
Both the B and C Mains were severely shortened after just two laps each due to the late time constraints while earlier in heat five Terang’s Jack Lee suffered severe fuel burns and was transferred to hospital.
Heat winners were: Jeremy Cross, Shaun Dobson, Stephen Bell, Rod Matthews, Darren Hickman, Rhiannon Burleigh, Liam Williams, Carl Ludeman, Grant Anderson, Mitch Foster.
The annual Christmas Cup for Modified Productions was won by Russell Bent who led the entire 15 laps from pole in another superb Ford Vs Holden battle.
Avalon Raceway’s next race meeting is on December 30 when it hosts round four of the World Series Sprintcars presented by Geelong Harley-Davidson.
Public gates will open at 3.30pm and racing is from 6.30pm.
Admission:
Adults $30
Child 12-16 $15
Child Under 12 Free
Website: www.avalonraceway.com
For more info contact Jeff Drew 0418 160 985 / Geoff Rounds 0413 024413.
