Track Champions Celebrated at Avalon Raceway
The 2024-25 Speedway season at the Place for Pace, Avalon Raceway came to an official close on Friday evening, with the venue conducting its annual presentation evening at the venues Australian Speedway Museum of Fame.
Recently appointed Speedway Operations Manager David Mills welcomed all of the teams, sponsors and dedicated volunteers and officials of Avalon Raceway, to kick off proceedings, before the first of the Track Champions was announced.
The strong attendance made for an entertaining night, with a majority of the season’s Track Champions along with many of the placegetters being provided the opportunity to personally thank everyone that assisted them in reach some lofty heights across the six racing divisions that competed for Track Championship honors.
A dominant season, from multi-time Track Champion Jamie Veal saw the Warrnambool native secure 1025 Doolan’s Heavy Haulage Spritncar Track Championship Points.
To highlight Jamie’s dominance this season, he was 515 points clear of his nearest rival, in a season that yielded Veal four feature race wins and a further two second placed finishes.
Whilst being an apology on the evening, Jamie provided a message for those in attendance, thanking his team and sponsors as well as Doolan’s Heavy Haulage, who were represented on the night by Maxi Coleridge, Camden Signage and Building Service and Transall Motors for providing the incentive for teams to continue supporting the Drew Family and Avalon Raceway in pursuit of the Track Championship.
In a popular result, Mount Gambier’s Glen Sutherland collected second place honors with 510 points while, somewhat fittingly, the Doolan’s Heavy Haulage back entry of popular Tasmanian young gun Tate Frost was credited with third on 460 points.
Tate’s Mum, Deb, deputized for him on the night and provided a great insight into Tate’s Racing program and in particular the pride the team take with it vast range of Merchandise and their mantra of making it attractive to the sports next generation of race fans.
Next up, Jamie Collins captured the Australian Racing Products sponsored Super Sedan Track Championship.
Jamie was rewarded for a strong season that yielded two second placed finishes in elite Super Sesan company at Avalon Raceway this season, as he went about collecting 400 track championship points.
Jamie’s runner up was the ever-popular Lionel West who finished the season, a mere 20 points adrift of the 2024-25 Track Champion, while Tyson Moon was rewarded for his team’s dedication in travelling to Avalon Raceway with a third place in the Super Sedan Track Championship.
The Super Rods were next on stage, with Jamie Making it a trio of Track Championships, having already been acknowledged as the Super Rods best at both Simpson Speedway and Premier Speedway, Warrnambool.
Jamie’s, Lupton Builders backed Track Championship victory was built on two A-Main victories, which were the backbone to his 510-point season.
With his daughter almost stealing the show, with a slight wardrobe malfunction, courtesy of her footwear, Shaun Walsh was the runner up to Jamie with 485 points with Bailey Pitcher finishing third on 425 points.
Shaun provided another of the evening’s highlights, when he took the opportunity to acknowledge and declare his admiration for the on-track exploits of the aforementioned Super Sedan Star, Lionel West, whom he had followed the racing exploits of since his childhood!
Garden City Wreckers were the sponsors of the Street Stocks 2024-25 Track Championship which saw Jensen Wilson join hosts Gavin White and Jake Morrell on the stage to collect his first-place bounty.
Wilson had a super consistent run each and every time he hit the track at Avalon Raceway rarely being outside of the top five, accumulating 390 along the way.
Chasing Wilson all the way were a pair of drivers, with a countback being needed to separate Michael Clark and Miller Throckmorton who both finished the season with 350 Track Championship points, with Clark getting the nod for second place, courtesy of having recorded a higher A-Main finishing position during the season.
With only 15 points separating the top three placegetters, the Superb Security Services Speedcar Track Championship went right to the wire with Caleb Mills securing the season long battle in the final A-Main of the season as a part of the Diggers Cup meeting during April.
With Mills locking away the Championship with 450 points, only five points adrift was Zoe Pearce in second, with the popular up and coming Star, only a mere ten points clear of third placed Glen Shaw.
The final Track Championship of the season saw the Max Fry Smash Repairs Modified Sedans Track Championship be claimed somewhat comfortably by Darren Cockerill with 485 points.
Darren’s season saw him stand on each step of the podium from his three starts, which was always going to be tough to trump, despite the efforts and talents of Stuey Robinson (370 points) in second and Ben Barker who captured a third place in the Track Championship courtesy of his 320 points.
With formalities complete, the evening provided a relaxed atmosphere for all in attendance to catch up for one last time in the 2024-25 season.
A huge thank you must go to Anthony and Deb Frost for their efforts in providing Tate’s T62 Sprintcar, so it could be on display for the evening. As always, the team at the Australian Speedway Museum of Fame presented the venue in fine style.
With the 2024-25 season now in the books, attention turns to preparations for what again promises to be another exciting season of Speedway action at Avalon Raceway, with the new season set to kick off in October, following the Annual Swap Meet, which will take place on Sunday August 24, 2025.
All competitors and race fans are urged to follow the Avalon Raceway Socials to stay abreast of all of our office season news as it breaks.
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