Speed demons battle for title

That hurt: Bob McCosker’s run in the Super Stocker heat one came to an end after a collision

CHRIS ISON CI--

SPEEDWAY: The battle was meant to be between Warren Johnson and Beau Saunders but veteran speedster Heath Simpson spoiled that particular party.

Saturday night at Rockhampton Showgrounds was party time for the Fender Benders as they battled it out for the Central Queensland title.

It is amazing what a little piece of wood with a driver’s name on it can do but all the vehicles in this division seemed to be racing faster and smarter than they have all season.

The Feature race was a classic battle between Simpson and Saunders with barely a car’s length between the pair for the whole 30 laps.

It was exciting stuff with the only disappointing aspect being that Johnson was not there to add to the spectacle.

Going into the evening’s racing Johnson was quietly confident he had the speed to see off the rest of the field, even though racers like Saunders had upgraded their vehicles.

However, in the heats Johnson struck trouble with his differential, forcing an end to his night’s racing.

That left Simpson, who started on pole, and Saunders to fight out the main battle while Steve Hogan and Brad Slattery also put in the occasional challenge for the leading position but kept the excitement rolling through the middle of the pack.

Following the first 15 laps the Fender Benders then raced clockwise around the track with Simpson starting at one and Saunders at two.

The young Saunders probed for a gap and about seven laps into the final half of the race cashed in on a Simpson error to take the lead.

It looked as if he could hold that position until he got into traffic and the wily Simpson blasted past him and never allowed him to get past again. Even with the chequered flag raised Saunders made a final challenge but Simpson had him covered to take the win with Steve Hogan third to finish.

Fender Bender fans love their racing and get behind the drivers cheering the winners and even offering support for drivers like Michael McCallum whose race ended dramatically as his car came to a halt with the cab full of smoke.

Unfortunately the Feature for the Super Street Sedans was spoilt by a lack of numbers. Only a small field had nominated and by the time the Feature was raced just three were still in action.

Chris Pendrey, who won the last time this division raced at Rockhampton, was again victorious but it was like a procession with a gap to Matt Thomas and then a further distance before Shane Howkins, who appeared to be having a few problems with his car, got home.

A report on the AMCAs and Super Stockers will appear in Wednesday’s The Morning Bulletin.