Sportsman’s fly at Winternationals

The Aeroflow National Sportsman Championship saw its Eastern Conference come to an exciting close at Willowbank Raceway at last weekend’s Winternationals.

Dean Jamieson was pleased to secure his second Modified Bikes conference win this year at the weekend, with the Suzuki Hayabusa racer also taking out the Western Conference titles at the Riverbend Nationals in April.

Jamieson secured the Eastern Conference win over runner-up Nick Thompson, and also took a round one win against Phil White during the weekend’s racing, even though Eric Redman knocked him out in round two. Thompson’s conference and event hopes were also dashed in round two, being knocked out by eventual Winternats event winner, Brain Alvisio.

Alvisio made it all the way through to the final with a third round win over Bryan Shepard and round four win over Top Qualifier Alan Annis Jr, before the Kawasaki racer dispatched Dale Marshall in the final.

Marshall had secured his finals berth by taking victories from Alex Redman (round one), Sean Ricketts (round two) and Eric Redman (semis).

“I am pretty happy with myself because we have now won the Western and the Eastern Conference. The event was well worth the 22 hour drive from where I live. It was pretty tight there with only one round of racing between Nick and Cheryl (Beddoes) and I,” Jamieson said.

Dean Jamieson smokes it up at Willowbank. Image: Cackling Pipes Photography

“It was my first time at Willowbank Raceway. It is an amazing track, a really nice spot, especially when the sun is setting over the top.”

It was a case of winner-takes-all for Craig Collis at the Gulf Western Oil Winternationals, with the Queenslander taking home both the Eastern Conference win and the Winternats Gold Christmas Tree in Real Street.

Collis made his way to the event final with wins over Steven Warren (round one) and Cooper Leahy (round two) before enjoying a bye in the semi-final ahead of besting Top Qualifier Paul Neilson in the final.

Neilson meanwhile made it all the way to the final with a round one win over Robert Mcburnie, a bye in round two, and another win in the semis over Dean Merchant.

“This is basically a dream come true for me,” Collis said.

“I have been an official at Willowbank Raceway for 34 years so have been involved in drag racing all that time, so for me, it is a massive dream.

“My father in law John Clarke has Gold Christmas Trees, he won Super Sedan titles, and my mother in law (Wendy Clarke) and John basically helped to build Willowbank, being among those who mortgaged their houses and were part of the build, and my wife has been there since she was 16 years of age too. So, this is just unreal for us.”

Despite a round one knock-out on a red light at the weekend, Zayne Condello was pleased to take home the Eastern Conference win and also the runner-up honours from the delayed Gulf Western Oil Nitro Champs Junior Dragster final during the Winternationals weekend, which was run during Thursday’s qualifying, with Nixon Cannuli taking that victory.

Zayne Condello and Savanna Condello. Image: Cackling Pipes Photography

Condello had a nail-biting wait to see if he would have enough points to take home the title however, with his sister Savanna Condello in the box seat to take it from him if she was able to advance past the third round, where she lost to eventual event runner-up, Vanz Peirano after having eliminated Top Qualifier Shavaun Harvey in round one.

Peirano went head to head with Carlos Harvey in the final, who taking out the event win following earlier victories over Tamika Karslake in round one, Charlotte Liefting in round two, and Charli Nurzenski in round three before a bye in round four.

“It is a dream come true (to win the Eastern conference),” Condello said.

“I have always wanted to win a series, it has always been on my bucket list to tick off, and I was finally able to do that at the Winternationals at the weekend.

“If my sister had won the round she lost in, she would have taken it off me, so it was very close and definitely a nail biter at the end there!”

Adam Jordan made it to round two of the Gulf Western Oil Winternationals on his way to claiming the Junior Drag Bike Eastern Conference win.

He had started the weekend’s racing strong with a win over Scarlett Mansfield-French in round one, but eventual Winternats runner-up Jaidyn Schofield got the win in round two when Jordan hung a cherry on the tree.

Earlier in the weekend, Jordan had also claimed the runner-up honours in the delayed Gulf Western Oil Nitro Champs Junior Drag Bike final, which was held during Thursday’s qualifying, with that win going to Lowday.

“I feel great! It was really surprising to me to be the Eastern Conference winner; it is great to see all my work and travelling pay off. I was very excited to find out I had claimed it, and I very much enjoyed the racing. The Winternationals was a great experience also and I really enjoyed it,” Jordan said.

Super Street’s Luke ‘Tex’ Griffiths was unbeatable coming into the Winternats weekend, with a comfortable margin over Eastern Conference runner-up Andrew Waight, who wasn’t in attendance this weekend. 

Tex Griffiths continued his impressive Super Street form. Image: Cackling Pipes Photography

While the conference titles were locked away coming into the Gulf Western Oil Winternationals, there was still plenty to play for with Winternats glory on the line. However, Griffths’s event hopes were dashed in round two by Timothy Welsh-Pledge.

The event glory instead went to Josh Fletcher, who booked his ticket to the final with victory over Matt Francis in round one, William Keogh in round two, Shawn Taskis in round three, and Tony Harrington – who defeated Top Qualifier Ray Ross in round one – in the semis before he bested Craig Warren in the final.

“I am pretty darn chuffed to be honest!” Griffiths said.

“It is like one of those goals that you have but you don’t really want to put it out there, it is like a secret goal, and you want to get there, but you don’t want to put your hand up and say you are chasing it.

“The NDRC is a fabulous thing, and I am really looking forward to The Bend in October and seeing how that all shakes out!”

It was a tight Top Sportsman championship race coming to the Gulf Western Oil Winternationals, with just 2.5 points separating Daniel Morris in first and Tony Whyatt in second ahead of the event.

Daniel Morris puts the foot down. Image: Cackling Pipes Photography

With Whyatt knocked out in round two against David Gauldie and Morris making it through to the semis with wins over Elio Quintieri, Craig Chapman, and Enio Marrocco in rounds one, two and three, Morris’ Eastern Conference title was confirmed.

Morris’ event hopes would go on to be dashed, however, when he was taken out of the running by Top Qualifier and Winternats event runner up, Neil Maxwell in round four.

Maxwell lined up against Paul Doeblien in the final, where the local racer would go on to claim the Winternats win.

“I am pretty pleased!” Morris grinned. “Being the inaugural season of the NDRC it was pretty special to win the first Eastern Conference, I am very happy with that.”

Super Sedan Eastern Conference winner Sean Maher came into the Gulf Western Oil Winternationals sitting on the points cap, with eventual second-placegetter Daniel List sitting in fourth.

While the New South Wales racer would go on to confirm the Eastern Conference title, his hopes for an event win were crushed in a round two match-up against Dennis Ryan after taking a round one win from Chevy Taylor.

Likewise, List wasn’t able to make it past round two, where he lost to Parry Georgis, after taking the win from Mitchell Bauer in round one.

Winternats winner Victor Tsatlogianis found his way to the final with wins over Shuan Doeblien in round one, Paul Dilley in round two, Leo Georgis in round three and Nathan Cowie in round four before lining up against event runner-up, Patrick Barron for the final.

“I am pretty stoked, I am still buzzing,” Maher said.

“Especially with the amount of travelling we have been doing, it has been a hard slog but enjoyable and it feels pretty good, it is definitely very rewarding to pay off all that work.”

Lucas Holz made it to the Winternationals final. Image: Cackling Pipes Photography

Modified Eastern Conference winner, Cory Dyson, and runner up, Daniel Carranza were both on the points cap coming into the Gulf Western Oil Winternationals.

Dyson made it through to round three – after a championship deciding win over Carranza in the opening round and a bye in round two – where the Winternats event runner up, Andrew Pinkstone, would take the win over the conference title winner.

Before lining up against Lucas Holz in the final, Pinkstone also took wins over Rod Williams, Stephan Gouws and Brett Farnell (rounds one, two and four).

However, it would be Holz who would go all the way to claim the Winternats event victory, with the local racer successfully taking on Phil Bellert in round one, Gavin List in round two, Abbey Kay Mcdonald in round three, and Monique Ambruosi in round four.

Images: Cackling Pipes Photography

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