Darwin’s Roller Door Services NT Northline Speedway second race meeting of the 2016 season last Saturday night saw rookie Sprintcar driver Chris Harrison upset the field and charge to victory.

Having recently made the move from Speedway Karts into Open Sprintcars, Harrison, who has only one previous race meeting in an Open Sprintcar to his name, thrilled the crowd when he stole the lead from veteran racer and pole-sitter Troy David on lap eight of the 12-
lap feature race and went on to lead for the remainder of the distance.

A shocked David came home in second place, while Simon Spitzbarth managed to secure the final place on the podium, after he had started from position five.

Steven Ling and David Ling completed the finishers, while Keith Phelps managed to complete only one lap before being forced to retire from the feature race. Earlier in the night, all three heat-race wins were secured by David, while Harrison managed to come away with two second-place finishes and a fourth.

It was John Staynoff who proved his worth yet again in the Formula 500s, picking his way through the field after starting from fourth to take the lead from Boysie Bartholdt on the penultimate lap, just in time for the chequered flag. Bartholdt took second-place, ahead of
Gavin Jaenke, while Richard Cross was the only remaining finisher in fourth place.

Pole-sitter Hayden Brown was unable to improve on last meeting’s bad luck and again suffered a premature retirement, this time on lap eight. Scott Leonhardt was also unable to go the distance, retiring from the race on the opening lap, while Ellie Hills, Cori Jackson, and

Daniel White did not start the feature race. Heat-race wins were awarded to Staynoff and Brown (x 2).

After qualifying in pole position for the AMCA Nationals feature race, Dale Roberts led from start to finish, taking back-to-back wins at Northline Speedway, ahead of Jacob Belcher and Dave Munro in second and third respectively. After failing to start last meeting’s feature race, Brendan Kenna had a better night, qualifying in second; however, he was unable to hold on to his position and finished just off the podium in fourth. Remaining finishers were Maria Panasewyecz and Janet Belcher, while Jeffery Tiedeman retired from the race on the
second-last lap. Heat-race wins went the way of Jacob Belcher (x 2) and Roberts.

It was the Justin Brumfield show again in the Street Stocks, with the in-form driver cruising to victory seven seconds ahead of his competitors, after qualifying in pole position. Kevin Dries delivered a solid performance to take second place, ahead of Colin Menzies in third.

Remaining finishers were Scott Bradbury, Dean Jones, and Brendan Davison. Earlier in the night, the top-three feature-race finishers in Brumfield, Dries and Menzies kept this order for two of the heat races. The remaining heat-race win also went to Brumfield.

In the Junior Sedans, Nathan Downs managed to improve on last meeting’s third-place finish, seizing the win after a solid night of racing which saw him qualify in pole position.

Previous winner Isaiah Strong came home in second place, ahead of Zack Grimshaw in third. Daniel Dennis and Nicholas Dennis rounded out the top five, while Aleisha Grimshaw,

Lindsay Allwright, and Brodee Everett completed the finishers. Heat-race wins were awarded to Downs, Strong and Zack Grimshaw.

After last meeting saw him battling with the leader only to come away with second place, Darrin Uniacke managed to go one better, claiming the victory in the Speedway Karts feature race. Steve Driver was also able to improve on his previous third-place finish, coming away with second, ahead of Tim Fry in third. Completing the top five were Kirsty

Driver and Tristan Roulston, while remaining finishers were Yazmin Brown, Alison Fry, and Tony Brown. Heat-race wins went the way of Steve Driver, Kirsty Driver and Uniacke.

Northline Speedway’s next event will be held on the Saturday night of June 4, when the AMCA Nationals and Junior Sedans will contest their Darwin Titles. The program will also feature Wingless Sprints, Formula 500s, Street Stocks, and Speedway Karts.

For more information about Roller Door Services NT Northline Speedway, visit their website:

www.darwinspeedway.com.au. You can LIKE them on Facebook by searching Northline Speedway.