Chace Karpenko scored a dominant and emotion-charged victory in the annual Pope 65 Bob Ekins Memorial at Darwin’s Northline Speedway on Saturday night.

Pole-sitter Karpenko led the 30-lap feature race from start to finish to score a solid win, after getting the jump on fellow local Ben Atkinson, who had opted to start from the outside of the front row.

“I got the jump on Benny off the start,” commented the NT # 21 Bridge Toyota backed Maxim driver.

“When I got through the first lap, I knew that if I kept my nose in front, no one was going to catch me. The car was on rails, and full credit must go to my hard-working team for giving such a great car, because without them, it wouldn’t have been possible.”

It was an emotionally-charged victory for Karpenko, who dedicated the win to his late father, Ivan, on what would have been his 64th birthday.

“I was racing for my dad on the night,” the 30-year-old racer expressed.

“I’ve been thinking about this race for a few weeks now and it means a lot to me to come out on top, and it’s a great way to honour his memory, because he was a massive supporter of my speedway racing and also introduced me to Bob Ekins 20 years ago.”

Contesting the Darwin Title the previous night, which doubled as the Chariots of Thunder opener, Karpenko showed similar pace, scoring a second and third in both of his heat races, and it qualified him in third place for the 25-lap feature race. Unfortunately, Karpenko’s Darwin Title run was ended prematurely after debris on the track cut down the right-rear tyre which forced him to retire from the race.

Karpenko is looking forward to returning to Northline Speedway this Friday and Saturday night to continue his Chariots of Thunder Series campaign and contest the Northern Territory Title over two huge nights of racing, where he’s sure to put up a fight for the top honours.

Karpenko would like to thank his 2016 season supporters: Bridge Toyota, Maley’s Solicitors, Tint-A-Car Darwin, Lubrimaxx, Autosmart NT, NT Motorcycle Centre, Coonawarra Panel Works, Toyota Access, H&R Block Tax Accountants, MAF (Mick’s Ally Fab), Opposite Lock Darwin, and Sign City.

To find out more about Karpenko, LIKE him on Facebook by searching Chace Karpenko Racing.