President’s Trophies go to three different States at Gillman - March 2015

March 8, 2015 by Gillman Media

The annual President’s Trophy night lived up to the pre-meeting hype at Adelaide’s Gillman Speedway with an exciting and unpredictable night’s racing which resulted in wins to riders from three different States, and only one by a top scorer from the heats.

The first final to come to the tapes was for the Under 16 250cc Solos, between Dakota Ballantyne (SA), James Davies (Vic), Declan Knowles (WA) and Mitchell Grech (SA). After a disappointing start when he finished third behind Davies and Knowles in heat 1, Ballantyne won his remaining rides to top score in the heats with 10 points. Davies was next on 8 points from his first three rides followed by an infield exclusion in a thrilling final heat with Ballantyne, Knowles scored 7 from three rides with a retirement while leading his third ride, and Grech scored 6 from three rides and a bad crash. Grech clipped Davies’ back wheel towards the end of the first lap in the last heat, high-sided and somersaulted across the track into the safety fence but he bravely took his place in the final. Based on their heat form, Ballantyne and Davies looked the best bet for the final, but surprisingly it was Knowles who not only took the early lead but extended it further and further as the race went on for a comfortable win from Ballantyne and Grech, with Davies a non-finisher after falling on the first lap.

The 500cc Solo Final was next and the four pre-meeting favourites, Arlo Bugeja, Brodie Waters (Vic), Robert Medson and Cooper Riordan (Vic), made the final. Defending champion Bugeja looked to be the form rider after the opening heats when he withstood a strong challenge from Waters to win the second heat in the fastest time of the night, while Medson also looked the goods with a very easy win over Riordan in heat one, but from that point the local riders had to play second fiddle to the two Mildura riders. Waters won his remaining three rides to top score with 11 and Riordan was only beaten by Waters (twice) to finish with 9. Bugeja also scored 9, while Medson scored 7 and had to qualify via the last chance semi-final. When Waters took the early lead in the final he looked the likely winner, but 16-year-old Riordan put into practice some of the passing skills he’d used to win the handicap races from the back mark at the previous meeting, to pass Waters on the second lap and he went on to win, albeit by the narrowest of margins as Waters drew level with him on the race to the line. Medson finished third and Bugeja fourth.

The Sidecar final was the only final won by a home-state rider and the (equal) top scorer from the heats, the Riverland’s Arron and Teagan Hartwig. The Hartwigs and Shane Rudloff/Damian Egan were equal top scorers in the heats with 11 from a possible 12. Rudloff was beaten by Hartwig in heat six, while Hartwig dropped his only point in the final heat to a fired-up Jason Hardy/Adam Pascoe. The other direct qualifiers were Ron Parker/Jarred Edey with 10 points. Daniel Puddy/Luke Puddy (8) had to go via the semi-final after a last heat exclusion for running off the track. In the wild flurry for positions at the start of the final it was Parker who took the lead down the back straight but it was short lived as Hartwig pushed him out in turn three and was never challenged from the point. Parker, Rudloff and Puddy had their own skirmish for the minor places which went to Parker and Puddy with Rudloff excluded from second place for going infield.

As expected in the supporting Quad races, Mel Brandle went through the card unbeaten (12 points),while Roger Koop (8) and Nick Correll (7) finished second and third after some close racing amongst the other riders.

Brayden McGuinness dominated the 125cc junior Solo races.