“Firecracker 50 goes off with a bang” Download Your Own Version Here The second annual Firecracker 50, that ran in conjunction with Round 2 of the Kart World Belmont Pro Dirt Series, was held at Northam Motorsports Park last Saturday night (December 1). From the original 20 car field that nominated the Dirt Late Models lost Ryan Halliday, who had transporter mechanical problems on the way to the venue, Bert Vosbergen, whose car was not ready, and Mark Matthews, still working overseas. 16 cars filled the pits on a very windy and cold day in the Avon Valley. Engine starts and hot laps were first up on the Northam high banks and following some very wet days the track needed a lot of wheel packing. As hot laps got under way the #96 Warrior of “Racin” Jason Oldfield suffered mechanical problems forcing Jason to go back to the workshop in Midland and grab his second car, the ex Bert Vosbergen Rayburn. The Heats were up straight after the Sprintcars and the Heat 1 grid was “The 0 Show” Brad Blake shot out to an early lead closely followed by “Shorty” Ben Ludlow. This was a fast and exciting Heat with a slick move put on Ludlow by Matt “The Missile” Noakes in the #20 Rocket to move into second position. Finishing positions for Heat 1 - 0, 20, 9, 52, 41, 3, 28, DNF 71. Heat 2: Again the man on pole in Heat 2 shot out to a healthy lead. The #8 Rocket of “The Rocket Man” Craig Vosbergen proved that his stints in the USA on the slicker race tracks are paying dividends back here in Australia as he was never headed in this Heat. After a slight mishap the #15 Mastersbilt of “The Ultraflyer” Warren Oldfield was sent ROF for causing a restart. Oldfield weaved his way back through the field to finish second behind Vosbergen. Another very notable drive was from “Red Hot” Veronica McCann who was starting to show why she will be a force in Dirt Late Models. Finishing positions Heat 2 - 8, 15, 17, 27, 01, 14, DNF 23 Heat 3: Moving into round two Heats the grid draws became reverse grid from round 1. Out in front quickly was “Shorty” Ben Ludlow while back in the pack “Rookie of the Year” contender Matt “The Missile” Noakes was carving his way through the pack for an impressive second placing. Back in the field “The 0 Show” Brad Blake was coming from the rear on his way to third position. Finishing positions Heat 3 - 9, 20, 0, 52, 41, 71, 3, DNF 28 Heat 4: Probably the best Heat of the night to watch for a number of reasons : “Racin” Jason Oldfield after his trip back down Greenmount Hill had a front row start for this Heat and took full advantage of that, easily taking the lead and holding it. Back in the pack it was a Dirt Late Model freight train consisting of 7 cars for 10 laps, all nose to tail, and the driving in that bunch was a credit to them all. Finishing Positions Heat 4 - 96, 01, 15, 8, 23, 27, 14 With the long 50 laps ahead for all the drivers it was decided to drop the Dash and move straight into the main event. After a track manicure the 16 car starting line up was announced Firecracker 50 Lineup: This was going to be a race of patience, determination, and luck, and the driver who picked the right tyre combination would be the victor. “The 0 Show” Brad Blake jumped to an early lead followed closely by “Shorty” Ben Ludlow and “The Rocket Man” Craig Vosbergen. While the rest of the field settled into a groove the #41 of “Beautiful” Barry Blake slammed the turn 1 wall at high speed causing the first stoppage, and ending the #41’s night. On the restart the top 3 cars of Blake, Ludlow, and Vosbergen cleared out. On lap 11 the #71 of “Fast” Phil Richards was forced infield with fuel pressure problems that would end his Firecracker. Ludlow and Vosbergen were clearing away from the remainder of the field while Blake had a clear lead advantage over second and third. Back in the pack a few cars were suffering mechanical and tyre problems that would see the #28 of “The Green Machine” Rob MacGregor forced infield meaning his night would also be over. A few laps later the #20 of Matt “The Missile” Noakes lost his left rear wheel and made his way safely to the infield without any serious damage. Another restart with 22 to go and again Blake, Ludlow, and Vosbergen cleared the pack with the #15 Mastersbilt of “The Ultra flyer” Warren Oldfield and the #01 of “Red Hot Ronnie” McCann joining them to make it a 5 car lead bunch. Ludlow would challenge Blake for the lead with 17 to go only for “The 0 Show” to lift his momentum and starve off the Ludlow challenge. A few laps later the #8 of “The Rocket Man” Craig Vosbergen would get by Ludlow and set out after Blake. With 14 to go a nasty incident in turn 4 sent “Racin” Jason Oldfield high into the turn 4 catch fence. Oldfield rode the bonnet of the #23 of Clint Noakes and headed skyward, slamming the catch fence and landing on all 4 wheels facing the wrong way. I managed to be the first to Jason’s car to find him moving slowly. I called his name a few times, he then lifted his visor and looked me in the eyes and I could see he was ok. The #96 Rayburn wasn’t as bad as it looked after the rollover, just a few panels and its good to go again. 12 Laps to go and the top 5 was 0, 8, 9, 15, 01. These cars cleared out to the lead and none of them were ever challenged. Brad Blake would cross the line first for his second Firecracker 50. It was an awesome race and the chief steward Jerome Sutton commented to me “best Dirt Late Model Feature I have ever seen. These guys need to showcase their skill in more longer races like this. They all gave each other room and the top 5 cars never rubbed paint all night. This was a great race and the state title here will be huge”. Northam Motorsports Park promoter Rod Howe : “This is why I built this place. To watch races like that. The best tin top race I have ever seen. The state title here on January 19th will be awesome. Dirt Late Models have always supported Northam Motorsports Park and I am happy to keep putting on these bigger races for them”. Final finishing positions for the Firecracker 50 BCM Hard Charger Award #01 “Red Hot Ronnie” McCann For more information on the Kart World Belmont Dirt Late Models visit www.latemodelracingaustralia.com Kart World Belmont Pro Dirt Points Top 10 After Round 2: Release by BCM Motorsports Marketing www.bcmbear.com Late Model Racing Australia proudly supported by:
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