In what will go down in history as a “Murray Bridge Classic” Matt Egel produced a masterful display to win the Australian Sprintcar Stampede at the Murray Machining and Sheds Murray Bridge Speedway. Prior to his charge to the front Egel was as low as 8th in the running order but he utlised both the top and low grooves to storm to the front, running down early race leader Brock Hallett with 8 laps to go before going on to claim the $10,000 winner’s cheque.
After the opening night of the 2-night event saw a locked down racetrack following a brief rain shower the track surface for the Australian Sprintcar Stampede was the complete opposite. The track allowed racing all over the 360-metre racing surface with a low and top groove and a huge cushion built up on the wall. As a result, the racing was some of the best seen in recent years at Murray Bridge and it showcased the sport at its finest. Plus, the fact the field included a majority of the leading drivers in the country right now didn’t hurt either!
Hallett would hold on to finish second making it an extremely successful weekend for the GW Racing pilot having won the night prior. After crossing the line in 19th position on lap 2 of the 40-lap contest Jock Goodyer charged his way back to finish third and late in the race he looked as though he would secure an unlikely race victory, but the leading duo were able to withstand his challenge as they negotiated the lapped traffic.
Queenslander Jy Corbett bounced back after missing the A-Main the night prior to finish an impressive fourth while Brendan Quinn showed signs that he set for big season as he recorded a to five result. Saturday night’s runner-up Tate Frost was next across the line after running second for well over half of the main event while Ryan Newton was the final driver in seventh to complete the entire journey.
Warrnambool’s Jamie Veal was the first driver a lap down in eighth, while Kaiden Manders and Jordyn Charge completed the top 10. Daniel Harding, Lachlan McDonough, Ben Morris, Steven Caruso, Scott Enderl, Glen Sutherland and Steven Loader rounded out the finishers.
The only red light of the main event occurred on lap 2 as Marcus Dumesny rolled the Rowett Motorsports #47 in turn four while Mount Gambier’s Parker Scott was only other major incident as he slammed into the pit gate in turn three knocking out the front end.
The night started off with Brock Hallett recording a stunning 10.894 second lap in qualifying, just missing out on breaking Ryan Jones’ 13-year-old track record.
Jordyn Charge, Marcus Dumesny and Jy Corbett would win the three heat races while Parker Scott and Lachlan McDonough would transfer out of an action-packed B-main which saw Jay Brown and Tim Hutchins both roll over in separate incidents.
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