Jamie Veal showed his class once again when he took the win in the opening round of the 2017-2018 Eureka Garages & Sheds Sprintcar Series at Avalon Raceway last night to beat home Rusty Hickman who put in another top performance to drive through the pack while the defending Eureka Series champion Brett Milburn came home in third place.

The opening event of the Victorian Sprintcar season was a great night at Avalon Raceway with a very healthy crowed to witness some fast and furious racing right from the first heat race till the end of the Eureka Series A Main event.

Thirty six sprintcars lined the pits to compete in the eight heat races, a top six shootout and the three main events. With nearly all the heat races going flag to flag with only two drivers failing to complete the distance in the heats the qualifying points were tight at the top.

Victorian driver Jamie Heyen and Western Australia driver Aldo De Paoli took out their first heat race wins in the Eureka Series and that would give them a direct start in the A Main after good performances in their second heat as well.

Both Jamie Veal and Shaun Dobson toped the qualify points table going into the Main event but as Veal had a faster time in his heat races he would take the honours of top qualifier. In the top six shootout Jamie Veal carried that speed to put the V35 SWI sprintcar on pole position for the A Main.

With the top six shootout over the A Main field was set, Jamie Veal in P1 and the defending Eureka Garages & Sheds Series champ Brett would be alongside Veal, Glen Sutherland and Tim Hutchins filled row three while Shaun Dobson was on row three with Peter Doukas. Rounding out the direct A Main qualifiers were Charles Hunter, Rusty Hickman, Jamie Heyen, Jacob Smith, Jye Okeeffe and Aldo De Paoli.
The finals six spot were taken by the B Main transfer drivers, Jordyn Charge, Brad Keller, Michael Saller, Brock Hallett, Chris Campbell and Domain Ramsay who had transferred to the B Main by way of winning the C Main event then driving thru the pack to take the final A Main transfer spot.

Final time for the Eureka Garages & Sheds main event with a strong field of competitors went no further than turn one of the first lap that would see Peter Doukas roll. Charles Hunter would have to change a right rear tire due to the crash while Glen Sutherland got out of the carnage with both front and top wing damage.

Take two and all was good, Veal won the start to lead Milburn down the back straight from Hutchins and Hickman who found a way past Dobson and Smith into sixth place. While there were a few movers at the pointy end of the field it was not so for Chris Campbell and Glen Sutherland who pulled infield due damage sustained in the opening race start.
With the race settling down over the next few laps Paoli pulled to the infield with mechanical issues, a couple of laps latter Hunter also pulled out.

The pace was on with the good track conditions, all drivers were on the pace within one second of the best times, one third distance and Veal had a comfortable lead over Milburn who had both Hutchins and Hickman in close proximity with Dobson from Smith rounding out the top six drivers. Hallett was next in line followed by Keller, Okeeffe, Ramsay, Heyen, Charge and Saller.

The leaders were now heading into lapped traffic and the moves were on, Veal was in command but Hickman moved pass Hutchins to take up third place and set his sights on Milburn. Half race distance and Ramsay was on the move as well up into tenth place from the rear of the field.

The two Tasmanian drivers Dobson and Hutchins were hard at it changing places on a few occasions ahead of a pair of duelling South Australians Keller and Hallett.

Heading into the later part of the race the leaders were into more traffic, Veal was running well with a comfortable gap to Milburn and Hickman who was looking for a way past Milburn. Lap twenty five and Hickman got the job done a lap before the yellow lights came on to remove the stricken car of Jordyn Charge.

Four to go and a dash to the flag, Rusty Hickman was on Jamie Veal’s tail for the restart and a last chance for a shot at the lead of the race but Veal was having none of that accelerating away on the restart and going on to take the win with a Flag to Flag performance from Rusty Hickman and Brett Milburn in third place, the battling Tasmanians settled there fight with Shaun Dobson home in fourth place from Tim Hutchins in fifth. Next in line were Brad Keller and then the biggest mover in the pack Domain Ramsay taking seventh place, rounding out the finishers were Brock Hallett, Jye Okeeffe, Michael Saller, Jacob Smith and Jamie Heyen.

The next round of Eureka Garages and Sheds Sprintcar Series heads to Heartland Raceway, Saturday night the 21st of October. For more information go to the Heartland Raceway website. www.heartlandracewaymoama.com

Eureka Garages and Sheds Series nightly contingency awards:

AVALON RACEWAY DRIVERS DRAW: $50 – V60 Jordyn Charge
HOOSIER TIRE AUSTRALIA: 11th Place in the A Main at Each round.
11th V72 Jacob Smith.
D&F RACING PRODUCTS: Hard luck of the night – V98 Peter Doukas
STEELPIPES PTY LTD: 1st competitor not to transfer from B to A-Main –
V19 Sam Wren
INDY RACE PARTS: Top Points Scorer $100 voucher – V35 Jamie Veal

End of Series awards:

Eureka Garages & Sheds major sponsor of the Series overall prize money Poole.
KTM Top Ten Motorbike award – Random draw at the Presentation Dinner.
Camden Neon Signs – sponsors of the Series Prize Poole.
Hoosier Tire Australia – sponsors of the Series Prize Poole.
Western Nissan - for drivers finishing between 11th and 20th place in the Series. Random draw at the Presentation Dinner $1500 to the winner.
Lumbar Transport - End of Series most heat wins –V73 Charles Hunter, S20 Glen Sutherland, V89 Jamie Heyen, W96 Aldo De Paoli, T7 Tim Hutchins, V3 Shaun Dobson, V35 Jamie Veal, V42 Jye Okeeffe – (One win each)
Western Nissan - most cars passed in the A-Main on the night,
V2 Domain Ramsay, (11 cars each)
(End of series award) cars passed overall –V2 Domain Ramsay (11 cars)
ELIMINATOR RACE WINGS – for the driver that transfers the most from the B Main to the A Main events the most. Overall, V60 Jordyn Charge, S19 Brad Keller,N56 Michael Saller, S13 Brock Hallett, V78 Chris Campbell, V2 Domain Ramsay (Once each)
(In the event of a tie the driver with the most points in the Series wins)
PARR MOTORSPORTS –Drivers Driver award as voted on by the drivers in the Series.

Eureka Garages and Sheds Series – KTM Top 10:
1st – Rusty Hickman - 387
2nd – Brett Milburn – 384
3rd – Jamie Veal - 376
4th – Shaun Dobson - 376
5th – Tim Hutchins - 360
6th – Brock Hallett - 312
7th – Jye Okeeffe - 311
8th – Brad Keller - 306
9th – Jacob Smith – 3250
10th – Jamie Heyen - 285

Western Nissan
(End of Series random draw between 11th & 20th place)
11th – Domain Ramsay - 275
12th – Charles Hunter - 270
13th – Michael Saller - 266
14th – Glen Sutherland – 250
15th – Peter Doukas - 239
16th – Jordyn Charge - 239
17th – Aldo De Paoli - 221
18th – Sam Wren - 206
19th –David Aldersley – 194
20th – Chris Campbell - 188

For a full list of all the 2017-2018 SRA of Vic Race dates go to www.sravic.com

The Sprintcar Racing Association of Victoria thank the following Eureka Garages and Sheds Sprintcar Series and season sponsors:
EUREKA GARAGES & SHEDS, KTM AUSTRALIA, WESTERN NISSAN, MD MOTORSPORT, HOOSIER TIRE AUSTRALIA, CAMDEN SINGAGE & BUILDING SERVICES, PARR MOTORSPORTS, STEELPIPES AUSTALIA, LUMBAR’S TRANSPORT, AVALON RACEWAY, INDY RACE PARTS, D&F RACING PRODUCTS, ELIMINATOR RACE WINGS, COREY GIBSON PHOTOGRAPHY, MAXAM PRINTING, SPRINTCARWORLD.

Eureka Garages & Sheds www.eurekagarages.com.au
KTM Australia www.ktm.com
Western Nissan www.westernnissan.com.au
Hoosier Tires Australia www.mdmotorsport.com.au
Camden Signage & Building Services www.camdenneon.com.au
Steelpipes Pty Ltd www.steelpipes.com.au
Lumbars Transport www.lumbars.com.au
Eliminator Race Wings www.crossmotorsport.com
Parr Motorsports www.parrmotorsport.com
Avalon Raceway www.avalonraceway.com.au
Corey Gibson Photography www.gibsonphotography.com.au
Sprintcarworld www.sprintcarworld.com.au
Maxam Printing www.maxamprinting.com.au