2017-18 has delivered Jake Hose with his best season yet since joining the Formula 500s class, having last Saturday night taken out his maiden feature-race win at Swan Hill’s Sonic Speedway.

Having recently teamed up with the Mount Gambier, SA-based Mansell Motorsport team in his third season with the class, Hose couldn’t have been happier to deliver the team with a victory in only his third race meeting aboard the Jettco R6 powered SA # 12 Zambrero - Mount Gambier / SP Mechanical backed PMP car, particularly with the Victorian Stampede Series round offering double points.

Heading into the feature race third highest on points, Hose was elevated to the outside of the front row when highest point scorer Josh Buckingham chose to invert the top two rows. Knowing that the Mansell Motorsport car had the pace to get the jump off the starting line, that’s exactly what Hose did, seizing control of the lead and holding on to it for throughout the non-stop 15-lap distance to claim what was a comfortable win.

“I was absolutely rapt to come away with my very first feature-race win, especially after all the Mansell Motorsport team have done for me, particularly with Darren and Jordan (Mansell) being at the track supporting me,” commented the Warrnambool, Victoria resident, who had earlier in the night came home fourth and third in his two heat races earlier in the night.

“I have to say a huge thanks to Darren and Jordan for giving me the opportunity to race their car and then go on to claim my first podium finish and then later my first win.”

Having been involved with speedway from an early age by association, Hose began his racing career in tar go karts, where he spent three years enjoying a competitive run, before deciding to make the move into speedway in the 2015-16 season, running a RTS Chassis during his debut while coming to grips with the transition from asphalt to dirt.

Purchasing a Pace Chassis at the commencement of last season, the 28-year-old racer made a lot of gains throughout the season, with his focus being on the annual Speedweek Series over the Christmas-New Year period, where he displayed good pace and gained a lot of valuable seat time. Improving even further in this season’s Speedweek, Hose qualified for every feature race and was sitting 11th in points heading into the final round; however, his Speedweek campaign prematurely ended with a DNF, after transferring into the feature race from the back of the B main, and he ended up finishing 15th in the final overall point standings.

Recently selling his own race car, due to family commitments, Hose was offered the opportunity to fill the driver’s seat in the Mansell Motorsport car, with his first hit out resulting in a very pleasing runner-up finish at Ballarat’s Redline Raceway, which was his maiden podium result prior to last Saturday night’s win.

Off the back of his pleasing victory, Hose is currently sitting well within the top five in the Victorian Stampede Series point standings and he hopes to be able to continue his form and consolidate his position in the remaining two rounds: Laang Speedway (April 28) and Horsham’s Blue Ribbon Raceway (May 5).

The Mansell Motorsport team is proudly supported by the following 2017-18 season sponsors: Zambrero Mount Gambier, SP Mechanical, Top Spot Auto Dismantlers, Hill Rural Contractors, Gumby Mechanical, MGA Insurance, Cary Jennings Auto Electrical, Jettco Developments, Andrew Bruhn Sheetmetal, Colourkote Powder Coaters, Liquid Hair and Beauty, and Macfab Metal Fabrication.

Hose would like to give special thanks to Darren, Caryl and Jordan Mansell, his fianc�e Amy, and his father in law Phil.

To find out more about Hose and the Mansell Motorsport team, LIKE them on Facebook by searching Mansell Motorsport.

Photo credit: Snapperific Photography