RACE REPORTS

DECEMBER 2

Australian Super Sedan Champion Jamie McHugh and his racing partner Matt Pascoe have successfully wrapped up the 2008 Super Sedan 30/30 Series after posting back to back wins in the Feature events at Lismore Speedway on Saturday night November 29.

Rarely do drivers dominate events in the manner McHugh and Pascoe have over the past two weekends in Toowoomba and Lismore to seal the Series crown, especially given the high quality of drivers and equipment competing during the inaugural running of the Super Sedan 30/30 events this season. However, the two were able to concentrate on the task ahead of them after being tagged as red-hot favourites in the lead up to the Lismore races after winning both thirty lap Features in Toowoomba, and walked away with another two wins on the weekend.

The 30/30 fields were littered with past and future Champions, drivers that have reached the very top of their sport and others who one day hope to lay claim to being one of the best. Names like Pyne, Nicola, Kane, Gee, Randall, O'Neil, Leslight, Brims, McGeorge, Oldfield, Doyle, Smith, Britten, Northfield, Bradford, Bergmeier, Gartner and Bracken all competed in the unique format that pitted renown Super Sedan drivers and racers from other divisions against each other over twin thirty lap Features. Through it all, McHugh and Pascoe stood tall, winning all four Feature events to claim the lions share of trophies and accolades on offer.

The Lismore Speedway promotional team produced a racy surface for the Super Sedans to put on a show, and the fans were not disappointed with the #15 Sweet/Dodge Avenger of McHugh setting a new track in the qualifying Heats on his way to a front row start for the first Feature. Craig McGeorge and his team mate, V8 Dirt Modified stand-out Luke Oldfield, put their Toowoomba woes from the previous week behind them to bring the #3 AS Concrete Pumping Pontiac home first and third in their Heats to start alongside McHugh/Pascoe in the first Feature.

Multiple race starts forced the Lismore Promoter, David Lander, to cut back the laps to stay ahead of the venue's strict 10:30pm curfew, but many would argue the results would stand regardless. McHugh outpaced McGeorge and Ian Brims in the first Feature, and after the mandatory fifteen minute "pit stop" to for the crews to refuel and make other changes to the cars, Pascoe made it four from four with a well-earned victory over John Leslight and Todd Doyle with Wayne Randall and Luke Oldfield completing the top five.

Overall, the Series crown went to McHugh and Pascoe ahead of the combinations of Ian Brims/John Leslight with Peter and Mick Nicola in third place. McHugh and Pascoe were also awarded the Mark (Rambo) van Beek Memorial Award, for not only their race wins but also their professionalism on and off the track and the manner in which their team presented the car and crew at each event.

The success of the inaugural 30/30 events over the past fortnight has all but guaranteed the Series will return again during the 2009/10 season, with the concept earning wide praise from many within Super Sedan circles and the Speedway racing industry in general. Craig McGeorge, who along with Wayne Randall was one of the original proponents behind the concept this season, expressed his gratitude to the members of the Super Sedan Association Inc, the Series sponsors, the Charlton Raceway and Lismore Speedway promotional teams and of course the fans for their overwhelming support of the events over the past two weeks.

"As both a driver and fan of Super Sedan racing, I believe the 30/30 Series has been a huge success in it's first year and has raised the profile of our racing to a new level. Many drivers have told me how much fun they have had running the Series and that they can't wait for next year! There's a few things we can work on to refine the racing a little more for the fans but overall I think we have a great package already. It's been a lot of work and a lot of fun and I'm sure next year will be even better again." Craig commented after Saturday night's Feature.

For fans who missed the racing, and for those fans wanting to re-live the highlights of the events at Toowoomba and Lismore, coverage of the 2008 30/30 Series will be shown nationally on the Chequered Flag program on Fox Sports in the coming weeks. 

30/30 Sponsors And Supporters:

The 30/30 management and promotional team wish to thank the following companies for the valued and ongoing support of the 30/30 Super Sedan events:

SOURCE | Supersedans.com.au

NOVEMBER 23 RACE RESULTS

Super Sedan Association (SSA) Inc.
November 23, 2008 

Matt Pascoe and Australian Super Sedan Champion Jamie McHugh completely dominated the inaugural 30/30, Murray Gegg Memorial event at Charlton Raceway in Toowoomba on Saturday night November 22, winning both thirty lap Feature race segments and sounding an ominous warning there could be more of the same in the second 30/30 event at Lismore Speedway next weekend.

The lure of pairing with Pascoe in the #15 Sweet/Dodge Avenger was enough to entice McHugh out of retirement for the two 30/30 events and it was clear to see he hadn't lost any of his race craft during his time in retirement. McHugh's victory in the first of the thirty lappers on a dry, slick and difficult race track was vintage stuff from the 2008 National Champion and set the standard for Pascoe to follow. Starting on the front row of the grid alongside Victorian Mick Nicola for the second Feature, Pascoe didn't disappoint and jumped straight into the lead and then patiently sat through a series of yellow light stoppages to match his team mate's success. The two will now start favourite in the Lismore race on November 29 and on the back of their Toowoomba performance, they will take some stopping as they strive for a clean sweep of the two nights of competition.

A strong field of twenty-eight cars and fifty-six drivers from Qld, NSW, Victoria and Tasmania converged on the Darling Downs racing venue for the event, a clear indication the concept has been met with wide acceptance from within the Super Sedan ranks around the country. Some of the biggest names in Super Sedan racing, both past and present, competed alongside noted drivers from other racing divisions such as Luke Oldfield (V8 Dirt Modifieds), Terry Bracken (Sprintcars) and Todd Doyle (Modified Productions) with the event attracting a sizeable crowd on a cool and windy Toowoomba evening.

Heat race wins went to the teams of Ash Bergmeier/Wayne Randall, Chris Jensen/Todd Doyle, Matt Pascoe/Jamie McHugh, Bevan Collins/Johno Collins, Gavin Northfield/Rod Gough, Steve Pearce/Terry Bracken, Darren Kane/Dale Christensen, Wayne Brims/Mick Sauer and Ian Brims/John Leslight. Tony Barklimore and Wayne Dick topped the qualifying points in a tie with Pascoe and McHugh on eighty-four points each, followed by the driver pairings of Mick Nicola/Peter Nicola, Bergmeier/Randall, Kane/Christensen, Adam Bradford/Peter Britten and Jensen/Doyle all on eighty-one points. Gavin Northfield/Rod Gough, Brad Smith/Keith Higgs and Wayne Brims/Mick Sauer completed the top ten in points ahead of the twin Features, with the close nature of the Heat race results and qualifying points an indication of just how tight the competition and driver match-ups was throughout the night's program.

Passing however was at a premium throughout the night given the nature of the track after a hot and windy afternoon in Toowoomba, and with the number of cars competing there was always going to be a series of incidents out on the track. For Sean Black, Ash Bergmeier and Terry Bracken, their 30/30 campaigns are over with injuries sustained in accidents ruling them out of next weekend's event while a number of teams also have plenty of work to do in order to have their cars ready for Lismore.

The Toowoomba event was preceded by a well-attended special reunion dinner and social get together the previous evening, providing drivers and crew an opportunity to meet with old friends and racing rivals and re-live racing tales of days past. The Super Sedan 30/30 events, just a developing concept only a few short months ago, is now a successful reality with one race in the books and another set to take the northern NSW town of Lismore by storm this Saturday night November 29.

Race Results: Click here to see the complete race results on this event on Super Sedan Association Inc. section of the AMB-it MyLaps website 

NOVEMBER 18

The exciting new concept has been the talk of Super Sedan racing since it's initial announcement back in June of this year, and has earned praise from racers and fans around the country for it's innovative approach to the promotion of the sport.

The integral ingredient of the format though is not so much the overall race distance but the driver pairings. Placed into three qualifying groups by the event organisers, the list of drivers nominated for the two 30/30 events at Toowoomba and Lismore is impressive to say the least with some pairings bringing seasoned Super Sedan drivers together with stand-out racers from other divisions who have never turned a competitive lap in a racecar of this type!

Which asks the question of who is under the most pressure to perform in the 30/30 events? The seasoned campaigner who will need to get the car up front to give his "Rookie" co-driver the best possible opportunity? Or the "Rookie" who will need to prove his credentials in an unfamiliar car he has turned minimal laps in? Or does that former Champion from days past still have what it takes to man-handle one of these cars around a 1/4 mile Speedway? Anyway you look at it, these races will provide plenty of interest and excitement for the fans and create plenty of "bench-racing" talk back at the shop!

The 30/30 concept has lured Australian Champion Jamie McHugh temporarily out of retirement as he teams up with Matt Pascoe in the #15 Dodge, V8 Dirt Modified star Luke Oldfield will chance his hand with Craig McGeorge in the #3 AS Concrete Pumping Pontiac, sprintcar racer Terry Bracken will partner Steve Pearce in the #2 Amazing Signs Ford, Sedan star from the 80's/90's Darren Munro will suit up alongside Jack Childs in the #24 Pontiac and former Australia 1 Ron Pyne will share the NSW3 Pontiac with Paul Stubber.

And just for good measure, add the John Leslight Ian Brims, Wayne Brims Mick Sauer, Ash Bergmeier Wayne Randall and Victorian Michael Nicola Peter Nicola driver combinations to the list! 

Saturday night's event in Toowoomba will also pay special homage to long-time car owner Murray Gegg, with the event doubling as the inaugural Murray Gegg Memorial in honour of a man who's life and memory will always be treasured amongst the Super Sedan family. Gegg, who fielded cars for the late Grenville Anderson during his stellar career and helped many a racer during his lengthy time in the sport, tragically passed away earlier this year and it's fitting that such a quality field of drivers will race for a memorial award in his honour. 

The Toowoomba event is just the first of two opportunities fans will have to see such a star-studded field in action, with Lismore Speedway hosting the second 30/30 show a week later on November 29. Both shows will be covered extensively by David Tapp and will feature on the Chequered Flag program on Fox Sports in the weeks to come so keep an eye on your local guides for times and dates for these programs to air.

Toowoomba 30/30, Murray Gegg Memorial Nominations:

Sponsors - Quantum Racing Industries | Brims Transport | Sport Engines | Advanced Mobility | Afco Shock Doctor | Carline Mufflers

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