Car 55 Colin Young Memorial winner Nathan Shortis from Mulwala.
Wahgunyah Speedway hosted an exciting night of racing on March 14, with the final round of the annual Colin Young Memorial headlining the meeting promoted by the Goulburn Ovens Sedans Association.
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In front of an enthusiastic crowd, Nathan Shortis claimed a dramatic victory in the feature event, edging out Brandan Lovell in a thrilling finish after a night of intense competition between the front-runners.
Across six qualifying heats, victories were shared between Lovell, Luke Collis, Marty Bassett and Shortis, with Bassett and Shortis each claiming a second heat win.
An entertaining pole shuffle followed, where Shortis secured pole position with a slim 0.759-second advantage over Bassett.
The 20-lap feature race delivered constant action.
Bassett led the field from the opening lap before Lovell surged to the front on lap seven.
Bassett briefly regained the lead on lap eight before Lovell again moved ahead a lap later, with Shortis also working his way past Bassett.
Several competitors were forced out of the race, including Collis, Thomas Bowers and Ryan Chant, while two-time Victorian champion Danny McCarten settled into fourth place behind the leading trio.
Lovell appeared set for victory after leading from lap nine through to the final corner of the race, but a slight mistake exiting turn four on the final lap opened the door for Shortis.
Diving underneath Lovell, Shortis surged alongside and crossed the line just ahead, winning by a razor-thin margin of 0.046 seconds.
Lovell finished second, followed by Bassett, McCarten and Justin Granger.
The victory secured Shortis the overall Colin Young Memorial title for the second consecutive year, making him only the second driver to achieve the back-to-back feat.
Elsewhere on the program, the combined Sports Sedans and Ladies Sports Sedans produced strong racing.
Samantha Lord dominated the Ladies category ahead of Chloe Creek, while Jake Cottier claimed the overall Sports Sedan final after his father Craig retired with mechanical issues.
Cottier crossed the line just half a second ahead of Lord.
In the Junior Sedans, Kade Brockley delivered a flawless performance, winning all three heat races before dominating the final to complete a clean sweep of the night.
Brockley finished almost a lap ahead of Lucas Magor, who impressed with second place in his first race meeting, while MacKenzie Dixon completed the podium.
Production Sedans were also on track as teams prepared for a busy April schedule that includes both the Australian and Victorian titles at Wangaratta.
Scott Hawkins, from Leeton, proved too strong, winning all three heats before defeating Jack Bear in the final.
Car 19 Bryce Leek, Standard Saloon winner from Barnawartha.
The Standard Saloon class also provided plenty of action.
Michael Fleming-Robertson won the opening two heats before lending wheels and tyres to fellow competitor Bryce Leek to help improve Leek’s grip and provide a fresh challenge.
Leek led most of the third heat before suffering a tyre failure on lap seven, handing the win back to Fleming-Robertson.
However, Leek responded in the 12-lap final, holding off Fleming-Robertson in a close, hard-fought contest to claim victory on his first visit to Wahgunyah.
Corowa-Rutherglen Speedway Club president Brendan Eames finished third, with Adam Brezovnik the final classified finisher.
Wahgunyah Speedway is scheduled to return on May 23 with a strong program featuring the Lachie Howie Memorial for Standard Saloons, Speedway Drivers Association of Victoria Hot Rods, Division 2 Hot Rods, the GOSA 1000 for Goulburn Ovens Sedans Association competitors, along with Junior Sedans and Humpy Holdens.
