Local speedway drivers Scott Connole and Wyatt Lawler were both at their brilliant best on Saturday night when the two Narrabri boys were victorious in their feature races at the Morris Park Speedway in Dubbo.
Connole took out the Formula 500 division and Wyatt claimed the junior sedans division after they excelled in their heats earlier in the night.
The Dubbo race event was part of a two-night Easter long weekend double header, the first of which was hosted at the Gilgandra Speedway on Good Friday.
Both Connole and Lawler were in top form that night before a crash in another division damaged part of the wall and officials were forced to call off all remaining races.
Connole won both of his heats that night, while Wyatt raced to a third-placed finish in his first heat and a victory in his second.
Both drivers were disappointed that the race night finished early but also understood that it was the correct call, considering the safety of all involved.
They both entered the Saturday race night hungry for success and both got the job done.
Wyatt raced to a pair of second-placed finishes in his first two heats and then finished fourth in his third heat.
That meant the 13-year-old earned a start just inside the pole position driver in the feature race, which was one of his great rivals, Jake Smith.
Wyatt started fastest and got in front of 15-year-old Jake early in the race and then led for six laps before the yellow flag was waved and a restart was called.
Wyatt and Jake found themselves racing side-by-side for almost a full lap when the race resumed before Wyatt regained the lead. The Narrabri boy led the rest of the way and raced to victory just ahead of a fast-finishing Jake.
Wyatt has now turned his attention to Saturday’s NSW RSA Junior Sedan Title event, which will be contested by 21 juniors at Goulburn Speedway.
The Narrabri boy won a national title in the New Stars division in 2021 and is hoping to win his first state title at the All Stars level this weekend.
Fellow Narrabri driver Connole also impressed on Saturday night.
He placed second in both of his first two eight-lap heats before he won the third.
He lined up from pole position in the 15-lap feature but was relegated to the second row after jumping the start. He shrugged that off and eventually took the lead in the sixth lap, which he never gave up during the final nine laps as he secured a memorable win.
“It’s pretty satisfying to get the win,” he said.
“We’ve been running at the front all year but not getting to the top step. So, to get to that top step was good.
“That weekend was up there with the best of them.
“It was also nice, especially after the past couple of years not racing due to COVID, to get away and catch up with the racing community and racing mates I don’t get to see on a regular basis.”
Connole not only won the Dubbo feature race but also claimed the long weekend double header Western Plains Cup crown.
The last time the Western Plains Cup was contested was in 2018, which Connole also won. He said it was a great feeling to have retained the title in 2022.
Connole has four more race nights that he will attend before the 2021-22 season wraps up in May, as he goes in search of the NSW series.
He finished second in the series in the 2020-21 season and won it in the 2018-19 campaign.
He will travel to Sydney later this month where he will race at the new Eastern Creek Speedway track for the first time.
The Eastern Creek Speedway’s new venue opened on Saturday, March 12. It was two years and five days since Sydney fans last attended a Sydney speedway fixture after Parramatta City Raceway closed its gates for the final time on March 7, 2020.
Connole said that he was looking forward to lining up on the state of the art Eastern Creek Speedway track on Saturday, April 30.
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