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The 2023 Chariots of Thunder at Northline Speedway began on Friday night in front of a full house, marking the year’s biggest week of speedway in the Northern Territory.
Over 40 winged Sprintcars have nominated for the four-night event, including current Australian Champion Jock Goodyer, reigning Grand Annual Classic Winner Brock Hallett, Darwin based young gun Ben Atkinson Jnr and West Australia’s Trent Pigdon, backing up after the Knoxville Nationals only five days prior.
Heat one was stacked with talent with Matt Dumsney, Victorian Grant Anderson, Pigdon and Goodyer all in the frame.
It was Tasmanian Tate Frost who would take the flag-to-flag victory by over a second from Pigdon, moving directly to the Dash while Anderson and Goodyer locked themselves into the night’s feature race.
“That’s probably as comfortable as you get on a track like that,” the 21-year-old Frost said After the race.
“We knew there wasn’t going to be much passing in the heats, so we knew we had to get a good qualifying time to put us at the front and move into the dash.”
Heat two saw plenty more of the southern invaders take to the track with $10,000 to win on each night of the series.
Brock Hallett in the #Q5 started from fourth with Hayden Brown and Ryan Jones off the front row.
At the green, the high line was the place to be with Jones and Hallet both making pace from the outside row, and that was how they would finish Brown and Bobby Daly moving through.
Ben Atkinson Jnr was unlucky to miss out on a direct transfer position, finishing fifth.
Luke Dillon and Matt Egel were off the front row in Heat 3 with Jordan Charge and Glenn Sutherland in behind.
After the first start was waved off, the restart saw Dillon and Egel go toe to toe with the former coming out on top in the race, with Sutherland ensuring an all-South Australian podium.
Western Australians dominated heat four, with Callum Williamson, Jason Pryde and James Inglis all grabbing transfer positions, along with Northern Territorian Todd Moule.
Inglis was lucky not to be upside down after catching the heavy cushion in Turn 2, putting the car onto two wheels on Lap 1 and dropping from the pole to fourth.
The Dash to decide the starting order would feature each of the first two finishers from each of the heats over six laps, with Luke Dillon and Tate Frost off the front row.
Tasmanian Frost was electric, able to run high or low on the heavy track and was more than a measure for the more experienced Dillon, with Ryan Jones and two-time COT winner Trent Pigdon rounding out the top four.
A scary crash in the Wingless B-main saw Mitch Rigney take a frightening ride into the outside wall after traffic in front closed, cartwheeling over the right rear of a competitor before ending upside down.
A lengthy delay ensued before it was announced that he would be transferred to Darwin Hospital for further treatment for undisclosed injuries.
The Sprintcar B Main was flush with talent including Ben Atkinson Junior, Matt Dumsney, Mitch Wormall and Chad Ely off the pole in the #SA98.
Atkinson took control of the race from the green flag, with Ely dropping to second until lap 11 when traffic became a factor.
Momentarily held up by lapped cars, Atkinson was dropped to third as the race for the lead heated up until Dumsney rode a right rear of Chad Ely, which sent the #NT11 upside down and into the catch fence.
Dumsney walked away from the crash but continues a terrible run of luck for the New South Welshman.
The V15 of Dane Court was the next car to come to grief, with his car coming to rest on its side after contact with Mitch Wormall, followed by more carnage Chris Harrison with his own inversion in the #84NT.
The Transfer positions into the A-Main would be taken by Chad Ely, Ben Atkinson, Kale Quinlan and Cameron McKenzie in the #4WA.
Tate Frost would come off the pole with Luke Dillon outside and a stacked field behind, including Jock Goodyer out of position 13.
A narrow track with a very rough zone above the cushion would present a challenge for the drivers, though the track did seem to be holding plenty of grip and did not appear to slicken off before the A-main – a departure from the usual track conditions at Northline Speedway.
Dillon moved to the lead immediately and led with authority until Lap 6 when frost and Dillon traded places.
With Frost getting very untidy on the corner exit, cutting down on Dillon and almost spinning the Tasmanian young gun.
In the ensuing melee, Ryan Jones took the lead and Trent Pigdon inserted himself into contention making it a four-car battle for the lead with Brock Hallett holding down fifth.
After the first yellow flag, the single file re-start worked for Jones, stretching the lead over Pigdon out to over a second quickly.
Traffic was always going to play a role and it did with 10 laps to go with Jones simultaneously cutting through traffic whilst trying to hold off Brock Hallett for the lead.
Hallet masterfully put on a move around the outside of Ryan Jones, which ultimately was for nought as Ben Atkinson Jnr brought out the Red Flag after a blown tyre.
Jones would re-assume the lead (as the re-start goes back to the last completed lap) until Hallett recreated his pass with three to run.
Hallett would go on to take the win, with Ryan Jones locking down second and Matt Egel moved into third by seven thousandths of a second over Jock Goodyer in fourth, and Tate frost Rounding out the top five.
“Just a credit to these GW Racing guys, it was a very technical track tonight and I’m just happy to get the win.”
Round 2 of Chariots of Thunder continues Saturday night (local time) August 19.
