The 2018-19 season came to a close for V8 Dirt Modifieds last Saturday night and it was Zeke Edwards who visited the top step of the podium, winning the Burson Auto Parts Sportsman Showdown at Dubbo’s Morris Park Speedway.
With 16 talented Sportsman drivers amongst the field, the level of competition was at its peak, meaning it was anyone’s guess who would emerge victorious.
While it was Andrew Firth who started the all-important 25-lap feature race from pole position, by virtue of collecting three heat-race wins aboard his daughter Taylah’s NSW # 15 Bicknell car, it became clear that he wasn’t going to have things all his own way, with defending Sportsman Showdown Champion Edwards charging his way through the field from position seven.
Well and truly changing his fortune, after experiencing some difficulty during his heat races, Edwards, made his way into the lead, going on to claim his second consecutive Sportsman Showdown victory.
Not quite able to fend off the hard-charging Edwards, Firth narrowly missed out on picking up his fourth feature-race win of the season, with outside front row starter Ben Hodge coming home in the final podium place.
Ash Hall and Wayne Simpson rounded out the top five, while remaining feature-race finishers included Mark Griffiths, Tia Corbett, Paul Markulin and Kevin Greene.
The feature-race’s only casualty was Royden Alcorn, with a longer list of drivers, made up of Brendan Wakeman, Steve Milthorpe, Matt Bellette and Steve Edwards, being unable to start the feature race for varied reasons.
With Firth asserting his dominance in the earlier heat races, claiming a trio of wins, other heat-race wins were shared between Milthorpe, Hodge and Hall.
Given that the State Challenge resulted in a tie, the reigning champion state Victoria will now retain the trophy for another season on a count back.
Dirt Modifieds Australia would like to thank each of the drivers and teams for participating in this season’s Sportsman event, along with Morris Park Speedway and Burson Auto Parts. Next season’s running of the event is already in planning stages and is expected to be even bigger and better.
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