The respected Smiths win three-hour enduro at Alexandra Speedway

ALEXANDRA Speedway roared into action on the evening of Saturday, August 29 with the annual three-hour endurance teams’ event plus Junior Sedans and Standard Saloons. After a gruelling race with many of the pre-event favourites quests for victory undone by tyres, and damage through the race, Dale Smith, who by his own teammate’s admission did most of the racing, won with his father Russell Smith much to the delight of their fellow competitors when it came to event presentations. Alexandra put in place a new concept for the weekend where instead of qualifying for position, the fans would get involved with their children and the children would select team numbers from a bag, and that team would then start in the position they were drawn. With a twist, Karl Dingly the Chief Steward of the event and Rod Meakins an Alexandra life member, put together $300 dollars and offered the team of Nathan O’Brien and Josh Barber a deal to take, if they swapped positions with last drawn team of Kellie Latham and Josh Service, the $300 would go to the Royal Children’s Hospital as a donation. Nathan and Josh did not hesitate to accept the deal and place themselves last, just a terrific gesture all round by Karl and Rod and then Nathan and Josh to accept. In support racing prior to the three-hour enduro, Junior 1200cc Sedan competitors held their feature race in which Victorian champion Jaylin Knight defeated, Kobi Knight and Lucas Magor. In Standard Saloon racing, a last corner pass by longtime club stalwart Wayne Sheerman on visiting racer Colin Connolly, seen him snatch victory at the finish line by 0.072 of a second with Leigh Gooding coming to the line in third. The Enduro then began with the top 10 line up of Latham and Service, then Jasmin Molloy and Lucas Conder, Nathan Miles and Andrew Mitchell, Wayne and Travis Ramsdale, Alexandra town locals Luke and Will Fallon, Darren O’Brien and Scott Chippindall, Jarrod Hughes and Steve Mitchell, Caleb Lincoln and father Colin Lincoln, Andrew Cormack and Conway Fry, and Anthony Sharam and Danny Eastham. At the tail of the field were fancied teams such as O’Brien and Barber who took to the rear of the field challenge, plus David Donegan and Ian Thomsen on the second last row, Brendan and Damien Miller from position 20, and defending champions Shane O’Brien and Lennie Bonnici from 18. When the green flag dropped, Josh Service grabbed the lead and led lap one from Andrew Mitchell and Travis Ramsdale with the Miller’s moving up six spots into 14th on the first lap. The Lincoln’s who had begun in seventh and eighth, were in third by the end of lap two and moving into second not long after. At the 10-lap mark Service had led every circulation with Team Lincoln’s in second then Team Fallon’s, then Brad Warren and Dave Hutchinson, and team Ramsdale’s. The team of Hughes and Steve Mitchell had already suffered damage and tailed the field. Team Lincoln took the lead at lap 12 from Service and the Millers moved into the top five. With cars having mechanical issues and tyres popping of the rims or just going flat, the field yo-yoed up and down in terms of positioning. At lap 20 the Lincolns still held the lead from Service with the Millers now in third. The pit stops started to begin for many of the capable of winning teams around lap 24 where the Ramsdale and the Fallon’s for example entered the pit lane for a change over, the Lincoln’s pitted on lap 25 handing the race lead back to Josh Service who would soon tag in Kellie Latham. At lap 30, Service had not yet pitted although everybody knew it was coming. Lennie Bonnici was in second and Dale Smith in third ahead of the Gareth Wilson and Dave Barrie combination. That pit-stop for Service had not yet eventuated with 40 laps on the board. Incredibly in an endurance race hard on the body despite, the safety belts and constricted seat that locks the driver in place, along with Bonnici, Dale Smith and some of the back of the field starters, the drivers were showing incredible durability with the O’Brien and Barber combination from 26th to fifth. Service still led at lap 50 from Bonnici and Smith. With Jak Brennan and Matt Shankland, a new entry into the top five before Service headed to the pits on lap 53. With a larger fuel tank capacity, Bonnici soldiered on from first while Donegan and Thomsen hot the top five and were in third. Bonnici pitted to hand the reigns to teammate Shane O’Brien on lap 60. Smith held the lead until lap 84 before pit stops handed the lead to the Fallon’s who had pitted earlier. The Miller’s hit the lead for the first time of the race for them on lap 76 and had like other teams been racing patiently to get to the front avoiding non-necessary contact trying to pass cars they know they can fly by in a better spot. The Brennan/Shankland combination was in third spot at this stage. It was at lap 126 that the Millers pitted and still returned to the track in second place incredibly. The Fallon’s led from the Millers, Donegan/Thomsen, the Smith’s and Shane Roycroft and Lee Beach who had recovered from early race mechanical inconveniences. A couple of laps later the Donegan/Thomsen combination hit the front of the race with the Smith’s up to second, the Fallon’s back to third. Dale Smith snatched the lead again on lap 133 with the Fallon’s and Roycroft/Beach teams in the top three. Combinations such as Danny O’Brien and Rob Bushell found time in the top three as those cars that had formed the fast top 10 broke down or made scheduled stops. At lap 170, the Smith’s still held the lead from the Fallon’s, Donegan/Thomsen and the Ramsdale’s and now O’Brien and Bushell. From there the Smiths were never headed, had an easy change over between son back to father with no idea how in front they were when Dale’s car started to cough. Russell raced the closing laps to the end where they had completed 216 and finished ahead by nine laps from the Ramsdale team, with Donegan/Thomsen in third place, Latham and Service fourth and Danny O’Brien and rob Bushell in fifth, 13 laps down on the leader. Just outside the top 10 were the likes of the Fallon team, the Miller’s, Brennan and Shankland, with Sharam and Eastham delighted to be in the top 10 as were Chippindall and Darren O’Brien in seventh. After race presentations included awards to Wayne Sheerman, Jaylin Knight and the Donegan/Thomsen team for their team and car presentations. Plus, to Shane Roycroft and Lee Beach for being in the 10th spot at that time of the 69th lap of the race. A huge honour was then bestowed on the race winners, when their peers voted them the most respected competitors of the event, as he accepted this acknowledgement, Dale Smith started by mentioning that such an award takes more significance than any race winning trophy can, in which Russell Smith concurred, it is nice to be recognised for where they stand in the racing community. Onto the presentations and while the top five all had a host of mentions and comments to make; it came back to the winners of the Smiths who were truly humbled to have finally made a huge win like this. Dale had won in recent seasons many Sports Sedan racers including state series rounds, and the odd club feature here and there. For both himself winning the race with his father, and for his father Russell winning it with his son, nothing can top the feeling they had at that moment, perhaps except marriages and having children. With the event in the books, Alexandra Speedway now look forward to their season proper beginning for 2026/27 on November 14, with the new Go Green for mental health day featuring a Go Green for 50 laps Sports Sedan feature, Production Sedans in a state series event, Standard Saloons, Modified Sedans and Juniors.