Warnambool’s Tim Morse is the new Australian V8 Dirt Modified Champion, taking out the Bridge Motors-sponsored event at Murray Bridge’s Riverview Speedway on Saturday night (Jan 11). Second home was local hard charger Glenn Goonan, with Lismore driver Mark Robinson bringing the Valvoline machine home in third. Morse started the 30-lap Championship decider on pole courtesy of two wins and a runner up finish in his three heat races. Goonan was rewarded for his strong heat performances with the number two qualifying position and a front row start in the Feature. Robinson, the best performing of the six-strong Lismore contingent started from position three, alongside defending champ Stuart Herne. The feature was less than one lap old when the yellows came on for the first time. Herne was deemed to have made contact with Robinson and was sent to the rear of the 19-car field. Meanwhile, Victorian Trevor Perry’s night came to an early end with a flat tyre ending his championship hopes on the opening lap. When the Feature got underway for the second time, it was hometown hero Goonan who had the huge crowd on their feet as he assumed the early race lead. It wasn’t long however, before Morse made his intentions clear, moving past Goonan and into the race lead. With five laps down, the leaders began working their way through lapped traffic with Morse still in command. Back in the pack, Robinson was applying all sorts of pressure on Goonan, while a ‘State of Origin’ battle raged between QLD Champion Shawn Mortimer & NSW Title holder Kevin Hopwood. Hopwood eventually moved past Mortimer and into 4th position from his third row starting position. Local hope Todd Wigzell moved forward into 6th, while former Australian Champ Scott Cannon was now entering the equation, engaging in an entertaining duel with Mortimer for 5th & 6th position. With 13 laps to run, mechanical problems brought the Lloyd Hobson machine to a stop on the front straight, bringing out the yellows for the second and final time. It was at this point that the heavy track conditions began to take their toll, with Hopwood, Cannon, both Todd & Shane Wigzell & Brett Milburn all retiring with overheating problems. The source of the problem was common to all drivers, with dirt from the track surface clogging the air intakes on each of the retiree’s machines. When the race resumed, it was a case of more of the same for Morse who immediately set about re-establishing his lead over the field. The restart allowed Robinson his best chance of moving past Goonan, with the pair racing nose to tail for a number of laps. Try as he may, Robinson was unable to move past the Auto Pro-backed car of Goonan, with the local showing the benefit of countless laps of the Murray Bridge venue. Further back in the field, Herne was making his way forward after earlier being sent to the rear, while Murray Bridge local Jim Wright was running strongly inside the top 8, as were Victorian Daryl Hickson & Cory Hodgson. As the laps counted down, there could be no denying Morse, who went on to record a popular and somewhat emotional win. Goonan drove the race of his life to hold down second, while Robinson was close behind in third. Fourth across the line was the QLD Champ Mortimer, with Herne recovering to record a fifth place finish from Hodgson, Hickson & Jim Wright.

Although he led from green flag to chequer, the win was in no way a certainty for Morse, with the radiator running on empty just 4 laps from home courtesy of a crack in the engine discovered shortly before the start of the main event. There were plenty of hard-luck stories on the night. Victorian hard-charger Steve Milthorpe failed to transfer into the main event after being caught up in another cars spin in the B-main, with the resulting front-end damage ending his campaign. Just a few minutes earlier, Milthorpe was on pole for the B-main before being sent to the rear. Ballina’s Aaron Suffolk, driving the Australian Title winning car from last season also found himself out of luck on the night. Spins in the dying stages of 2 of his heat races cost Suffolk dearly, finding himself toward the back on the B-main. Contact on the opening lap forced Suffolk to the infield and out of the event. Wayne Reynolds had the B-Main well and truly won until just 2 laps from home when the birdcage spun on his Brunswick Valley Coaches entry, forcing his retirement. Reynolds would however, start the Feature from position 19 as the promoters choice, eventually finishing 9th. Tony Sneddon was forced to qualify for the Feature though the B-main, which he won after the retirement of Reynolds, while local Rookie Wayne Houston put in a good drive in the B-main to qualify for the main event in his first Australian Title. Simon Jupe was the third and qualifier to transfer to the main event from the B-main, eventually finishing 10th. V8 Dirt Modifieds are back in action this coming Saturday night (Jan 18) with events in Avalon (VIC), Goulburn (NSW) & Brisbane (QLD).