First Speedway win of year for Balson
There has been plenty to celebrate during Peterborough Speedway’s 50th anniversary season, with on-track action and perfect weather conditions making-up two of the contributing factors. The final show of the month Saturday brought the Battlefield Equipment Rental 4Fun, Jiffy Lube Mini Stock, Thunder Car, Organics and Glass Late Model and Eastern Ontario Legend Series machines to the Great Canadian RV green flag.
Main event action hit the Mount Pleasant Road track with Dave Feeney and Jeremy Kelly on the front row for the 20-lap Battlefield Equipment Rental 4Fun feature. Kelly and Sean Kennedy used the outside line to get to the front of the field, with Kennedy looking to steal the top spot from his championship rival with 7 circuits complete. Slower traffic came into the picture a couple of laps later, but the leaders continued to work their way through the pack. Ryan Oosterholt entered the fray – moving into second – on lap 14 and took the lead a lap later. The feature tilt ran caution-free, with Oosterholt taking the win over Jeremy Kelly and Kennedy. Griffin Powell and Jake Kelly roundedout the top five.
Rob Richards and Anthony DiBello brought the Thunder Car pack to the line for their main event. The field was slowed for an incident on the backstretch with just a single circuit complete. Richards took the lead on the restart and the top 3 runners had a solid advantage on the pack at the halfway point. Anthony DiBello was looking for a way around Richards on lap 11 and found it a lap later, while Bailey Jacobs followed him into second spot. Jacobs got alongside the leader, but couldn’t complete the pass, as the final 19 laps ran under the green. Richards, Jessica Pasinetti and Brandon Feeney completed the top 5.
The Trailers Plus Eastern Ontario Legends rolled from the staging area with Jamie Riberdy and Adam Cuthbertson on the front row for their 25-lap feature. Riberdy and his teammate Cole Ledson swapped the lead back and forth during the early stages, with Matt Haufe getting into the runner-up spot with a handful of laps complete. The pack started working through backmarkers with 11 laps down, before the race’s only caution flag waved for a spin in the 4th turn a couple of laps later. Haufe ran in Ledson’s tire tracks for a few turns, before taking the lead on lap 17. From there, it was hammer-down for the driver of the #88. Ledson, Cole McFadden, Riberdy and Cuthbertson followed Haufe across the line.
With 30 laps on the table, Amanda Balson and Bryan Mercer paced the Organics and Glass Late Model field to the green flag. Using the preferred inside line, Balson took an early lead while Mercer fought back on the top groove. The pair eventually had Tyler Betts sandwiched in between them as they broke away from the field. Slower traffic came into play with 7 laps on the board, but Balson’s No. 16 machine was the class of the field. Mercer wrestled the runner-up spot from Betts with just over a handful of laps remaining, but he couldn’t catch Balson. The 2009 track champion took her first win of the year in the caution-free feature, with Dan McHattie, Betts and Jack Horner chasing the lead duo to the checkered flag.
Steve Brier and Neil Bennett led the way as the Jiffy Lube Mini Stocks came to the line for the final main event of the night. A yellow flag on the initial start slowed the pace, but couldn’t delay a strong early effort by Ember Junkin, who was in control of the field. The leaders caught the back of the pack with half a dozen laps complete, as Noel Snow took the lead. An incident in the 2nd turn with 9 laps on the board slowed the pace again, but couldn’t keep Snow from Dart Heating & Air Conditioning victory lane. Kris Khan and Ember Junkin were next to cross the line.
All feature race finishes are unofficial, pending post-race technical inspection.
Heat race wins went to Jake Kelly, Malcolm ‘Pops’ MacDonald, Dave Feeney and Sean Kennedy in the Battlefield Equipment Rental 4Fun, with Howie Crowe, Fedele DiBello and Anthony DiBello with a pair taking the same honours in the Thunder Car division. Cole Ledson, Matt Haufe, Cole McFadden and Dave Riopelle won the Eastern Ontario Legends qualifiers. Bryan Mercer and Dan McHattie shared the Organics & Glass Late Model checkered flags. Jiffy Lube Mini Stock heat races went to Neil Hannah with a pair, Noel Snow and Kris Khan.
Next on the calendar is the Touring Chase for the Colours Pole Qualifier with the OSCAAR Super Late Models, Modifieds, Midgets and Pro Midgets; along with the home track 4Fun and Mini Stock classes. Pit gates open at 2 p.m. Saturday, with spectator grandstands unlocked at 4 p.m. and the first green flag at 6 p.m.
NOTES: Heather Boundy of Lake St. Peter took home the $648 50/50 draw prize, in support of the Millbrook Lions Club .... The summer season game of racing musical chairs continued Saturday night as Matthew Vanderbelt steered the No. 19 machine of Shawn Soloman in 4Fun action and former track champion Ryan Babin ran the No. 63 Mini Stock. Nolan Gould of Almonte made the trek from the National Capital region to log his first laps of the year in the Mini Stock field, while Doug Hanchard made his 2017 debut in the Late Model ranks .... Popular Thunder Car runner Howie Crowe returned to action after a lengthy layoff.