Jamie Veal is the 2018/2019 Lord Mayor’s Gold Cup winner after a stout drive in the Aussie Forklift Repairs sponsored 30-lap A-Main in Grand Opening Night at Valvoline Raceway.

It was Veal’s sixteenth career feature race victory in the SWI Engineering Maxim as he used the low-line to lethal effect to lead home Sam Walsh in second, Robbie Farr in third, Warren Ferguson fourth, Matt Dumesny fifth, Troy Little sixth, Daniel Sayre seventh, Max Dumesny eighth, Paul Jeffrey in a ripping drive for ninth and Max Johnston tenth.

Sam Walsh sped from pole at the start of the race to open up a sizeable lead over Farr until Jeremy Cross brought on the red lights with a big rollover on the main straight after contact with Warrnambool racer Jye O’Keefe on lap five.

Until that point Central Coast racer Alex Orr was making big inroads on the field using the highline before he jumped the cushion and lost several positions.

Walsh was using the cushion to gain plenty of speed before Warrnambool’s Veal passed Robbie Farr and began using the low-line to run down the leader.

With ten laps remaining Veal passed Walsh on the low side but the favor was soon returned and the lead duo went at it for two laps before the second-generation drive of the SWI #35 began to pull away.

Aussie Forklift Repairs Lord Mayor’s Gold Cup USC A-Main results:

1. Jamie Veal
2. Sam Walsh
3. Robbie Farr
4. Warren Ferguson
5. Matt Dumesny
6. Troy Little
7. Daniel Sayre
8. Max Dumesny
9. Paul Jeffrey
10. Max Johnston
11. Mick Saller
12. Jackson Delamont
13. Danny Reidy
14. Michael Stewart
15. Grant Anderson
16. Dean Brindle
17. Ben Atkinson
18. Jordyn Brazier
19. Matt Geering
20. Alex Orr
21. Braydan Willmington
22. Jye O’Keefe

Heat race winners were Jamie Veal, Daniel Sayre, Robbie Farr and Sam Walsh.

Heartbreak for Sydney budget racer Grant Tunks saw him destroy his new chassis in a crash with Andrew Wright and Blake Skipper.

“I think that’s my season done,” said an emotional Tunks after the race, “we can’t afford to fix this I don’t think. This could be the end of us.”

The Pole Shootout final was won by Sam Walsh in the Rocket #92 but not before a titanic battle with Robbie Farr in the Hi-Tec Oils #7.

The B-Main saw Jeremy Cross win ahead of fellow A-Main transferees Grant Anderson (last season’s opening night winner), Dean Brindle and Matt Geering. Geering’s big drive to make the transfer in the last two laps was impressive.

The United Acreage Late Model ‘double prize-money double points’ A-Main was won by Ryan Fenech who timed his run beautifully to relieve Clayton Pyne of the number one position with thirteen laps remaining in the 30-lap affair.

Early leader was Sydney veteran Darryl Grimson before second-generation racer Clayton Pyne took command with fourteen laps remaining.

Grimson pulled second place back off Pyne with Todd Bayley racing to fourth and Nathan Disney rounding out the top five.

United Acreage Marketing Late Model A-Main results:

1. Ryan Fenech
2. Darryl Grimson
3. Clayton Pyne
4. Todd Bayley
5. Nathan Disney
6. Darren Kane
7. Nathan Smee
8. Blake Lutiger
9. Tim Bink
10. Darrell Kime
11. Liam Heaton

Australian champion Darren Kane narrowly missed a top five in finishing sixth ahead of Nathan Smee (doing double duty in Speedcars also) seventh, Blake Lutiger eighth, Tim Bink ninth and Darrell Kime tenth.

Heat wins went to Darryl Grimson and Ryan Fenech.

Quick time in qualifying was also picked up by Darryl Grimson.

The Speedcar main event success went to Matt Jackson who drove a cool and calculated race to lead home a livewire performance by Nathan Smee in second place, Jaimie McKinlay third, Michael Jordan fourth and Adam Clarke finishing fifth.

Rounding out the top ten were DJ Raw, Dean Meadows, Bob Jackson, Jeffrey Burns and Brett Davies.

Heat race wins went to Nathan Smee, Kiwi hard charger Chris McCutcheon, Adam Clarke and Matt Jackson.

Speedcar A-Main results:

1. Matt Jackson
2. Nathan Smee
3. Jaimie McKinlay
4. Michael Jordan
5. Adam Clarke
6. DJ Raw
7. Dean Meadows
8. Bob Jackson
9. Jeffrey Burns
10. Brett Davies
11. Troy Jordan
12. Daniel Paterson
13. Glen Arnold

Ends release…