Heading into the event, Warren Oldfield had never won the John Day Classic, was struggling with a new car combination and hadn’t won at Western Australia’s Perth Motorplex since April of 2023. That all changed.
With 22 cars on hand for what was also the sixth round of the Pro Dirt Series proudly presented by SupaFit Seat Covers, heat race wins were shared by Brent Vosbergen, Luke Halliday, Jamie Oldfield and Jason Oldfield, Vosbergen and Jamie Oldfield doing enough in their second heats to start on the front row of the thirty-lap main event.
As the main event went green, Vosbergen and Jamie hit the line together, Jamie able to get the advantage around the outside through the opening turns to lead the opening lap by just 0.058 seconds.
Lap two saw Oldfield able to move clearly into the lead while further back Halliday was running third, chased by Tasmanian Brad Smith.
Oldfield switched to the low line and Vosbergen went high, but all that did was enable to Oldfield to get slightly further ahead. The gap back to Halliday was widening, who in turn was putting a gap between himself and Smith, who was now under attack from Jason and Warren Oldfield.
Jason grabbed fourth on lap five, while a lap later Jamie and Brent found themselves encountering the first of the lapped traffic.
Lap seven saw Brent close the gap once again, but he was unable to make the pass, as Warren Oldfield grabbed fifth from Smith and in a rare move, he shifted to the outside as he looked to get around brother Jason, grabbing fourth on lap eight.
Further back, Australian Champion Joe Chalmers was slicing his way through the field after starting 17th, into seventh by lap 10.
Jamie and Brent were side-by-side as they crossed the line on lap 12, Oldfield high through turns one and two allowing Vosbergen to dive through and lead lap 13.
Halliday was now running a lonely race in third while Warren, Jason and Smith were in close quarters, Chalmers also closing on the back of them.
Chalmers would eye off Smith and look for a way through but in turn two it all came undone, the duo coming together and stopping, Chalmers sent to the rear for the incident.
Halliday was the one who made a challenge on the restart, diving under Vosbergen and Oldfield, but only able to settle in front of Oldfield for second.
One lap was completed before David Nylander came to a stop in turn three, bringing out the yellow flag once again with 14 laps remaining.
Vosbergen maintained the lead briefly on the restart, but Jamie was quickly around his outside to lead lap seventeen, while Warren also shuffled Halliday back as he claimed third.
Lap 19 saw Jamie all of a sudden bounce through the track and dramatically slow, Warren able to get around both him and Vosbergen to take the lead, Vosbergen second and Jamie able to recover to run third.
With around eight laps remaining Warren would hold the lead over Vosbergen, Jamie, Halliday and Jason, Chalmers able to move past a number of cars once again including Brad Blake to take sixth, then fifth from Jason.
Six to go and the yellows were out again as Smith and Blake came together, both cars stranded facing backwards on the main straight.
This time the field would restart single file, Warren leading away Vosbergen, Jamie, Halliday and Chalmers.
Warren was away while the pack of four cars would battle for second behind them, Vosbergen able to maintain the position as both Halliday and Chalmers got past Jamie.
With two to go Chalmers got past Halliday for third, but up front it was all Warren, building his lead each lap and recording his first win at the Motorplex since April of 2023.
Vosbergen would hold second and Chalmers was third across the line, with Halliday and Jamie Oldfield rounding out the top five finishers.
After a big few weeks the late models will now have a rest before getting back underway on Boxing Day at Perth.