Fleming Draws First Blood In Perth Speedcar Opener

Plenty of people had plenty of ideas about how the opening night of the season would go at Australia’s Perth Motorplex, but one thing in speedway is sure and that is you can never be sure of anything.

Sunday night at Perth Motorplex, the season officially kicked off for the Speedcars and when the smoke and dust settled, it was Keenan Fleming who stood atop the mountain to welcome in the season.

The night started with a pleasant surprise, Rob Golding racing his way to a pleasantly surprising heat race victory, holding off a hard-charging Tom Payet (Bennett Motorsport) who threw everything at him but couldn’t get by.

Heat two saw Payet improve to claim the win while Fleming would lock in the final heat race win of the evening. 

Unfortunately heat racing action would be marred by a big crash for rookie driver Isiah Matich in the final heat. After missing the opening race due to diff problems, Matich would complete just three laps before upending his No. 5 machine in what was a rough welcome to the world of Speedcar racing.

With the heat race points tallied it would be Payet from pole position for the 20-lap feature race while Patrick Watson would join him on the front row courtesy of his two second place results.

After the initial start was called back, Payet got the better of the second attempt racing ahead of Watson. Jake Robinson  was looking menacing early as he looked for a way underneath Watson in third before Fleming came from nowhere, racing by into third.

Another Speedcar rookie in Chris Dymock was also getting in the thick of the action, passing heat one winner Golding for fifth before New Zealand visitor Michael Pickens began picking his way through the field and passed both cars.

Pickens would now lock onto the back of Robinson as behind him the pack of Dymock, Beau Doyle, Cody Nash, Rob and Dan Golding were all fighting it out, a number of wheel-to-wheel contacts being made.

Back up front, Payet was over two seconds in front at the halfway point as Fleming, who had moved past Watson, was looking to close the gap. Pickens continued his strong run and got by Robinson for fourth, then Watson for third.

All of a sudden Payet slowed and headed infield on lap twelve, seeing Fleming inherit the lead, battling his way through lapped cars as Pickens, now in second looked to chase him down.

With five laps to go Fleming had cleared the lapped cars, putting three of them between himself and Pickens, giving him the chance to stretch his legs.

Pickens continued his work through and managed to get past a gaggle of lapped cars before suddenly swerving to the infield and out of the race, Fleming now seven seconds ahead of second-placed Watson.

As all this was happening, Cody Nash, who started from position fourteen in the grid after mechanical gremlins struck in the heat races, had worked his way through the field and closed in on the back of Watson, making the move in the dying stages to steal second as Fleming went on to win, Watson settling for third. 

It was a great way to start off the season for the Western Australian Speedcars and now focus shifts to six days’ time when the series return to Perth for the Neville Lance Twin 14’s event.