A HUGE field of competitors descended on the Borderline Speedway Friday night for round two of the Victorian Formula 500 Speedweek.
A total of 48 drivers nominated for the night, which included some of the fastest in the country.
The racing lived up to expectations and certainly complemented the World Series Sprintcars it supported.
However, in a controversial decision the A Main event was declared after eight laps due to rain, but the final results stood.
While some drivers were less than happy with the decision, the rule book was produced which clearly stated that could be the case.
Regardless of the result, throughout the night there was no shortage of action.
Jake Hose and American Koen Shaw had signed up for the Mansell Motorsport team, with Hose claiming third place in heat one, while former Mount Gambier girl Steph Munn finished in ninth.
Mitchell Broome was offered a drive in the Wyers machine and took up the challenge, but engine issues hampered his performance throughout the heats.
He did finish ninth in heat three to provide some early points.
Heat four saw Shaw in fifth, while Penola’s Patrick Merrett finished in eighth.
Merrett continued his hot pace in heat eight, claiming the win, with Munn in fourth and Hose in ninth.
Due to his mechanical issues Broome was forced to come through the C Main, where he finished in fifth place to move up to the B Main.
With an impressive drive Merrett claimed the win in the B, while Hose finished sixth, Broome 11th and Munn 15th.
That put Broome and Munn out for the night, but after the A Main event for the sprintcars, the rain began to fall and few laps were completed for the Formula 500s.
An accident slowed proceedings further and when it was decided the rain had set in the race was declared and Chris Bellman was classed as the winner, ahead of American Jake Andreotti and Thomas Davies.
Shaw finished in eighth, Merrett 10th and Hose 16th.
From there the series headed to the Western Speedway, where Hose finished eighth in the A Main, Munn 10th and Shaw 17th.
The series moved on to the Mid Western Speedway, where Shaw put the USA88 Mansell Motorsport machine on the inside of the front row for the start of the A Main.
He brought it home in second place, while Hose managed 10th, Merrett 11th and Munn 15th.
After four rounds of competition both Shaw and Hose are in the top 10, flying the flag well for the Mount Gambier team.
