VICTORIAN Dion Bellman has been crowned SA #1 after a stunning victory Saturday night in the Formula 500 South Australian Championships at the Borderline Speedway.
Bellman was clearly the fastest driver on the night, greeting the chequered flag in the A Main feature race ahead of Shane Van Duhnhoven and Jack Bell.
For Limestone Coast fans Patrick Merrett managed a solid sixth place in the final, while Jordan Mansell finished 13th.
Early in the night Bell claimed the heat one win, with Mount Gambier’s Steph Munn home in a credible fourth place.
Munn was showing strong pace, but an incident in a later heat would hurt her chances for the remainder of the night.
Heat two saw Mansell claim the honours ahead of the fast Bellman, while Merrett managed a fifth place in heat three.
Heat four saw Bellman top the list, with Merrett fifth and Mansell down in seventh, but both Limestone Coast drivers were showing plenty of pace in the star-studded field.
Heat six saw a DNF for Munn, while Bell went on to win.
Munn returned for heat seven, but an incident saw another DNF and put paid to any solid result.
Mansell put in another solid drive to come home in fifth in heat eight, while in heat nine Merrett managed a third place.
Munn contested the B Main, but the earlier issues had clearly affected the car, with a DNF ending a disappointing night after showing so much speed early.
The A Main feature continued the high-octane action of the night, with plenty of spectacular racing to keep the crowd entertained.
While Mansell was fighting down the order, Merrett was making his presence felt mid-pack, working his way forward with a solid drive.
As the laps wound down he threatened the front runners, with his top-10 finish a worthy reward against a tough field of contenders.
The condition of the new track at the Borderline Speedway provided the ideal surface for the fast class of racing, with the smooth corners allowing plenty of sideways action and pace to complement the sprintcars that headlined the opening night of action.
