Picture: SNAPPERIFIC PHOTOGRAPHY
FORMER Mount Gambier speedway racer Stephanie Munn is on “cloud nine” after claiming her first Formula 500 A Main win at Avalon speedway Saturday night.
The win came after a long five-year stint in the sport, but with a new car last November.
The competitive class provides plenty of fast action, with Munn against some of the fastest drivers in the country when she regularly races in Victoria.
That was the case Saturday night, but it did not faze the young driver, as she started from pole position in the A Main feature race and led to the chequered flag, an impressive feat against such a strong field.
“It was my first win ever so it was pretty good,” Munn said.
“When you race against the top 10 cars in Australia every week and you try to beat them, when you finally do it … I do not even have any words for it.”
Munn began the night on the pace, starting out of eighth place in her first heat, then moving up to fourth at the chequered flag.
“In our second heat we were due to start out of position three, but the person in front of me could not make it onto the track so we started out of pole,” she said.
“We led the whole race and won that.”
That success saw Munn fourth on points heading to the feature race.
However, a peculiarity of the sport played out and she again started out of pole.
“For this particular round there was an invert, so the pole sitter had an option to either take the position or get $100,” Munn said.
“The pole sitter took the money and took my spot, so I started out of pole position.
“I have never started out of pole in an A Main, so it was a pretty nerve-racking final to say the least.”
Those nerves were compounded, with Munn alongside Dion Bellman, a recent Speedweek winner.
“I was feeling pretty strong, but then I saw who I was starting alongside of,” she said.
“I know how good he is and how good his car is, so it was pretty scary.
“I did not know how the race was going to play out and I definitely did not expect to win it.”
From there the pressure continued to rise, with three red-light restarts.
Bellman won the first two, but from there Munn was up to the challenge.
“The last time I knew I had to get it right,” she said.
“I did and we led from start to finish.”
With the front runners setting a hot pace, Munn soon encountered lapped traffic, something she had no experience to deal with.
“The first few cars I passed easy, then I came to a pack where the cars were all over the track,” she said.
“I did not know where I was going to pass them and that is where Dion caught up.”
From there a caution period bunched the field up, with Bellman hot on Munn’s tail.
“I knew I had to watch the start because I know Dion has a good car and a good engine,” Munn said.
“I have seen how he races and know he usually goes around people on the first turn of a restart.
“I was expecting it to happen, but luckily for me I pulled away and he could not get around me.”
Munn now heads to Murray Bridge this weekend, before a run at home at the Borderline Speedway on March 29.
“It would be nice to try to get a win in front of my home crowd,” she said.
