By Trevor Jackson
ANOTHER night racing at Murray Bridge has produced another podium for the Starks sprintcar out of Port MacDonnell.
With Daniel Pestka behind the wheel, the team claimed a third place in the A Main feature race, behind winner Matt Egel and and runner-up Luke Dillon.
It was an impressive result for the Limestone Coast team, with the fields continuing to improve as each meeting unfolds.
With some Covid-19 restrictions still in place full fields are not yet in play, but they don’t come much better than what Pestka faced at Murray Bridge.
The likes of Egel, Dillon, Brad Keller, Ryan Jones and Glen Sutherland were all on the pace, but Pestka showed his hand early in the time trial where he finished third behind Jones and Dillon.
He dropped one place in his opening heat to finish third, but then moved from seventh up to fifth in his second heat to start from fifth on the grid in the feature race.
While Pestka’s time trial was on the pace, he said he struggled early to dial the car in.
“The first lap I did was terrible but the second lap was all right,” he said.
“We didn’t really have a good run through the heats – I didn’t get a good start in the first heat but the car was pretty good.
“We got better as the night went on and had it perfect for the A Main.”
Pestka said overall the car is in good shape, always the same every time he hops in.
that paid off in the A Main where he quickly moved up to third and held that position from there.
“The track was fast for the A Main but off the bottom,” he said.
“I got off to a good start and sat in behind the two leaders.
“We got into lapped traffic and they couldn’t get past so it was pretty interesting with the three of us nose to tail for a while.”
Pestka recorded the second fastest lap in the feature race, just behind fourth-placed Keller.
He said he is now looking forward to the remainder of the season, especially with Mount Gambier’s open race fast approaching.
“I can’t wait for the opening night at the Borderline Speedway,” Pestka said.
“Hopefully most of the Victorians will come across and it should be a good night.
“We have a new sponsor on board with Moreland Holdings so it will be good to have them on the car when we get to Mount Gambier.”
The Borderline Speedway kicks off on November 27.
