A SMALL field of just 10 drivers fronted the starter for the last round of the 2022 Motorkhana Series at the Glenburnie Saleyards Complex on Sunday.
Jason Sims and Bev Shute put together an interesting set of tests to keep the drivers entertained and were lucky enough to see some sunshine.
Test 1 layout, Double Bone, got things under way on a dry surface, with plenty of grip for those serious competitors.
Damien Wilson found enough grip to claim fastest time in the first attempt, clear of Jason Sims by 1.1 seconds, with Ken Trimnell another four-tenths behind.
Phil Wilson was next home, with four-tenths of a second the gap to him and Will Argoon.
On the second attack Damien Wilson pulled another 1.3 seconds off the previous time for another first spot from Phil Wilson, who found a better line, six-tenths behind his brother and the same margin in front of Jason Sims, also a second quicker than his first attempt.
Ken Trimnell held on for fourth spot and Ashton Slotegraaf was just 0.011 seconds behind in fifth.
Next test layout, Gables, saw Damien Wilson, Phil Wilson, Sims and Trimnell finish one, two, three and four in both runs.
Slotegraaf came home in fifth on the first run, with Argoon fifth in the second run.
Triple Loop had been chosen for the next test layout and Damien Wilson headed the group, from Sims, Trimnell, Phil Wilson, Slotegraaf and Argoon for the first run.
Sims got the spot in the second go from Trimnell, Phil Wilson, Damien Wilson in fourth – after collecting a flag on the way – and Slotegraaf again fifth.
Next setup, Gable Slalom saw the same group 1-5 with Damien Wilson first, Sims second, Trimnell third, Phil Wilson fourth and Slotegraaf fifth in both attempts.
Manoeuvring was the next layout, with Damien Wilson continuing to set fastest time for the first run, from Sims, Phil Wilson, Trimnell and Argoon with the gap from first to fifth only 5.5 seconds.
Second pass and Sims scored the top spot from Phil Wilson, Trimnell and Damien Wilson – with another marker penalty – heading Slotegraaf in fifth, with the margin cross the top 5 only four seconds.
Bandit layout was next and again Damien Wilson found speed and set the pace from Trimnell, Sims, Phil Wilson and Slotegraaf for the first attempt.
On the second run Damien Wilson improved by two-tenths of a second and set fastest time on from Sims, Phil Wilson and Trimnell, with Geoff Wilson in fifth spot.
After a lunch break, Mothballs layout saw Damian Wilson fastest, from Sims, Phil Wilson, Trimnell and Slotegraaf.
The second pass saw the finishing order for 1-4 the same, but with junior Henry Sims making it home in fifth spot in the family Celica.
Corridor again saw Damien Wilson scored the first points from Jason Sims, Trimnell, Phil Wilson and Geoff Wilson all about one second apart.
Jason Senior came home in first spot in the second run from Phil Wilson, Trimnell, Slotegraaf and Geoff Wilson.
A crowd favourite, Try Angles was up next and Ken Trimnell enjoyed the layout on the first attempt, home ahead of Damien Wilson by 2/100th of a second (28.04 to 28.06) from Jason Sims, Phil Wilson and Slotegraaf.
On the second pass, Damien Wilson led the way from Trimnell, Jason Sims, Phil Wilson and Slotegraaf.
Next layout, Double Loop, is a quick test and Damien Wilson made another fastest time from Jason Sims, Trimnell, Phil Wilson and Geoff Wilson with the gap from first to fifth less than three seconds.
The second run saw Jason Sims make it to the top spot by 1/100th of a second from Damien Wilson (27.02 to 27.03), with Trimnell a half a second behind, then Slotegraaf and Phil Wilson.
Still enjoying a dry surface and keeping an eye on the approaching weather, the director set up Square Slalom.
Damien Wilson made it home from Jason Sims, Phil Wilson, Trimnell and Lindsay Beare in fifth.
Jason Sims tidied up his run and set the pace in the second run to head off Phil Wilson, Damien Wilson, all on 23 seconds (23.05, 23.72 and 23.82) with Trimnell fourth and Beare again in fifth.
The last change to the test for the day, Accordion was the choice and, no surprises, Damien Wilson headed the pack home with Jason Sims, Phil Wilson, Trimnell and Slotegraaf in the first run.
Sims had a better run in the second pass to top the sheets from Phil Wilson, Damien Wilson, Trimnell and Slotegraaf.
Both club juniors Henry Sims and Max Virtanen were right up with the more seasoned campaigners and will feature in the top runners in the not-too-distant future.
Placings for the final round of the 2022 series will be influential in the count for the year, as the top five spots were close at the end of Round 4.
Outright positions for Round 5 saw Damien Wilson first with a total time of 750.00 seconds, including three five-second penalties along the way.
Jason Sims came home in second place with a total time of 753.39 seconds, Phil Wilson third (775.59), Trimnell fourth (784.98) and Slotegraaf fifth (849.49).
When handicaps were applied Jason Sims topped the leaderboard, from Damian Wilson, with all other positions the same.
Class results
Class C: Damien Wilson; Class D: Jason Sims; Class B: Ken Trimnell; Class M: Geoff Wilson; Class Junior: Henry Sims.
The next event for the South Eastern Automobile Club in The Legend of the Lakes, to be run at the Valley Lakes area on November 11, 12 and 13.
