Batchelor pulls off production feature hat-trick in Mt Barker

Jason Batchelor made it a hat-trick of wins in Mt Barker’s production sedan feature, prevailing in a thrilling 20-lap final at Les Gorman Park on Saturday afternoon.

Michael Clark and Batchelor started on the front row in the feature race and Clark was able to lead for most of the 20 laps.

However, the experienced Batchelor passed Clark around the outside in the dying stages of the race to take the win, the third season in a row he has emerged the production sedan champion at the event.

Batchelor crossed the line 0.559 seconds ahead of Katanning’s Jake Blight, who had the quickest lap of the final, while Albany’s Aydan Trewern grabbed third place in the concluding laps.

Clark finished a gallant fourth in the final and former national and State champion Ron Belfield was fifth and Mt Barker’s Lincoln Coleman rounded out the top six.

In heat one Clark was a narrow winner over Trewern before Batchelor powered to victory in heat two and set a new production sedan track record of 18.147sec. in the process.

Heat three belonged to Blight winning by 2.272sec. from Belfield and Batchelor continued his successful afternoon in heat four.

Coleman was too strong on his home clay in heat five, beating home Rob Wolfenden. The final qualifier was an epic with Clark crossing the line 0.284sec. ahead of Belfield and Blight was also right there in third place.

In the support divisions Damon Trouchet was the top point scorer in the super sedans, winning from Chris Pavlovich and Tony St Jack.

Anthony Perrella was the winner in street stocks from Justin Pianto and Myra Oborne and in the formula 125s Chris Pittaway topped the points.

Jarrod Pearce finished victorious in the junior sedans from Bryce Fisher and Brock Pearce.

Mt Barker Speedway Club’s next meeting will be on Saturday, January 2 with a junior sedan feature, family fun day plus classic car and motorbike display.