by Dean Thompson
Speedway returned to West Gippsland for the new season last weekend with an enjoyable Saturday afternoon of racing and family fun through ramp racing sending everybody home happy.

Thomas McDonald from Koo wee rup took out victory in the second round of the Eastern Wingless Sprint series whilst Bree Walker from Trafalgar won the first round of the women's standard saloon series and Darwyn Lee in particular and Brendan Sheedy entertained in the ramp racing.
Other winners included Chris Miles in the open standard saloons and his nephew Nathan Miles, both of Catani, winning their class finals.
Local Bunyip racer and Drouin committee representative Scott Irons began local hopes strongly when he won heat one in the wingless sprints, using local awareness of track and track conditions to get past Gavin Fitzpatrick, Marcus Fraser and Ben Hodge quickly. McDonald then won heat two after leading every lap.
Marcus Fraser from Lucknow was too good in heat three before Jack Regan claimed a win in the final qualifier.
A 25-lap final got underway with McDonald and Fraser off the front row and Irons and Esther Thomson on the second and Ricky Mills and Jack Regan on row three as 16 starters began the race.
McDonald led Fraser who chased hard with Irons in third until lap nine when he collected the concrete wall at turn four and his race ended.
Ricky Mills had a strong race, having won at Drouin previously.
He moved to third and then second on lap 15 when Fraser's challenge came to an end as he spun out of contention and rejoined at the back of the field, Thomson moved into third.
The field circulated faster and faster as the race cycled through, and the track took more rubber.
On the rubbered line the pace picked up with the first eight in the order breaking the 17-second mark and McDonald clocking 16.417 on a track that prior to then had been in the 17-second bracket.
McDonald clicked past the chequered flag more than two seconds in front of Mills, Thomson, Fitzpatrick and Daryl Coon who rounded out the top five.
Bree Walker began the first round of the women's standard saloon series with wins in heats one and two before Kate Stuchbery won the third heat race just ahead of Tasharni Murray.
Stuchbery, Murray and Michelle George had a great little battle amongst themselves before George on lap five secured the second spot.
Walker stormed to the finish five seconds ahead to defeat George, Murray, Stuchbery and the returning Vicky Price.
Nathan Miles won every race in the junior standard saloons whilst Ella Sheedy and Cooper Irons swapped second and third spot amongst themselves, Miles winning the final by five seconds from Sheedy and Irons.
Club legend Leigh Gooding got his day off to a great start when he won the first of four heat races in open standard saloons.
Gooding held off a terrific Andy Evans by just .743 of a second before Brendan Sheedy from Bunyip won an even closer race in heat by .306 of a second when he defeated new senior racer Bryce Leek.
Chris Miles won heat three and his brother Andrew Miles from Pakenham won the final qualifier.
Chris Miles and Leigh Gooding started on the front row in the final with Andrew Miles. Evans, Leek and Anthony Murray.
Chris Miles claimed the front spot on lap one. His brother Andrew took six laps before he could pass Gooding and move to second spot whilst Kacey Ingram exited to the infield early with car damage.
Andrew chased Chris with vigour and closed the gap late in the 15-lap final before Chris Miles won by .306 ahead of Andrew Miles, Gooding, Evans and Leek.
In ramp racing Jeff Blencowe, Brendan Sheedy and Darwyn Lee put on a fun filled finale to the day with plenty of air between the bottom of the car and the track as they went over jumps on either side of the speedway.
Bits and pieces fell off the Lee's car in particular, the concrete wall along pit straight copped several scrapes and the last man standing after breakdowns and damage was Lee much to the delight of the fans.
Drouin Speedway returns on December 8 with a demolition derby and a standard saloon feature event headlining the show.