Matty’s Our New Speedway King

January 28, 2018

NSW driver – and current Modified Sedans national champion – Matty Smith was crowned King of Kingaroy on Saturday after three nights of racing at the South Burnett Speedway.

The 50-lap final of the IBRP Kings Royal featured some of Australia’s top speedway drivers, including last year’s King, Greg Worling, Mark Raymont and Rodney Pammenter.

The sixth annual Kings Royal – the South Burnett Speedway Club’s premier annual event – consisted of 35 heats and the final raced across three days.

The event  is for Modified Sedans, ie race cars built on the base of four-seat hardtop sedan, and is the richest for this category of racing in Australia.

New attractions this year included live-streaming of the racing and a giant video screen at the track.

A large crowd packed into the stands around the showground arena to watch the final on Saturday night.

The excitement grew as each vehicle was welcomed onto the track and did a lap of honour accompanied by fireworks.

Kingaroy driver Brett Barron started on the front row after finishing on the top of the points table following two nights of racing.

He quickly became involved in a duel for second place during the opening laps of the final with West Australian champion Clint Noakes.

Smith, who had finished just three points behind Barron on Friday night, led the field in his Nissan 300ZX.

Noakes eventually got the better of Barron and then went on to tackle Smith, taking the lead mid-way through the race as the leader got tangled up in traffic.

But Smith fought back and then roared away to record an easy four second win, also notching up the fastest lap time during the race, 17.359 seconds.

Noakes managed to just outpace Toowoomba driver Rodney Pammenter, who had rocketed his way through the field, to take second place.

Worling, who has been crowned king twice in previous years at Kingaroy, had a horror race, retiring after just one lap.

Barron pulled out midway, on Lap 25.

Kings Royal – A Main Results:

1. Matty Smith
2. Clint Noakes
3. Rodney Pammenter

[Photos by Mr Click – Darrell Lockhart]

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A new event at the Kings Royal meeting this year was the Queens Royal – a Production Car event on Saturday featuring only female drivers.

Queensland driver Maddi McGee was crowned after overcoming a big field in the heats and final.

The 2014 Tasmanian Junior Sedan Champion has only just begun racing in the senior division, so it was a huge night for Maddi who comes from a big speedway family.

  Speedway