31/08/2026
THE RESPECTED SMITHS, WIN 3 HOUR ENDURO AT ALEXANDRA SPEEDWAY
Alexandra Speedway nestled in foothills of the great dividing range roared into action on Saturday evening (29/8) with the annual three-hour endurance teams event plus Junior Sedans and Standard Saloons. After a gruelling race with many of the pre-event favourites quests for victory undone by tyres, and damage through the race, Dale Smith who by his own teammates admission, done most of the racing, won with his father Russell Smith much to the delight of their fellow competitors when it came to event presentations.
Alexandra put in place a new concept for the weekend where instead of qualifying for position, the fans would get involved with their children and the children would select team numbers from a bag, and that team would then start in the position they were drawn.
With a twist, Karl Dingley the Chief Steward of the event and Rod Meakins a Alexandra life member, put together $300 dollars and offered the team of Nathan OāBrien and Josh Barber a deal to take, if they swapped positions with last drawn team of Kellie Latham and Josh Service, the $300 would go to the Royal Childrenās Hospital as a donation. Nathan and Josh did not hesitate to accept the deal and place themselves last, just a terrific gesture all round by Karl and Rod and then Nathan and Josh to accept.
In support racing prior to the 3hr Enduro, Junior 1200cc Sedan competitors held their feature race in which Victorian champion Jaylin Knight defeated, Kobi Knight and Lucas Magor. In Standard Saloon racing, a last corner pass by longtime club stalwart Wayne Sheerman on visiting racer Colin Connolly, seen him sn**ch victory at the finish line by 0.072 of a second with Leigh Gooding coming to the line in third.
The Enduro then began with the top ten line up of Latham and Service, then Jasmin Molloy & Lucas Conder, Nathan Miles and Andrew Mitchell, Wayne and Travis Ramsdale, Alexandra town locals Luke and Will Fallon, Darren OāBrien and Scott Chippindall, Jarrod Hughes & Steve Mitchell, Caleb Lincoln and Father Colin Lincoln, Andrew Cormack and Conway Fry, and Anthony Sharam and Danny Eastham.
At the tail of the field were fancied teams such as OāBrien and Barber who took the to the rear of the field challenge, plus David Donegan and Ian Thomsen on the second last row, Brendan and Damien Miller from position twenty, and defending champions Shane OāBrien and Lennie Bonnici from eighteenth.
When the green flag dropped, Josh Service grabbed the lead and led lap one from Andrew Mitchell and Travis Ramsdale with the Millerās moving up six spots into fourteenth on the first lap. The Lincolnās who had began in seventh eighth, were in third by the end of lap two and moving into second not long after. At the ten-lap mark Service had led every circulation with Team Lincolnās in second then Team Fallonās, then Brad Warren and Dave Hutchinson, and team Ramsdaleās. The team of Hughes and Steve Mitchell had already suffered damage and tailed the field.
Team Lincoln took the lead at lap twelve from Service and the Millers moved into the top five. With cars having mechanical issues and tyres popping of the rims or just going flat, the field yo-yoed up and down in terms of positioning. At lap twenty the Lincolns still held the lead from Service with the Millers now in third. The pit stops started to begin for many of the capable of winning teams around lap twenty-four where the Ramsdale and the Fallonās for example entered the pit lane for a change over, the Lincolnās pitted on lap twenty-five handing the race lead back to Josh Service who would soon tag in Kellie Latham.
At lap thirty, Service had not yet pitted although everybody knew it was coming. Lennie Bonnici was in second and Dale Smith in third ahead of the Gareth Wilson and Dave Barrie combination. That pit-stop for Service had not yet eventuated with forty laps on the board. Incredibly in an endurance race hard on the body despite, the safety belts and constricted seat that locks the driver in place, along with Bonnici, Dale Smith and some of the back of the field starters, the drivers were showing incredible durability with the OāBrien and Barber combination from twenty-sixth to fifth.
Service still led at lap fifty, from Bonnici and Smith. With Jak Brennan and Matt Shankland, a new entry into the top five before Service headed to the pits on lap fifty-three. With a larger fuel tank capacity, Bonnici soldiered on from first whilst Donegan and Thomsen hot the top five and were in third. Bonnici pitted to hand the reigns to teammate Shane OāBrien on lap sixty Smith held the lead until lap eighty-four before pit stops handed the lead to the Fallonās who had pitted earlier.
The Millerās hit the lead for the first time of the race for them on lap seventy-six and had like other teams been racing patiently to get to the front avoiding non-necessary contact trying to pass cars they know they can fly by in a better spot. The Brennan/Shankland combination was in third spot at this stage.
It was at lap one hundred and twenty-six that the Millers pitted and still returned to the track in second place incredibly. The Fallonās led from the Millers, Donegan/Thomsen, the Smithās and Shane Roycroft and Lee Beach whom had recovered from early race mechanical inconveniences. A couple of laps latter the Donegan/Thomsen combination hit the front of the race with the Smithās up to second, the Fallonās back to third. Dale Smith sn**ched the lead again on lap one hundred and thirty-three with the Fallonās and Roycroft/Beach teams in the top three.
Combinations such as Danny OāBrien and Rob Bushell found time in the top three as those cars that had formed the fast top ten, broke down or made scheduled stops. At lap one hundred and seventy, the Smithās still held the lead from the Fallonās, Donegan/Thomsen and the Ramsdaleās and now OāBrien and Bushell.
From there the Smithās were never headed, had an easy change over between son back to father with no idea how in front they were when Daleās car started to cough. Russell raced the closing laps to the end where they had completed two hundred and sixteen and finished ahead by nine laps from the Ramsdale team, with Donegan/Thomsen in third place, Latham and Service fourth and Danny OāBrien and rob Bushell in fifth thirteen laps down on the leader.
Just outside the top ten were the likes of the Fallon team, the Millerās, Brennan and Shankland, with Sharam and Eastham delighted to be in the top ten as were Chippindall and Darren OāBrien in seventh.
After race presentations included awards to Wayne Sheerman, Jaylin Knight and the Donegan/Thomsen team for their team and car presentations. Plus, to Shane Roycroft and Lee Beach for being in the tenth spot at that time of the sixty-ninth lap of the race. A huge honour was then bestowed on the race winners, when their peers voted them the most respected competitors of the event, as he accepted this acknowledgement, Dale Smith Started by mentioning that such an award takes more significance than any race winning trophy can, in which Russell Smith concurred, it is nice to be recognised for where they stand in the racing community.
Onto the presentations and whilst the top five all had a host of mentions and comments to make; it came back to the winners of the Smithās who were truly humbled to have finally made a huge win like this. Dale had won in recent seasons many Sports Sedan racers including state series rounds, and the odd club feature here and there. For both himself winning the race with his father, and for his father Russell winning it with his son, nothing can top the feeling they had at that moment, perhaps except marriages and having children.
With the event in the books, Alexandra now look forward to their season proper beginning for 26/27 on November 14th, with the new Go Green for mental health day featuring a Go Green for 50 laps Sports Sedan feature, Production Sedans in a state series event, Standard Saloons, Modified Sedans and Juniors.
Alexandra and District Speedway Club would like to express gratitude to the following for their support.
Bramleigh Estate
Fallonās Bus Services
FAT Earthworks
JRL
Pakenham Towing
Robinson Motorsports
Smooth Suspension
Written by
Dean Thompson
of Dean Thompson Media
for Alexandra & District Speedway Club
