Tasmanian driver Jock Goodyer became only the third competitor to win both the Australian 410 and 360 Sprint Car Championships when he claimed victory in the National 360 Dirt X Industries feature at Geelong’s Avalon Raceway this past weekend.
Goodyer previously won the 410 championship at the Perth Motorplex in 2020.
He joins Robbie Farr and Jamie Veal as winners of the elusive double.
Farr won the open championship in 2004 and the 360 championship in 2013 and Veal the 360 championship in 2017 and the open championship in 2020.
Known as the Pro Sprints in Australia, the 360 championship attracted a field of over 50 entrants for one of the last major features of the season down under.
The 22-year-old Goodyer topped the first night of racing, winning the Preliminary A main from Daniel Pestka and Jake Smith after a late caution from Ricky Maiolo.
Goodyer led Pestka by four points going into the second night of competition.
He then secured a dramatic last-lap victory to become a two-time national champion.
The evening began with a series of heat races, setting the stage for a spectacular feature race.
Twenty-two year-old Jake Smith initially took the lead in the final, setting a formidable pace at the front of a highly competitive field. However, it was Goodyer driving the Domain Ramsay-owned C&H Trucking entry who stole the show on the final lap, seizing the lead at a crucial moment to win the 40-lap feature.
Smith, who navigated through lapped traffic, finished a commendable second.
Tim Ginnekin, returning to racing after a two-year break, raced from ninth to secure a third-place finish reminiscent of his 2019 podium in Kalgoorlie, Western Australia.
Brett Milburn and Tate Frost, regular contenders at Avalon Raceway, were strong in the top three, but unfortunately did not finish the race.
Ryan Jones claimed fourth place, ahead of Matthew Symons who rounded out the top five.
Other Results
In Queensland, Lachlan McHugh finished the season in a high note, securing the Ultimate Sprint Car Championship at Toowoomba’s Hi-Tec Oils Speedway.
Brent Kratzmann claimed the incident-prone final feature of the series from McHugh, but the Dondex-sponsored driver had sufficient points to win the title.
McHugh led from the start of the A Main until about 10 laps to go when he lost the lead on a restart and dropped to third. With three laps remaining, he charged to the lead, but a red flag relegated him to his previous position.
The north Queenslander took the lead again on the last lap of the race but the red was displayed just as he was about to greet the checkered flag. The race was declared and McHugh was declared the runner-up to the veteran Kratzmann.