Team Blackwell Motorsport headed out to Horsham on 30 January 2010, for the Victorian Modified Production Sedan Championship, with the possibility of being the first driver to win three straight Victorian championships and came home with mission accomplished.

After a slow start to the season, with no feature race wins to their belt, the team were determined to fair better in the championship and headed out to ‘Rolling Thunder Raceway’ in Bacchus Marsh a week prior to run some lap’s and find that elusive slick track set up once more that brought so many victories over the past couple of seasons.

Some additional pre event support, from Quadrant Suspension who did some special slick track valving work for the team, along with Repco Pakenham and also Horvath Transport Services who assisted with product and tyres was a well received boost to the confidence as the team rolled into the ‘Blue Ribbon Raceway’ Horsham pit enclosure.

On the expected slick race track Blackwell began heat one on pole and lead all the way to get the evening off to the best possible start. A left hand rear shock change was the only work needed prior to hitting the track for the team’s second heat.

Friend and fellow Pakenham resident Justin Alberni, started on pole in Blackwell’s second heat with Blackwell back in sixth place, Racing through the pack the car sustained some damage when Mark Symonds spun and the collision into Blackwell broke the rear arm on the car and also as the team was to find out later it damaged a strut. Blackwell with the rear broken arm on the car still roared home to finish behind Alberni in second. The team also changed shocks, stagger and tyre combination before the third and final heat.

In the final heat the # 5 VZ ‘Pakenham Plumbing Services’ Commodore began in 5th place with Russell Felsovary in pole position. Felsovary was never headed however once again Blackwell managed to grab second and overall top points after the qualifying rounds.

It was after the heat doing a complete once over on the car that the team found that broken strut as a result of the heat two collision. The team scrambled to fix that and change from a medium to hard tyre compound set up.

Alongside Blackwell in the final was Justin Drew with Terry Brown and Darren Pottage on the next row. At the first attempt to start officials deemed Blackwell to have jumped the start despite the fact he was the pole sitter. Then on the second attempt Drew was pinged also for jumping the start. Finally the race got away on the third start with Blackwell getting out to a two car length lead.

As the race laps wore on Blackwell increased his lead not giving Drew any chance to come underneath or around him. At the half way mark the team passed the current Australian Champion Mark Carlin and then continued to storm home to victory lane. Drew was second and Pottage third then Graham West and Brown.

After the race a delighted Blackwell spoke. “We have struggled this year, we haven’t been terrible we just haven’t had the set up right to win on the slick stuff. We found what we needed and we implemented a plan and it has come off with sweet results. I like to thank my sponsor and crew chief Steve Grguric and employee and crewman Ash Penny along with my girlfriend Bec Smith who was great with the kids once again tonight, for their continued support. Well done to the other place getters and a thank you to all my sponsors whom without, I wouldn’t have the gear I need to have to win.”

Pakenham Plumbing Services
Pakenham Crane Trucks
Horvath Transport Services
Dukes Bodyworks
Repco Pakenham
Blackwell Race Engines

Written By
Dean Thompson
DMT Media
0412061208
dmtmedia@speedway.net.au