Dawkins won the main event on the programme, the National Pies Sprintcar Stampede, and appropriately shared in one of four lap records broken on the night.

The Launceston driver’s lap record came in heat two of the main event, when he recorded a blistering victory in what was to prove a prelude to the final.

Dawkins’ new mark of 11.29 seconds, shaved eight-hundredths of a second off the record which had only been set in the previous heat by Queensland’s David Muir, indicating a magic sub-11 second lap could be achievable.

Later in the evening another Queenslander, David Jacobi, lowered the mark in the modified production category, sliced five-hundredths of a second off the lap record in the class in heat four of the Tasmanian championship.

Jacobi went on to finish second in the final behind defending champion Andy Russell, of Hobart.

The fourth lap record of the night came in the junior sedan final, where recently-crowned two-times State champion Shaun Dobson, of Hobart, took more than a tenth of a second off the existing record for the class.

In the main event, Jason Dawkins qualified on outside pole position after equal top-qualifying with Latrobe’s Adrian Redpath.

South Australian Jamie Cobby qualified third, but progressed to pole position for the final after winning the pre-final pole shuffle.

Dawkins started better at the green light and jumped away from Cobby, with Redpath chasing .

Further back former State champion Geoff Lette, of Scottsdale, Redpath’s brother Jason Redpath and Queenslander Muir, were involved in a entertaining battle.

The race continued at a hectic pace, with no stoppages until Adrian Redpath spun while challenging for second only four laps from the chequered flag.

Two laps later his brother and Muir tangles, causing another stoppage and sending Redpath to the rear with his brother.

But Dawkins was too strong at the re-start and pulled away to record a well-deserved victory from Cobby and Muir, who just held out fast-finishing Victorian young gun Jamie Veal in the shadows of the post.

Story courtesy of The Examiner newspaper. Be sure to read the states best speedway coverage in The Examiner.




Results:

Heat one: J. Cobby (SA), 1; D. Muir (Qld), 2; G. Lette (Tas.), 3.

Heat two: J. Dawkins (Tas), 1; S. Bricknell (Tas.), 2; A. Redpath (Tas.), 3.

Heat three: A. Redpath (Tas.), 1; K. Luttrell (Tas.), 2; J. Redpath (Tas.), 3.

Heat four: G. Lette (Tas.), 1; J. Dawkins (Tas.), 2; J. Veal (Vic.), 3.

Heat five: B. Smith (Vic.), 1; J. Redpath (Tas.), 2; J. Dawkins (Tas.), 3.

Heat six: J. Veal (Vic.), 1; A. Redpath (Tas.), 2; J. Cobby (SA), 3.

Final (30 laps): J. Dawkins (Tas.), 1; J. Cobby (SA), 2; D. Muir (Qld), 3.