Scallopini eventually returned to club racing last week after hitchhiking home from the Townsville Cup in the wake of a failed betting coup and bar room brawl. Here’s his latest edition..
Track race report 24/10/18
by Trevor Scallopini
There was no stopping Brandon Hutton in Townsville as he took all before him winning the card and exerting an absolute dominance in his race execution. While he was afforded the ‘luxury’ mark of 30 metres on the Idalia Track, I have no doubt he would have still rounded up the front markers (250m+) from the scratch if he needed to.
Back to Smith Park, and last week we saw some bumper fields and action packed racing proving the velodrome is alive and kicking in Cairns.
In the scratch races Brandon opened his account for the evening but not before Greg Reynolds pushed him all the way to the line in a thrilling finish that again revealed the untapped potential of the best from the west. Greg Hutton held off the very consistent Gaby Thomas in the B grade finish while James Mort triumphed over Stave Davies and set the scene for a great evening’s rivalry between the two.
5 Kierins was a sprint watchers delight and Linc rode the pace bike like Valentino Rossi, keeping the finishes very honest indeed.
With A grade split Donny double Dutch style, David Hutton took out the first category from Kain, and Brandon and Luke quinellad the other. Clearly the kids are alright and maybe they’ll get their own grade from now on instead of continually punishing the old men?
Visitor Darryl Allen looked at home on his own bike and showed a touch of class to win from Al Hodge. It has been terrific having this Bundaberg master in the far north and we look forward to more of his participation including his talented sons whom I believe may be competing here soon. Greg Hutton continued on his merry way albeit in another tight finish from Tom and Gaby.
James Mort won his Keirin, and after a moderate start to track racing is now shaping his future at the velodrome. Special mention to Alana Rayner, this young lady quietly and effectively goes about her racing every week with the skill and discipline of the most seasoned professional. Some of the senior riders take note!
Final rounds of the scratch events kept us entertained until the end. Steve ‘the smiling assassin’ Davies saved the best for last with a solo victory in the point a lap. He looked gone after taking some early points but recovered in a trailing group and bounced back with a solid breakaway in the closing stages to snatch the points and reveal yet another rookie of the year contender. Nice wins from Tom Cook and Brandon too.
The juniors were also at 2018 record levels and the depth of talent on display is very encouraging. 4 riders came away with PB’s – Thomas, Elijah, Lily and Luca. Rone, Verety and Sienna all finished within half a second of each other to create an extremely competitive environment. It was a treat to see 8 juniors take the field for their handicap event and this created much interest for the spectators as the youngsters continued to develop their skills and speed against each other.
