18/06/2026
Pitcher Finishes the Season with a Feature Race Victory
The final night of racing for the season was held on the second night of the long weekend at Sonic Speedway, Swan Hill. While the meeting was a fun and relaxed event for many competitors, there were still plenty of bragging rights on the line.
The night saw the return of Shaun Walsh to the seat of the S30 machine, while Marcus Hocking took over driving duties in the W5 Verhoeven car, giving Paul Verhoeven a rare night out of the driver's seat.
Heat 1
Bailey Pitcher led the opening stages of the first heat before Jamie May found a way through and drove on to claim the victory. Pitcher finished a close second, while Shaun Walsh marked his return with a solid third-place finish.
Heat 2
The second heat was a start-to-finish affair for Michael Coad, who led every lap to take the win. Bailey Pitcher again finished runner-up, with Jamie May crossing the line in third.
Heat 3
Stan Marco Jnr jumped to the front of the field early, but his race was short-lived when contact with the back straight wall brought out the yellow lights.
With three laps remaining, Shaun Walsh inherited the lead, however Michael Coad wasted little time finding a way past before a full lap had been completed under green conditions. Coad went on to secure his second heat win of the night from Walsh, while Ash Marshall completed the top three.
Feature Race
The 25-lap feature race saw best mates Michael Coad and Jamie May share the front row. Bailey Pitcher and Shaun Walsh lined up behind them, with Allan Pitcher and Ash Marshall occupying row three.
Behind them were Tom Duynhoven, Adrian Reick, Peter Duynhoven, Marcus Hocking, Sally Woolstencroft and Paul Singleton, all looking to finish the season on a high.
When the green flag dropped, Coad immediately took control and quickly built a healthy lead over the field. For the opening seven laps he looked untouchable, but the race changed dramatically when the #53 car came to a stop, bringing out the yellow lights.
During the caution, officials noticed fluid coming from Coad's #25 machine. After being directed to the infield for inspection, it was discovered that a fuel line had come loose and the car was leaking fuel. Unfortunately, Coad's race was over, forcing him to watch the remainder of the feature from the infield after leading comfortably.
The restart handed the lead to Jamie May, who raced away from the field for several laps before his challenge was interrupted following contact with Sally Woolstencroft's S66 machine, bringing him to a stop and setting up another restart.
Bailey Pitcher capitalised on the opportunity, making his move shortly after racing resumed to take over the race lead. From there, he controlled the remaining laps and raced to the chequered flag to claim the final feature race victory of the season.
Shaun Walsh continued his impressive return drive, working his way into second place with six laps remaining to secure a podium finish. Jamie May recovered to complete the podium in third.
Ash Marshall and Adrian Reick rounded out the top five finishers.
Tom Duynhoven, Peter Duynhoven, Paul Singleton and Sally Woolstencroft completed the finishers in what was the final Super Rod race of the season.
A fitting end to another fantastic season, with Bailey Pitcher standing atop the podium on the final night and the Super Rod competitors now turning their attention towards the next campaign.
