The Bend a hit for VMRC

Image: Noah Thorley

For the first time in history, the Australian Auto-Sport Alliance (AASA) sanctioned Victorian Motor Racing Championship (VMRC) travelled over the border to South Australia, and showcased thrilling and dramatic races all weekend long.

The Shell V-Power Motorsport Park played host for Round 2 of the 2025 VMRC season and included three Victorian championships, Victorian Super TT, Vic V8s and Sports Compact, as well as two national categories, the Australian Drivers’ Championship and Stock Cars Australia.

Australian Drivers’ Championship

The Australian Drivers’ Championship featured a record 21 entries for its third round, as the category visited the venue for the second time.

In all four races Damon Sterling took the win ahead of Dean Crooke, but this does not indicate how good the racing was in this category.

Sterling, Crooke and Kyle Gurton (in just his second event in the series) battled for the win in Race 1, but in the end, Sterling had the answers and took victory by just over 1s.

Gurton faded late but it was still a great performance to finish in third ahead of Round 1 winner Hayden Crossland.

Race 2 was a little more comfortable for Sterling winning by 2.5s, Crooke finished a lonely second as Gurton and Crossland scrapped for third.

On the last lap, Gurton got by around the outside at the Turn 6 hairpin, however Crossland responded with a brilliant pass at the penultimate turn to pinch third back.

Of all his wins, Race 3 was the most convincing of the lot, Sterling took off into the distance, winning by 7s from Crooke and Crossland. Kyle Gurton was forced to retire with a gear shifter issue.

Race 4 was the most exciting of the lot, Sterling, Crooke and Crossland were all locked in combat and constantly changing places.

In the end they finished in that same order Sterling, Crooke and Crossland, the way they ended up for the round also. Notably Gurton came from the back to finish in fifth.

Stock Cars Australia

It was the first visit for Stock Cars Australia to The Bend, with this category utilising the shorter West Circuit.

Bathurst 1000 podium finisher Jack Perkins made his debut in the series driving a former Xfinity Series NASCAR.

He was the man to beat all weekend long, he won three of the four races, the other was taken by his teammate Scott Nind.

Perkins converted pole to victory in Race 1 of the weekend, beating home Nind in the ex-Michael McDowell Cup Series NASCAR. It was a great fight for third which went the way of Daniel Stubbs.

Race 2 saw was a dramatic affair, Jack Perkins led the opening lap, however he speared off at the penultimate turn on lap 2, when his foot slipped off brake the pedal.

He fell to sixth, however, he quickly made his way back through to second but was far behind Nind.

On the final lap, Nind’s brake pedal went to the floor, he fired off the road at the same turn and got stuck in the gravel. Perkins inherited the win, beating Stubbs and Richard White.

Race 3 saw Perkins retire from the lead early on due to a fuel pressure issue.

Nind stormed through the field to victory, he beat Stubbs and White in the ex-Winston Cup NASCAR.

Like his teammate the race before, Perkins came through the field to take the victory in the final, Nind was second, with White third.

Sports Compact

Sports Compact contained a huge variety of machines, with 20 cars taking to the racetrack.

Linda Devlin may have taken pole in her John Cooper Works Mini, but an electrical issue meant she did not start the first race.

James Harris pulled out a margin before a late race safety car, on the restart the Nissan Bluebird driver was shuffled to third.

He did not stress and maturely made his way back to the front to take victory. Richard Gay ended up in second ahead of reigning champion Steve Howard, Eddie Metz and Neil Chesterton.

Devlin was back for Race 2 and from the back of the grid she had a point to prove, he flew through the field and finished agonisingly close to victory.

Harris took the win by less than 0.2s, one more lap and Devlin would have stolen the win. Gay in his 86 was third from Metz in his Ford Escort.

Race 3 was a Devlin demolition, she won by over 20s, Harris was a lonely second, while again there was a fierce fight for third, in which Gay that prevailed.

The final affair was a little harder for Devlin, she was pushed back early on, however the pace in the Mini was too strong and she again took the win ahead of Harris and Gay.

Vic V8s

It was a tale of two in the Vic V8s, Brian Finn in his VS Commodore and Greg Lynch in his slightly newer VT.

The reigning series winner Finn took the honours in Race 1 by a comfortable 14s, Lynch matched him early but could not continue with the relentless pace.

In Race 2 Mark Houeix got in the way of the pair, finishing second behind Finn, and only a second clear of Lynch.

Finn was demoted to third early in the penultimate encounter, he had to put his best foot forward to make his way back the front. The win was his seventh straight to start of the 2025 season.

In the final, Lynch and Finn exchanged the lead on several occasions, it was a very exciting race for the win.

The winning margin was just 0.6s, and for the first time this year it went the way of Lynch.

Victorian Super TT

Glen Postlethwaite won the second round of Victorian Super TT, despite retiring from Race 3. It was an attritional affair, and those consistent drivers finished strongly as a result.

In Race 1 Postlethwaite was kept honest by Peter Ryder, while young Mitchell West and Troy Gleeson fought for third, the former prevailing on that occasion.

Again, in Race 2 Ryder remained in touching distance of Postlethwaite, the end margin just 2s with Gleeson beating West to third.

Postlethwaite retired from Race 3, allowing Ryder to take the win, it wasn’t without problems through, he limped to the line with an issue late on.

As a result of the issues in the previous race Ryder didn’t start Race 4. Postlethwaite came from the back to take the win.

The consistent Declan Kirkham took the under 2 Litre class round honours.

Round 3 of VMRC will see the series return to Victoria, at Calder Park Raceway from June 14-15.