In what has been an excellent season for Kaiden Manders since teaming up with the Dan Golding Race team, he has tonight gone back-to-back again, winning the second round of the Esslinger Engineering Speedcar Triple Crown Series (proudly presented by Coverall Sheet metal) to go into the final round with a perfect score!

The event, doubling as the 52nd Annual New Year Speedcar Derby, saw Manders solid all night, claiming a heat win and a second place to qualify on pole position, with Nicholas Rowe, who claimed a heat win and a second place, joining him on the front.

Tom Payet and Alex Bright would fill out the second row while row three would have heat two winner Joel Watson and Tyson Bryden.

Sixteen of the twenty starters on the night would make it out on track for the feature race, but attempt one at a start didn’t last long, Stuart Yates spinning in turn one to set up a complete restart.

The second attempt was much better, cars slipping and sliding all over the track with Kaiden Manders coming out best to complete lap one ahead of Nicholas Rowe and Tom Payet.

Payet would then dive past Rowe to take second on the second lap, while Rowe would then come under pressure from American visitor Alex Bright.

Manders was over two seconds ahead with four laps complete, while Bright was able to get past Rowe for third on the same circulation.

Two laps later Manders would encounter the first of the lapped cars, but it didn’t slow him down any, Manders putting the car on the highline and driving right on by.

Tyson Bryden became the first retiree of the race with second placed Payet slowing shortly after and joining him on the infield.

The race order was now Manders, Bright and Rowe, while Joel Watson was having a career best night and pressuring Rowe, with brother Patrick right behind him.

All of a sudden Alfonso Guadagnino also arrived on the scene, as did Keenan Fleming, now a number of cars fighting for the fourth-place position.

With six laps remaining, Manders had approached the battling pack of cars, but again continued along his merry way on the outside line to lap sixth placed Alfonso Guadagnino, just as Keenan Fleming passed Patrick Watson just in front of him for fourth.

Bright was over seven seconds behind Manders in second, with Rowe even further back in third.

On lap nineteen Manders would lap fifth placed Watson, while ahead of him still, Fleming had chased down Nick Rowe and passed him for third in the dying stages.

Manders also got past Rowe as a lapped car right on the line, going on to record a massive feature win, just Manders, second placed Bright and third placed Fleming on the lead lap.

The win would also be Kaiden’s thirtieth feature race win at the venue, elevating him to sixth overall in the statistics, not to mention his second victory in the New Year Speedcar Derby.

The next show will be round three, proudly supported by Esslinger Engineering, bringing the Triple Crown Series to a close!

The 2023/24 Esslinger Engineering Triple Crown is proudly presented by Esslinger Engineering, The Pool Shop Group, Coverall Sheetmetal, Air Control Transport Refrigeration, Transwest WA, American Racing Tyres, RPM Race Products and Asteel Powdercoaters.

Release by DTN Media.

Pics Courtesy Richard Hathaway Photography.

CONTINGENCY AWARDS

RPM Pole Award – Kaiden Manders

Asteel Powdercoaters Quick Time – Kaiden Manders 16.482

Air Control 1st Division Two Driver – Patrick Watson

Air Control 2nd Division Two Driver – Brodie Minchin

Transwest Hard Charger – Patrick Watson (+10)

American Tire and Racing Services Lucky 7th – Joel Watson

OFFICIAL RESULTS

Heat One, 8 laps: 1. Nicholas Rowe, 2. Kaiden Manders, 3. Tom Payet, 4. Tyson Bryden, 5. Alex Bright 6. Cory Smith, 7. Rob Golding, 8. Patrick Watson, 9. Stuart Yates. DNF: Glen Mears (7), Bart Curnow (3), Lee Austen (2), Steven Henderson (2). Total Time: No Time. Winning Margin: 0.864. Fastest Lap: 17.630 Tom Payet.

Heat Two, 8 laps: 1. Joel Watson, 2. Alfonso Guadagnino, 3. Nicholas Rowe, 4. Jake Robinson, 5. Keenan Fleming, 6. Tyson Bryden, 7. Rob Golding, 8. Brodie Minchin, 9. Aron Sharp. DNF: Lee Austen (0), Patrick Watson (0). DNS: Glen Mears, Gary Mann. Total Time: 2.29.774. Winning Margin: 1.985. Fastest Lap: 18.050 Joel Watson.

Heat Three, 8 laps: 1. Kaiden Manders, 2. Tom Payet, 3. Alex Bright, 4. Gary Mann, 5. Stuart Yates, 6. Aron Sharp, 7. Jake Robinson, 8. Keenan Fleming, 9. Joel Watson, 10. Cory Smith, 11. Alfonso Guadagnino. DNF: Brodie Minchin (0). DNS: Bart Curnow, Steven Henderson. Total Time: No Time. Winning Margin: Declared. Fastest Lap: 17.209 Kaiden Manders.

Feature, 20 laps: 1. Kaiden Manders, 2. Alex Bright, 3. Keenan Fleming, 4. Nicholas Rowe (19), 5. Patrick Watson (19), 6. Brodie Minchin (19), 7. Joel Watson (19), 8. Alfonso Guadagnino (19), 9. Cory Smith (19), 10. Rob Golding (19), 11. Jake Robinson (18), 12. Stuart Yates (17), 13. Aron Sharp (16). DNF: Gary Mann (12), Tom Payet (7), Tyson Bryden (6). DNS: Lee Austen, Bart Curnow, Steven Henderson, Glen Mears. Total Time: 5.34.212. Winning Margin: 9.455. Fastest Lap: 16.483 Kaiden Manders.