Beare best in the wet
Newly crowned Australian street stock champion Anthony Beare yesterday lauded Kalgoorlie International Speedway officials for their efforts in avoiding a potential disaster.
After adverse weather threatened to derail Sunday's second leg, Beare - who broke a frustrating eight-year title drought - said it was a credit to KIS officials that the event went ahead at all.
"The (KIS) committee didn't have everything their own way, with the weather, and there's a lot of other places who give up very easily," he said.
"But here (in Kalgoorlie-Boulder), they've put in the hard yards and I think they were rewarded with how well the titles went.
"I ran an Australian title meeting (in Mt Gambier) two years ago when I was president of the club and people probably don't appreciate the effort which goes into putting them on."
With rain falling throughout the day, Sunday's leg was jeopardised after graders and service vehicles struggled to get the track to a racing standard.
Action finally started at 8pm, after a meeting with the chief steward when drivers voted unanimously to proceed.
"I was absolutely concerned and had this meeting been at home (in South Australia), it would not have happened," he said.
"When it rains back home, it's all over and it's a credit to the committee here who presented some of the best ideas I've seen.
"Hopefully, some of the other clubs can get on board because they've had a real crack."
Before the weekend, Beare, 30, had been plagued by driver error and mechanical issues every year since being crowned Australian champion in 2006-07 in Alice Springs.
"I'm absolutely over the moon," he said. "My luck had to change at some stage and I'm glad it did.
"Having said that, I always felt lucky to have one (national title) because there's a lot of far better drivers than me who've never won the series."
RESULTS: TOP 10 *
Anthony Beare 1; Brad McClure 2; Mick Dann 3; Hayden Norman 4; Hamish Macalpine 5; Jamie Oldfield 6; Jason Duell 7; Matthew Amato 8; Jack Barnewall 9; Damon Lyall 10.
