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RAWLINGS CLAIMS VICTORY

Tyres & More Esperance Speedway lit up for championship weekend with Friday night’s official practice laying down the first clear warning shot, and it was interstate visitor Brad Rawlings (69w) was immediately on the pace. In the Joss Motorsports 69w, Rawlings topped the time sheets with a blistering 18.245, a lap that put the field on notice and set the tone for what would become a high pressure, high precision night of racing.

Behind him, the margins were tight and the intent was obvious. Brendan Radford (70w) was right there on 18.355, with Greg Joss (20w) close again on 18.366 and Ken Melvin (42w) on 18.396. From the outset, it felt like Esperance was going to reward commitment and punish hesitation.

Official Practice (Top 15): 69w Brad Rawlings 18.245; 70w Brendan Radford 18.355; 20w Greg Joss 18.366; 42w Ken Melvin 18.396; 55w Garry Walker 18.472; 26w Rob Trenaman 18.487; 7w Michael Cook 18.749; 78w Cody Roberts 18.790; 1w Travis Gould 18.984; 16w Steve Barrow 19.298; 12w Ben Boyd 19.299; 1au Rob Rawlings Jr 19.427; 33w Mark Maczek 19.698; 77w Wayne Campbell 20.180; 3w Brittany Nash 21.048.

Saturday Night, Heat Racing Turns Practice Pace into Pressure

When racing began, the meeting immediately turned into a chess match at speed, drivers balancing aggression with the knowledge that every position mattered.

Heat 1: Michael Cook (7w) struck first, taking the win with a 0.462 margin and setting the fastest lap of the race at 17.881. Mark Maczek (33w) opened his night with a solid podium. The pressure was already showing, too, Wayne Campbell (77w) finished second on track but was disqualified after missing the scales.

Heat 2: The Rawlings name took centre stage. Rob Rawlings Jr (1au) claimed the win, but it was Brad Rawlings (69w) who stamped the night’s pace with a 17.348 fastest lap—an unmistakable sign the pole contender was building toward something bigger.

Heat 3; Rawlings converted speed into a result. Brad Rawlings (69w) took the win over Cody Roberts (78w) and Ben Boyd (12w), again collecting fastest lap honors at 17.971 and stretching the margin to 2.475.

Heat 4: Rob Rawlings Jr answered back. He secured another heat win, with Mark Maczek (33w) continuing his consistent climb and Michael Cook (7w) adding another podium. The fastest lap went to Travis Gould (1w) at 17.573, a reminder that Gould had serious speed even when the results didn’t always show it.

Heat 5: Brad Rawlings kept stacking points and confidence. He won again, with Travis Gould (1w) second and Wayne Campbell (77w) rebounding with a podium after the earlier disqualification. Rawlings also logged the fastest lap at 17.491.

Heat 6: Then came Radford’s moment. Brendan Radford (70w) took the win over Michael Cook (7w) and Rob Rawlings Jr (1au), with a tight 0.602 margin and a 17.717 fastest lap, exactly the kind of late-meeting form that makes a feature race unpredictable.

Pole Shootout.... Two Laps, Winner Advances

After the heat races, the Pole Shootout arrived and the atmosphere shifted, A two lap showdown, winner moving on and the loser peeling off to the infield. It created a rhythm the crowd could follow in real time, two laps at full commitment, then one car advancing while the other surrendered the lane and headed infield, the ladder tightening with every pairing.

The margins stayed brutally small. Michael Cook (7w) edged Travis Gould (1w) with Cook’s 17.961 against Gould’s 18.180, only 0.128 between them. Cook then met Rob Rawlings Jr (1au), who responded with a 17.977 to move forward.

At the pointy end, the final pairing delivered exactly what the weekend had been hinting at since practice. Brad Rawlings (69w) produced a standout 17.662 to secure Pole, with Rob Rawlings Jr (1au) right there on 17.681.

Pole Shootout highlights (Lap 2/2):

69w Brad Rawlings 17.662 def. 1au Rob Rawlings Jr 17.681

1au Rob Rawlings Jr 17.977 def. 7w Michael Cook 18.350

7w Michael Cook 17.961 def. 1w Travis Gould 18.180

70w Brendan Radford 18.014 def. 33w Mark Maczek 18.193

Championship A-Main (25 Laps) Front Row Firepower

The grid for the championship A-Main read like a summary of the entire night: Brad Rawlings (69w) on the inside of the front row, Rob Rawlings Jr (1au) alongside him. Behind them, Michael Cook (7w) and Travis Gould (1w) two drivers who had shown outright pace and the ability to win.

A-Main Lineup (Front Rows):

Row 1: 69w Brad Rawlings / 1au Rob Rawlings Jr

Row 2: 7w Michael Cook / 1w Travis Gould

Row 3: 70w Brendan Radford / 33w Mark Maczek

The Feature — When the Championship Turns in a Single Moment

The A-Main delivered the kind of opening that changes a championship narrative instantly. Travis Gould (1w) a proven performer chasing a fourth Legend Cars W.A Championship, suffered a flat tyre on the opening lap, ending his shot at adding another title to his record before the race had even properly settled.

Up front, the Rawlings battle became the headline. Brad Rawlings (69w) converted pole position into a feature win, controlling the race and closing out the 25 lap distance in a performance that matched every promise of his practice pace and shootout speed.

Behind him, Rob Rawlings Jr (1au) completed the Rawlings 1–2, while Michael Cook (7w) come home 3rd, Brendan Radford (70w) 4th and Mark MAczek (33w) rounding out the podium.

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