MCGRAW STUNS THE FIELD TO WIN IRONBARK CLASSIC IN GP MIDGET DEBUT

cjfowler33
1 day ago
3 min read

The opening round of the Stinger Chassis Masters Series doubled as the annual Ironbark Classic at Rushworth Speedway on Saturday night, delivering thrilling racing and a breakout win for Tristan McGraw, who claimed victory in his debut GP Midget outing.

The night began with a chaotic opening heat that saw plenty of action from the drop of the green flag. Australian Champion Chris Fowler (#A1 HMJ Chassis - J & D Price Automotive) claimed the win ahead of Mark Cecil, Terry Brown, Matt Kamolins, Locky Robotham, and Daniel Meredith (#5 Stinger Chassis - Pitstop Mowers).

It was a tough start for Travis Florrimell, who retired on the opening lap after dropping a chain. Meanwhile, a first-corner incident saw Brown (#88 Stinger Chassis - AustClean Shepparton/Numurkah) spin, leaving debutant Lilly Bullock (#86 Stinger Chassis - Livic Underground) in her first start since stepping up from karting with nowhere to go. Bullock spun trying to avoid contact but clipped Brown, cutting down a tyre and ending her charge early.

Cecil led the early laps before Fowler powered past on lap three, with Kamolins (#22 BHR Chassis - Dalton Building and Garden Supplies) charging from seventh to fourth on lap four. McGraw, still finding his feet in the new machinery, had a spin on the final corner of the last lap. Fowler crossed the line a comfortable 3.386 secs ahead of Cecil with a fastest lap of the race a 17.641 secs.

A slightly damp surface greeted the drivers for Heat 2, but that didn’t slow Fowler down. Launching from fourth, he stormed into the lead on lap one and never looked back, setting a blistering 17.287 second lap en route to back-to-back wins.

Cecil (#3 Pearce Chassis) again showed strong pace to finish second, followed by Kamolins, Florrimell, and Robotham. Brown, Meredith, and Bullock all finished a lap down in the tricky conditions.

With time restrictions forcing the cancellation of the third round of heats, Fowler the high points scorer in the heats got to draw a ball to decide the starting positions. He picked the worst possible ball for his chances which meant a six-car invert for the 12-lap Ironbark Classic finale. That put Florrimell (#81 Stinger Chassis - TM Lineboring & Engineering) and Robotham on the front row, followed by Brown and Kamolins, with Cecil and Fowler starting from row three. McGraw, Meredith, and Bullock completed the grid.

At the green, Robotham (#6 HMJ Chassis - Pitstop Mowers) led the early laps while McGraw, finding his rhythm in the Myers Racing Team (#11 PBR Chassis - Super Balance Automotive), began an incredible charge from eighth on the grid. Running the high line, McGraw surged to second by lap two and into the lead a lap later, stunning the field.

Fowler soon followed him through, moving into second by lap five and beginning his pursuit of the rookie leader. The 2.920 sec gap had closed to 1.126 secs when a caution flew on lap nine for a Kamolins spin. On the restart, McGraw was too good, the Modified Sedan Champion turned GP Midget newcomer held his nerve to take an unforgettable victory by 1.621 seconds, his first in the category.

McGraw’s 17.159 second lap was the fastest of the night, capping off a dream debut. Fowler and Florrimell completed the podium, with Robotham, Cecil, Brown, Kamolins, Meredith, and Bullock rounding out the finishers.

Team owner Dennis Myers was full of praise for McGraw after the race, saying,

“I'm not surprised Tristan adapted to the car so quickly he's a very talented driver. We told him the harder you drive the car, the easier it will be and he did just that.” The win making it back to back Ironbark Classic wins in a row for the Myers Racing Team.

With Round 1 in the books, the Stinger Chassis Masters Series has kicked off in spectacular fashion, setting the stage for an exciting season ahead. Round 2 of the series now heads to the south-west of the state to Darlington Speedway on November 8. Victorian Grand Prix Midget Racing Association would like to thank the following for their ongoing support for the 2025/26 season: