ONE car spot in the final race of a 15-round season denied Allansford driver Tim Van Ginneken a dream finish to the Sprintcar Racing Association of Victoria series.
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Van Ginneken fell nine points short of defending champion Brett Milburn in the overall standings after a strong finish in the grand final at Premier Speedway on Saturday night.
He finished the 30-lap A-Main in fifth spot – six cars clear of Milburn, who held on to win the series.
“I had to beat him by seven cars in the feature,” Van Ginneken said.
“I had seven cars between us the whole time, not that I knew, and with two laps to go Milburn went past Tim Rankin, so that made it six positions not seven.
“To run 15 rounds and have two heats and a feature every round, so 45 races, and to come down to one race to pick it (is amazing).”
Van Ginneken, who started the final round 72 points adrift of Milburn, endured mixed results in the grand final, timing third before finishing second in his first heat.
He thought a crash with David Murcott in his second heat where he bent his chassis might impact his chances of advancing directly to the feature.
But he started from 10th in the A-Main, while Milburn had to qualify via the B-Main.
“We were lucky to make the A-Main but we doctored it up for the feature – it wasn’t pretty – but we ended up finishing fifth,” Van Ginneken said of his banged up car.
“It wasn’t pretty but I was pleased to finish fifth with 50 cars.
“I left nothing on the table.
“I gave it everything in the feature.
“I tagged the wall a couple of times.
“I ran the top, not the bottom. I thought I’d try and win it.”
Van Ginneken said the feature, which went the way of Warrnambool driver Jamie Veal in a non-stop 30-lap race, felt quick.
“It’s different leading for 30 laps – you want to see the white flag – but because you’re chasing, you don’t want to see it,” he said.
Grant Anderson and Darren Mollenoyux – the Warrnambool entrant riding a wave of momentum – filled out the series’ final round podium.
Simpson driver Tim Rankin started on pole but slipped to 14th, while Terang’s Jack Lee produced solid form to finish fourth.
Veal worked his way from second to win the feature.
Van Ginneken, who has battled engine troubles, will bypass a trip to Perth this weekend in favour of preparing for the Easter sprintcar trail where he will attempt to win the Avalon track championship.
He leads Mollenoyux by five points in pursuit of that honour. The Easter sprintcar trail wraps up in Warrnambool on Sunday, April 16.