J-Boy seizes the moment at Karratha wingless meet

Patience paid off for Karratha wingless driver Jayd Mathews after taking out the North West Wingless meet on the final bend at the Nickol Bay Speedway last weekend.

Fellow local driver Peter Bywaters got the jump on Mathews from the outset and a masterclass in defensive driving by the experienced campaigner kept young gun “J-boy” Mathews at bay as the duo ripped around the track.

Mathews made numerous attempts to sneak past but Bywaters was up to the challenge on every occasion.

It came down to another driver to seal Bywaters’ fate. The pair had lapped the rest of the field and Bywaters found himself stuck in traffic as he looked to lap a driver coming into the final turn.

Sensing an opportunity, Mathews took an aggressive line down the inside as Bywaters was forced to drift wide to avoid a collision.

It paid off as Mathews sailed through to claim the glory and relegate Bywaters to second place.

Troy O’Keefe rounded out the top three.

Mathews said having his car play ball all night held him in good stead.

“I just stuck with him, held my game, kept calm and obviously lap traffic was the turning point,” he said.

“I saw the door open, so I took it and it worked out well.”

Nickol Bay Speedway president Brett Armstrong said the final race proved a showstopper for those left to watch it.

“The night was good, the cars were good, but unfortunately we had a few technical issues, which stretched the night out a bit, so we have to apologise to the crowd for that,” he said.

“The Carnarvon guys came up and put on a good show for everyone and it was good to see Mongrel (John Magerl) get out of a winged car and step into a wingless.”

Attention now turns to the third annual North West Sprintcar Stampede.

The stampede will be hosted at the Nickol Bay Speedway on June 16 and 17.