Organisers said ominous skies were looming over the event, but the track stayed dry for the many visiting racers. 

Competitors came from as far afield as the Northern Territory, Queensland and all across NSW to contest the title in the Outlaw division.

However, local driver Stephen Robertson claimed the day despite some mechanical troubles during heats. 

Robertson said it was tricky to get back in contention after mechanical drama. 

“The day’s racing was not without troubles, breaking an axle in the second heat,” Robertson said. 

“After repairs to the kart and starting from the back of the field [I was] able to win heats three and four,” he said. 

Robertson said he faced very stiff competition from some of Australia’s highest ranked drivers. 

“Number two Michael Vangrangon from Melbourne, former Australian number one Glen Corish and Tim Beattie from Queensland,” Robertson said. 

For the start of the 15-lap feature race, Robertson found himself in third position on the grid. 

“[I] got the front helped by a great engine built in Melbourne for the win,” he said. 

The track also hosted a number of divisions including juniors, modifieds and 125cc engines. 

Organisers said despite the junior division being only “a small contingent of entrants” the racers had a great time. 

Current junior champion Luke Geering proved too strong for the opposition on the day and retained his crown. 

Meanwhile, organisers said the standard division was the largest and contributed to Robertson’s day “being very busy” as he took on three fields. 

However, he wasn’t able to conquer every race, with the eventual winner being Troy Evans from Queensland over runner-up Bob Latta of Victoria. 

Organisers said despite having the biggest and most experienced field, the modified division was dominated by the “up-and-comers” in Daniel Gow and Zoe Telindert. 

Glen Corish was able to claim a first place prize for the 125cc division and a second place in the Outlaw division after finishing second to Robertson. 

Corish is also a regular racer at the Sapphire Speedway and was able to get past his son Brandon Corish and Dylan Goodger for victory on the day.