PAKENHAM speedway ace Russell Hill took out the recent Flat Out 50 for Speedway sedans, hosted by the Alexandra Speedway Club.

The series involves a mixture of race cars that are all deregistered at the end of the past race season.

This allows modified sedans, three-litre sedans, super sedans, formula V8 sedans, independents, outlaws, street stocks, 1200cc sedans, division-two hot rods and any other sedans under the governing bodies to compete.

Hill was among the pre-meeting favourites in his VS Commodore three-litre sedan with Gary Monti in an AU Falcon super sedan, Dave Erickson in his Cortina modified sedan, Paul Turnbull in his VL Commodore modified sedan and Paul Horman in a XF Falcon street stock.

The format was five heats of racing with the top 36 cars going into the 50-lap final on the second night of racing.

The heats were mixed so all types of entries competed against each other.

Hill won three heats on the opening night of racing, qualifying at the top of the field on points.

However, he had tyre problems during his last two sets of heats, with another Pakenham driver in Dale Morrison taking pole from Dave Erickson, Len Bates Jnr, Paul Turnbull, Chris Morrell, Gary Monti, Hill, Austin Corcoran, Daniel Knight and Simon Jones, who formed the top 10.

The Flat Out 50 final got underway with a field of 38 cars and Hill took the lead after an early restart, due to Morrison’s car dropping oil on the track after a mechanical problem.

Hill was not headed after that and was on a mission, winning the event in his ‘Ramsdale Wreckers Pakenham’ racer from Turnbull, Horman and Jones.

“This is a thrill to win this event. I’ve been trying so long and things haven’t gone my way in the past,” he said.

“You need to stay out of trouble and finish in the top five of your heats as a minimum at the Flat Out 50. I will be back next year like every year at the 50, this time as the champion.”