Daddow Strikes Back

Steve Daddow won his first Conehead Cup race of 2009, remaining undefeated throughout the day and striking back at his main rival Jackson Shapiera who had to settle for second. Nathan Paff took third by edging out Haggy Strom by 0.03 of a second.

This was Melbourne's first time hosting the Conehead Cup, and the classic Melbourne winter weather; cold, wet and windy, was appreciated by all. The morning produced loads of frustration; the racers were unable to practice with any intensity due to the wet road and the organisers struggled with a new and temperamental timing system.

But the road dried, the timing system got sorted out, and the qualifiers began. The course played some tricks, with a "gimme" cone, followed by two tight, fast curves that tested people's ability to stay on line.

Steve Daddow was Mr Consistent all day. He beat Jackson in the final of the winner's bracket, and had to race him again in the Grand Final where Jackson succumbed to the pressure by DQ'ing and handing the win to Steve.

Outside of the winning group, there were lots of standout performers. Johnny McGrath started the day fast and then got even faster with every run, coming in eighth in his first ever Conehead Cup. Brad Sterritt ran fast all day, but it was Imi McMillan who took out the "Best Performer" award for the consistent improvement she's shown over the last year. Bernie Griffiths took home a trophy of a blood-stained cone for the "Best Slam" award, although Sean Mussett would have been an equally worthy winner for his high-speed high-side.


Imi McMillan

Results

	Name	Home	Fastest Time
1.	Steve Daddow	Gold Coast	13.43
2.	Jackson Shapiera	Sydney	13.68
3.	Nathan Paff	Old Bar	13.83
4.	Haggy Strom	Sydney	13.91
5.	Paul Shaddock	NACCOS	14.22
6.	Paul Carey	NACCOS	14.54
7.	Dave Robertson	Sydney	14.87
8.	John McGrath	Melbourne	15.05
9.	Colin Beck	Sydney	14.87
10.	Brad Sterritt	NACCOS	15.32
11.	Sean Mussett	NACCOS	15.05
12.	Nick Sable	NACCOS	15.68
13.	Braden Schlager	Melbourne	16.10
14.	Gareth Fitzgerald	Sydney	16.00
15.	Michael Cossettini	NACCOS	15.66
16.	Paul Parry	Canberra	16.55
17.	Neil Willington	Canberra	16.67
18.	Boyd McMillan	NACCOS	16.93
19.	James Hopkin	Sydney	17.75
20.	Rob Francis	Melbourne	17.58
21.	Imi McMillan	NACCOS	17.88
22.	Mark W	Melbourne	17.69
23.	Jeff Lang	Melbourne	19.21
24.	Kathy Finn	NACCOS	21.82
25.	David Blackwood	Sydney	16.88
26.	Hamish Mc	Melbourne	DQ
27.	Arran Pratt	NACCOS	18.24
28.	Chris Hatten	Melbourne	19.98
29.	Marek Keller	Sydney	19.75
30.	Wayne Humphries	Melbourne	21.75
31.	Bernie Griffiths	Melbourne	21.15
32.	Dave Pang	Canberra	17.81
33.	Fin Pratt	NACCOS	DNR

Note: The fastest times do NOT include the qualifying runs.

Photo Slideshow

Video

Shot by Braden.

Conehead Cup 2009 Points Tally

Credits

* Bernie Griffiths for all his work on the timing system.
* Mark Winfer for the ramps.
* Dave Robertson and Paul Shaddock for manning the timer.
* Lea Robertson for running the draw and doing the registration.
* Haggy Strom, Dave Robertson, Paul Shaddock, Imi McMillan and everybody else for cone counting.
* Ludi for the BBQ.
* Hamish for the drinks.
* Braden Schlager for the trophies.
* NACCOS for turning out in force!
* Everybody else I've forgotten. Sorry, it was a tiring weekend...