Dan Day conquered Mount Gambier’s mountain on the weekend, winning the Trident Tyre Centre Legend of The Lakes Hillclimb.

The Valley Lakes precinct roared to life with a packed program of runs over three days, including all 150 driving slots filled.

Day showcased his impressive driving abilities to become the Legend of the Lakes for the eighth time, leapfrogging ahead of Mount Gambier’s own Peter Gazzard who previously held the record with Day for the most wins with seven.

The South Australian held off challenges from Douglas Johnson and Kevin Mackrell to claim the coveted trophy.

Young local driver Charlie Evans finished second in the junior competition behind Adelaide’s Cruz Frost, with Mount Gambier’s Dylan Raedel finishing third.

Event organiser Kevin Raedel was thrilled with the three days of racing, made even more special marking the 10th anniversary of staging the race without Lionel Stingers.

“I think it went very well, but it was pretty emotional for some of us,” he said.

“It was our 10th year without Lionel Stingers being here, so it was a bit tough, this event was his baby.”

Despite the tinge of sadness, Raedel said the racing was fast with plenty of spectator support.

“The crowd would have been fairly good, it was one of the better crowds for a few years, they filled the spectator spots,” he said.

“The weather was too hot Friday but it was just nice for the weekend.”

Raedel said Day showed a clean set of wheels right from the opening race, indicating his determination to win the event.

“He was first from the start, he put a good time in his first run on Saturday morning and no one got close to him,” he said.

“Dan finished nearly two seconds in front, it was a fairly convincing win.

“It was pretty close from second to sixth, first was a couple of seconds gap and then there were a lot of cars really close after that.

“There were a couple of small crashes, but nobody got hurt, just minor bingles.

“But to win eight in a row, it was a big effort.”

Raedel said competitors travelled from across the country to compete in the 18th running of the race.

“We had them come from as far away as Queensland, ACT, New South Wales and there were plenty of Victorians and South Australians,” he said.

“We have had a few guys who have done 18 years in a row, Neil Oatway was our patron for the event this year and he has done all 18 years, never missed an event, that’s pretty special and he turns 80 next week.”

Raedel said the event was well supported by the community and the City of Mount Gambier.

“We also need to thank the local community for all of their support, to be going for 18 years is a huge effort,” he said.

“It’s a pretty special place so to be using it is amazing.

“The money it brings to town is huge, there are big financial gains for the community.”