Autocross for the 2022 SEAC Super Series got under way on Sunday, with the McPherson Mechanical Series Round 1 being held at the picturesque SEAC Park.

Track conditions presented dry and dusty with a very loose surface for the 36 entrants to contend with.

Heat 1 proved to be quite a handful and series coordinator for the year, Dale Cagney, wasted no time in posting the fastest time in his EVO, clocking a 1:43.25 seconds reflecting his capabilities in rally car control.

Next home, Jayden Edwards put all his speedway experience to the test in the Holden Commodore and came home with a very quick 1:49.06 second’s lap.

Dion Becker pushed hard in the Falcon XR6 and started his day well with a 1:50.53 for his first run, good enough to head Geoff Wilson with a 1:50.93 in the Peugeot.

Ryan Poel in the Subaru Impreza and Gary Brown in the shared Ford Falcon rounded out the top five.

Bailey Perryman got 8th points in the Hyundai for his run of 1:53.50 seconds, just in front of Kevin Raedel exercising the Falcon rally car and Daniel Oldacker rounded out the top 10 with his Commodore’s run of 1:56.31 seconds.

Heat 2 and the track conditions had improved a little, providing some grip in crucial spots.

Cagney repeated his earlier run to top the list with a 1:43.50, followed by Edwards at 1:48.56.

Geoff Wilson found a bit more to record a 1:49.65 to hold off Poel with his 1:50.12 and Dion Becker at 1:50.72.

Perryman found a lot more grip with a tidy 1:51.28 for sixth, while Barry Edwards had a good run in the replacement car after mechanical issues with his “normal” car.

Gary Brown covered a lot more real estate than most others with his extreme car control and eventually arrived home in ninth.

Connor Cooper is another one of the up-and-coming drivers that have been through from the Junior “learning” experience to now gaining experience at every outing in the family Commodore.

In this heat he rounded out the 10 with his 1:54.81 second run.

Cagney was on a roll and claimed heat 3 with his 1:42.44 in his second run to again top the list.

Jayden Edwards improved on his earlier runs to post a quick 1:47.27 seconds time, good enough to pip Geoff Wilson’s 1:47.47 seconds for his run.

Dion Becker dug deep and pushed hard for a 1:47.87 seconds, which was a good effort in the road car.

Poel’s Subaru came home next with his 1:48.62 seconds listed in 5th, followed by Perryman who had a good day in the Excel.

Separated by just 0.4 seconds were Brown (1:51.10) and Brand (1:51.50).

The pair were poles apart in driving style with Brown a full on slide – everywhere – and Brand neat and straight in the 2WD Subaru.

After a short break for the officials to find some refreshments, heat 4 got under way on a track now showing substantial improvement on the grip level that proved hard to find in the earlier heats.

At the top of the list Cagney put in a blinder to head the field with a very quick 1:41.47 in the Mitsubishi EVO.

Wilson cranked the Pug up a notch and used the improved grip level to get home with a 1:45.41 second lap which was good enough to get the points for second spot.

Jayden Edwards also improved his lap time from the previous round to a 1:46.34 seconds for third, while Poel and Becker were next.

Connor Cooper put a good lap together and posted his best lap of the track at a tidy 1:50.50 seconds.

With the dust easing, heat 5 commenced and a hard charging Cagney made it five from five for fastest times, pushing the EVO around a now grippy track for his last run of the dusty layout posting his best time of 1:41.31 seconds.

Another that found grip at the end of the day, Geoff Wilson pushed the Peugeot around the layout for his best time of the day at 1:45.25 seconds for second spot points.

Enjoying his day out, Jayden Edwards had to settle for third in the last run, with a 1:45.91 second’s run.

Poel, hopping from the timing desk to the steering wheel all day, found enough in the Subaru to post a 1:47.07 second lap for fourth position.

Becker, was another one enjoying the grippy track in a big car and locked in the points for fifth spot with his last outing at 1:48.34 seconds.

Hyundai Excel campaigner, Perryman, put a good lap together for his last run and scored sixth spot points with his quick run of 1:48.90 seconds.

Brand had a busy day at the wheel of the Subaru and earned his eighth spot points in the last run with 1:49.28 seconds.

Next home, Mr Slideways in “Gary Brown” kept to most of the track layout and steered the big bird through the gaps for a 1:49.34 second total.

Rounding out the 10 was Peter Rogers found some pace in the immaculate Datsun 1600 to get the points for a 1:50.56 second run, his fastest for the day.

After the dust had settled and points are added together the results for the opening round of the McPherson Mechanical Autocross series Cagney sits at the top with 200 next to his name.

Seven points back is Edwards on 193, while Wilson is hot on his heels with 191 points.

The top Junior was Brand, while the leading lady was Teresa Lipscombe.

Cagney set the fastest lap time in a 4WD with 1:41.31 seconds and Wilson was the best 2WD runner being clocked at 1:45.25 seconds.