Kiona Sunerton has become the first woman to win the Sydney Valvoline Speedway Street Stock Track Championships.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
The Abermain driver finished the seven meeting competition with the most points out of more than 40 drivers.
Street Stock events involves drivers altering regular Ford and Holden cars by adding roll cages, and racing against other vehicles around a dirt track.
Being a woman in the male-dominated sport, Sunerton said she had never really thought of herself as an outsider, but had realised the gravity of her success over the course of the season.
“I’ve never really thought of it like that [being one of the only women],” she said.
“I’ve always felt like one of the guys.
“But the more I’ve gone on, young girls have been coming up to me.
“I guess I’m making the boys take notice.”
Winning the championship came as a shock to Sunerton, as she lost a bumper and was pushed to the rear in the final feature race of the competition.
But having won two feature races earlier in the season, and qualifying for all seven features meant she had done enough to finish on top.
The events took place from November to May, but Sunerton only found out she had won last Saturday night.
“The back to back wins was definitely what won me the championships,” she said.
“I had some back luck, I thought I gave it a good shot but hadn’t done enough.
“I was stoked [to have won]. It was a pretty big deal especially because Sydney is one of the best tracks in Australia.
“To go down there against all the guys and get the win, it was an honour.”
The sport has always been in the 34-year-old’s blood, her father John Lodge senior competed in the Street Stock before her and her brother John Lodge junior also takes part in the sport.
Having competed since the age of 16 and being around it all of her life means Sunerton understands the difficulty of what she has achieved.
“I’ve been doing this for a long time so I know it doesn’t come easy,” she said.
“It’s been a really good year.”
Her win in the Sydney competition came after another historic achievement in the NSW Street Stock Championship in November last year.
Sunerton said she felt the pressure now she has two titles to defend but that she felt accomplished by achieving the double.
“[Winning] is definitely a new thing for me,” she said.
“I put a little bit of pressure on myself. I’ll definitely have a target on me.
“But it kind of consolidated the NSW title. I feel like I’ve got nothing to prove.”
Sunerton now looks forward to the 2016/17 season.