Maitland youngster Blake Eveleigh tuned up the titles with victory in last month’s final round of Western Sydney Street Stockers Club Championship.

Eveleigh, the 2016 Australian champion, had stiff competition from fellow Hunter driver, Kiona Sunerton, from Sawyers Gully, who started on the front row and finished third just behind another former Australian champions Chris Marino.

Marino took out the the WSSS club championship from Sunerton, who had a solid night of racing but just couldn’t peg back Marino.

Sunerton, a former NSW RSA Street Stocker Champion, would love to gain the upper hand on her rivals, but faces a challenge from within her own family.

Her brother John Lodge jnr is another starter in the Australian titles and is no stranger to victory in championship events having won the Victorian title previously.

Their father John Lodge snr raced for many years and is a regular supporter track-side, along with Sunerton’s husband Peter who is part of her pit crew.

​“My dad raced and we travelled with him around the state in various categories. As soon as I could I started to race in juniors and discovered I had the knack for it,” she said.

“I started as a 16-year-old and have been competing ever since apart from breaks to get married and have my children.”

Sunerton missed the 2017 Australian and NSW titles and set herself for a big season this year, after taking out the "Queen of the Mountain" an all-female invitational event at Ballarat in Victoria.

Current NSW Champion Brendan Wakeman, from Dungog looms large in calculations.

Wakeman had to settle for eighth spot at the WSSS championship meeting after being penalised two spots for an infringement.

The father of two claimed the Queenland title in September and followed it up with the NSW title on the Australian Day weekend at Moruya on the south coast a week after his wife Bianca delivered their second child, a son they have named Vincent. 

Wakeman’s championship-winning car was written-off major crash at Tamworth in February, however, he is back on track in a new vehicle.

“The new car is running well,” he said.

“The old car was the best I’ve had. I had that car for four seasons and I couldn’t count how many trophies I won in it. Three state titles, a Sydney championship and two seconds.”