Dan Thompson made a winning return to Ashfield as he took victory in Saturday’s Ben Fund Bonanza, laying down an early marker ahead of the 2026 Cab Direct Championship season.
Images courtesy of Brett Thurlow Photography
The former Glasgow man, now lining up at No.1 for Edinburgh, scored 11 points in the qualifiers before producing a superb semi-final ride, sweeping from third to first ahead of Kevin Juhl Pedersen and Danny King. He carried that momentum into the Final, hitting the front around the outside on turn four and controlling the race to take the win, with Juhl Pedersen second and Peter Kildemand completing the podium.
Behind the headline result, there was plenty to take from the rest of the field. Justin Sedgmen, Kildemand and Leon Flint all topped the scoring charts with 12 points in the qualifiers, underlining their consistency, while Juhl Pedersen and King both showed strong early-season form in reaching the Final stages. Kyle Howarth and Ben Barker were solid throughout on eight points apiece, while Chris Harris, Kye Thomson and Tom Brennan all showed glimpses despite missing out on the latter stages.
Further down the order, Jason Edwards and Victor Palovaara had steady nights, while youngsters Sam Hagon and Tate Zischke gained valuable track time against experienced opposition. Reid Battye and Ace Pijper were unable to trouble the scorers, but the meeting offered a useful early benchmark across the Championship field.
Thompson said: “It’s the perfect start for me. I’m now at No.1 at Edinburgh so it was important to show I can beat other No.1s. It’s nice to begin the season with a strong performance and win.”
Results
SCORES: Justin Sedgmen 12, Peter Kildemand 12, Leon Flint 12, Dan Thompson 11, Kevin Juhl Pedersen 10, Danny King 9, Kyle Howarth 8, Ben Barker 8, Chris Harris 7, Kye Thomson 7, Tom Brennan 6, Jason Edwards 6, Victor Palovaara 5, Sam Hagon 4, Tate Zischke 2, Reid Battye 0, Ace Pijper (res) 0.
SEMI-FINAL: Thompson, Juhl Pedersen, King, Flint.
FINAL: Thompson, Juhl Pedersen, Kildemand, Sedgmen.
