THE road to NSW Lightning Sprint Title glory has been far from an easy one for Hill Top's Chris Davis.
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However, his patience paid off last Saturday night when he was rewarded with a NSW Title victory.
Davis, 22, stepped into the lightning sprints class four seasons ago.
He has endured a mixed run in the class, where his speed has never been an issue, more so the reliability of his equipment.
For this season, Davis has managed to overcome the problems aboard his NSW Number Four Sydney Trucks and Machinery/Truckmate, which is supported by a Suzuki GSXR 1000cc powered Henchcraft.
Gilgandra Speedway was a track Davis had only visited once before back in his junior sedan days.
For the running of the NSW Title, he was in solid form throughout the heat races.
The Highlander recorded a win, a fifth and another win.
He was equal highest point scorer heading into the NSW Title deciding feature race with two other competitors.
Davis was equal on points with former Queensland champion Scott Genrich and two-time Queensland runner-up Kurt Wilson.
Pole position was decided by who recorded the fastest lap in the heat races out of the three drivers.
It was Genrich who was awarded pole position ahead of Davis and Wilson.
In the feature race, it took two starts to get underway.
The first start saw Genrich get the jump over Davis, and it was second time lucky for Davis who managed to get the upper hand over Genrich off the start.
Once out in the lead, Davis was able to dictate the pace for the entire 25-lap distance.
The Hill Top driver went on to score a comfortable win over defending and two-time NSW champion AJ McTaggart and standout rookie Matt Geering (NSW) in second and third place respectively.
Saturday was the second NSW Title win of Davis's career.
His first was a NSW Junior Sedan Title win in 2009 at Nowra Speedway.
"To win another NSW Title is a fantastic feeling, and it certainly makes all of the hardship I have had to go through to get to this point worthwhile," Davis said.
"I had a great run through my heat races and then it all came together for a perfect run in the feature race, which was complemented by an awesome car setup, and it rewarded me with a NSW Title win."
Davis said the key to his NSW Title success was the consistency throughout the season.
He said sponsor Hills Performance helped him to get on top of the team's engine package.
"In my past three seasons, I had been battling reliability issues with the car, so my team and I worked hard to make sure heading into this season we had overcome those issues," Davis said.
"We have enjoyed a consistent run heading into the NSW Title, and I was aiming for a spot somewhere on the podium, but to come away with the win was a bit of a shock.
"However, at the same time, it was a great reward for all of the team's efforts."