Kicking Up The Dirt – Queensland Sprintcar Title

Kicking Up The Dirt – Queensland Sprintcar Title

Joanne White

For the fourth week in a row the stars of Sprintcars Queensland headed trackside for another night of racing, last night hitting Hi-Tec Oils Speedway in Toowoomba for Round Two of the Queensland USC Series and the 2016-2017 Queensland Sprintcar Title.  It was a spectacular night for Sprintcar racing and while the field may have been smaller than that which attended the same venue a fortnight ago, there was plenty of talent in the field, with anyone of at least a dozen drivers more than capable of taking the win.  Peter Lack had a mesmerising run the GW Racing Q5 car, winning both of his heat events before securing second in the Shootout and then leading most the A-main event.  Mitchell Gee also impressed in the feature event, spending much of the race inside the top three and putting up an incredible fight as he raced for every spot on the podium.  Lack had a very healthy lead but once lapped traffic came into play that lead quickly diminished and, when Lack hesitated for just a fraction of the second behind a lapped car, Farr took advantage and stole the lead.  Lack didn’t surrender the lead without a fight, making last nights race one of the most entertaining, and heart-stopping Sprintcar A-Mains seen in recent times.  In the end though it was Robbie Farr who took the win, his sixth Queensland Title, with Peter Lack securing second and Luke Oldfield having a powerful drive to finish third.  Danny Reidy and Bryan Mann rounded out the top five, the pair involved in their own race long battle for the minor places and really putting on a show for the fans.

Twenty-One cars turned up to put on a show but it was Robbie Farr who topped the leader board stopping the clock at a very quick 10.964 second lap.  Andrew Scheuerle secured second quick in a very solid start to his Queensland Title campaign, stopping the clock at 11.136 seconds, while Mitchell Gee was officially third quickest.  Bryan Mann and Lachlan McHugh rounded out the fastest five but with the entire field of twenty-one separated by barely one second it was clear right from the beginning just how close the competition was going to be.  Allan Woods and Andrew Wright both recorded identical times (11.482 seconds) while Kevin Titman was just one thousandth of a second slower, stopping the clock at 11.483 seconds.  Deeper in the field Dave Whell beat Darren Kane by 0.001 seconds and all twenty-one cars separated by just 1.029 seconds. 

Heat one started with Danny Reidy from pole position with Scott Genrich alongside and a very tough field behind.  Danny Reidy got the jump on the start and quickly settled into the race lead while Rob Hamilton settled, briefly, into second.  Peter Lack was working the high line and quickly made his way into third and began looking for a way around Hamilton.  Unfortunately Hamilton spun on the bottom of turn two and brought the race under caution.  Danny Reidy led on the restart but Lack was on a mission and slid under Reidy to steal the lead in turn two.  Reidy tried valiantly to fight back but Lack was simply too quick and was already starting to open a sizable lead over the rest of the field.  Lachlan McHugh and Robbie Farr were both trying to make their way forward but no one could touch Lack out in front.  Lack caught lapped traffic at about the half way point in the race and had begun weaving his way through the back markers when Dan Murray brought the race to a stop after spinning in turn two.  Peter Lack led the restart from Danny Reidy, Robbie Farr and Kevin Titman with just three laps left to run.  Farr had a big look underneath Reidy when the lights went green but couldn’t quite get the job done, while both Kevin Titman and Lachlan McHugh began to close in.  Peter Lack took the win ahead of Danny Reidy, Robbie Farr and Kevin Titman.  Lachlan McHugh crossed the line in fifth and led Bryan Mann, Scott Genrich, Simon Jupe, Rob Hamilton and Dan Murray across the line.  Brent Kratzmann suffered mechanical dramas in the front end of the immaculately presented Q2 racer before the race started and unfortunately was unable to take the green.

Darren Kane and Dave Whell shared the front row for the start of heat two, with Jayden Peacock and Mark Pholi close behind. Whell secured the lead when the lights went green, while both Mark Pholi and Allan Woods took to the high line in an effort to get closer to the front.  Mitchell Gee was trying to work his way forward while Luke Oldfield had a big look under Allan Woods, but couldn’t quite make his way through.  Mitchell Gee and Brandon Rawlings had a great race amongst themselves, the former team-mates spending several laps side-by-side as they negotiated over track position, while Andrew Scheuerle searched for a way through from behind.  Oldfield had his eyes set firmly on the pointy end of the field and dived underneath Woods before setting his sights on Mark Pholi and sliding under the Q14 racer of Pholi just one lap after securing the advantage over Woods.  Oldfield set about closing the gap to Whell in the race lead, quickly catching the leader and beginning to challenge him for control of the race.  While Oldfield put all kinds of pressure on Whell, there were only a couple of laps left to run and Whell did a truly spectacular job out in front and was able to hang on to the lead.  Dave Whell went on to take the win ahead of Luke Oldfield, with Mark Pholi having an absolutely terrific drive to finish third.  Allan Woods crossed the line in fourth and led Andrew Wright, Mitchell Gee, Darren Kane, Andrew Scheuerle, Brandon Rawlings, and Jayden Peacock across the line. 

Scott Genrich and Darren Kane lined up alongside each other on the front row of heat three, while Rob Hamilton and Jayden Peacock shared the second row.  Genrich and Kane came together shortly after the green, ending with Kane making contact with the wall and flipping down the main straight and into turn one.  It was a big hit and while Kane was able to walk away from the wreck, the car suffered enough damage to bring about a very premature end to his night of racing.  Mitchell Gee, who had started at the rear of the field after a strong qualifying performance, suffered a pair of flat front tyres and was unable to restart the race.  Genrich led the field to the restart, with Peacock now alongside him on the front row.  Peacock was brilliant on the high side and quickly secured the race lead while deep in the field Robbie Farr and Peter Lack were having a brilliant battle between themselves, whilst also chasing down Brandon Rawlings.  Lachlan McHugh soon joined the battle making for an exciting four-car race, but closer to the front of the field Andrew Wright was having a massive look on the inside of Genrich and entertaining the crowd as he put on a brilliant show trying to make his way through the field.  Peter Lack was again on a mission and had managed to weave his way through field, and was now putting all kinds of pressure on Wright.  Brandon Rawlings slammed the fence hard, climbing the right side of the car up the fence but somehow managing to avoid disaster.  Unfortunately though Robbie Farr had nowhere to go and came to a stop trying to avoid Rawlings.  The stoppage with three laps left to run was probably the last thing race leader Peacock needed, with the field now bunched up and right on his tail tank.  Lack wasted no time at all and slid beautifully under Genrich as they rounded turn one when the race resumed, before turning his attention to Peacock and stealing the lead in a perfectly timed inside passing move just one lap later.  Peacock tried to fight back in a valiant effort but Lack was simply too quick.  Peter Lack took the win ahead of Jayden Peacock and Lachlan McHugh, with Andrew Wright and Scott Genrich rounding out the top five finishers.  Robbie Farr finished sixth and led Brandon Rawlings and Rob Hamilton across the line while Mitchell Gee and Darren Kane did not finish the event.

The fourth and final heat of the night got underway with Dave Whell from pole position and Danny Reidy alongside as they led the field to the green.  Reidy got the jump when the lights went green and quickly settled into the race lead as Allan Woods raced around the outside of Dave Whell to move closer to the front of the field.  Kevin Titman had contact with the wall before pulling the Q59 out of the race, while Luke Oldfield began to make his way forward as well.  Reidy looked extremely comfortable in the race lead but the battle was all behind him as Brent Kratzmann, determined to make up for the heat he dropped earlier in the night, raced around the outside of Whell, as Oldfield began closing in on Woods.  Andrew Scheuerle suffered some mechanical dramas, which were later revealed to be a broken valve in the engine, and slowed to a stop coming out of turn two.  Unfortunately for Scheuerle it would be the end of his 2016-2017 Queensland Title campaign.  Reidy led the restart from Woods, Oldfield, Kratzmann and Whell, with Oldfield quick to slide under Woods once the lights went green.  Unfortunately for Oldfield though the race was brought under caution when Kratzmann hit the cone on the restart.  Kratzmann was relegated to the rear of the field for the restart with three laps left to run.  Reidy again led the restart from Woods and Oldfield and while Oldfield tried to repeat his slide job on Woods from the previous restart, but Woods was not going to let him through quite so easily this time around.  Danny Reidy went on to take a well-deserved win ahead of Allan Woods and Luke Oldfield, with Bryan Mann, Dave Whell, Dan Murray, Simon Jupe and Brent Kratzmann rounding out the finishers.  Andrew Scheuerle pulled out of the event after completing just seven of the ten laps, with Kevin Titman also failing to finish the event.  Mark Pholi also suffered mechanical problems in the Q14 Darra Mechanical racer and was unable to start the heat event, his Queensland Title campaign also coming to a disappointing end.

Peter Lack led the points chase heading into the shootout events, with Robbie Farr, Lachlan McHugh, Bryan Mann, Danny Reidy, Luke Oldfield, Allan Woods and Mitchell Gee all qualifying for the top eight shoot out events.  Reidy, Oldfield, Woods and Gee were the first to hit the track for the Bronze Shootout.  They got three timed laps with the fastest two set to transfer into the Silver Shootout.  Mitchell Gee was the quickest of the quartet, stopping the clock at 11.764 seconds, with Luke Oldfield securing second quick to join Gee and transfer to the Silver Shootout.  Danny Reidy missed the transfer by just four thousandths of a second and would start the A-Main from position seven, with Allan Woods alongside.

The Silver Shootout saw Bryan Mann and Lachlan McHugh, third and fourth highest on points, join Mitchell Gee and Luke Oldfield on the track for their three timed laps.  This time it was the young guns who topped the leader board, with Mitchell Gee and Lachlan McHugh topping the leader board, the pair separated by just 0.014 seconds.  Luke Oldfield and Bryan Mann would start the A-Main event from positions five and six respectively while both Gee and McHugh would advance to the Gold Shootout to battle against Peter Lack and Robbie Farr for their A-Main starting positions.

With four of the fastest cars on the track for the Gold Shootout we were set for a close battle and they sure didn’t disappoint.  Pole position changed hands several times as each driver went quicker with each completed lap but at the end of the run it was Robbie Farr who held the top spot, and pole position for the Title race, after stopping the clock at 11.586 seconds.  Peter Lack went second quick to join Farr on the front row for the start of the A-Main, with Lachlan McHugh beating Mitchell Gee in the final qualifying run.

The eighteen-car A-Main rolled on to the track with Farr, who has won the Queensland Title four times in the past seven years, set to start from pole position with Peter Lack alongside him on the front row.  Young guns Lachlan McHugh and Mitchell Gee shared the second row, while defending champion Luke Oldfield took the green from position five with Bryan Mann on his outside.  When the lights went green it was Farr who got the initial jump but Lack committed to the high line and it was nothing short of spectacular.  Lack raced around the outside of Farr in the opening couple of corners to steal the lead, much to the delight of the Toowoomba crowd, while McHugh had a look on the bottom of Farr.  Mitchell Gee had a brilliant run in the Q36 Titan Garages racer and began challenging McHugh for track position, while further back in the field Brandon Rawlings and Allan Woods exchanged positions several times as they negotiated over mid-field positions.  Within just a handful of laps Lack entered lapped traffic, while Mitchell Gee slid beautifully underneath Farr to steal second.  Farr switched lines to try and stay in touch with both Lack and Gee, while Oldfield made his way into fourth and Danny Reidy found his way in front of Bryan Mann.  In very heavy lapped traffic Gee really closed in on Lack but Farr can never be discounted and seemingly out of nowhere Farr stole second from Gee and held nothing back as he challenged Lack for the lead.  As Lack searched for a way around the lapped car of Dave Whell, Farr did not hesitate to slide under Lack and take control of the race.  Lack switched to the low line and immediately fired back to regain the lead, just as the race was brought to a stop as McHugh upended the Q23 racer with just fifteen laps completed.  McHugh walked away from the wreck but was unable to restart the race.  Kevin Titman, who had been running close to the top ten, suffered a flat right rear tyre, ending his 2016-2017 Queensland Title campaign on the infield for the final twenty-laps of the race.

Peter Lack led the restart from Robbie Farr, Mitchell Gee, Luke Oldfield, Danny Reidy and Bryan Mann.  When the lights went green Gee had an absolutely massive look underneath Farr, all the while Farr was on the tail of Lack and the race lead.  Further back in the field Brandon Rawlings got a little too loose in turn four, getting the NQ44 racer a little sideways in turn four and washing off some speed.  Unfortunately Jayden Peacock was left with nowhere to go and while he tried to spin his own car to lessen the unavoidable contact, both cars ended up up-side-down.  Both Rawlings and Peacock were unscathed in the crash but neither were able to restart the race.

Peter Lack again led the restart from Robbie Farr, Mitchell Gee, Luke Oldfield and Danny Reidy and while Farr chased hard to challenge Lack for the lead, Lack had plenty of speed in the Q5 racer and managed to open a small lead.  Further back in the field Allan Woods and Brent Kratzmann were having a thrilling battle, with Woods sliding under Kratzmann only for Kratzmann to fight straight back.  The leaders caught the tail of the field once more in only a few laps, with Farr right on the tail tank of Lack as they tried to weave their way through the traffic.  Farr had a massive look on the inside of Lack but couldn’t quite make it stick, and immediately found Gee right on his tail.  Farr had another big look under Lack and Lack was caught momentarily behind a lapped car, with Farr this time moving into the race lead.  Lack lost a little bit of ground behind the lapped car and came under pressure from Gee as they argued over second and Luke Oldfield began to close in with nine laps left to run.  Lack and Gee soon gained ground on Farr and the trio became surrounded by very heavy lapped traffic.  Farr and Lack showed their years of experience as they raced through a small gap between a pair of lapped cars, while Gee got into the back of one of the lapped cars as the other driver lost a little speed.  Gee spun the Q36 racer to a stop with five laps left to run and ruining his chances of another strong podium position finish. 

Robbie Farr led the restart from Peter Lack, Luke Oldfield, Danny Reidy and Bryan Mann with five gruelling laps to run.  Lack took to the high side and looked fast and determined as he fought Farr for control of the race, while further back in the field Allan Woods found his way past Brent Kratzmann, and Danny Reidy and Bryan Mann had a thrilling battle over fourth and fifth.  Lack closed in on Farr with three laps left to run but Farr looked too strong as he raced past the white flag.  Unfortunately for Kratzmann, who had endured a dreadful run of bad luck last night, he brought the race under caution when Farr had just half a lap left to run.

Robbie Farr led the field to the green for the Green-White-Chequer dash to the finish.  Farr was quick and Lack held nothing back, the pair putting on a truly brilliant show as they fought for the Queensland Title, all the while defending champion Luke Oldfield was right on their tail tanks.  Robbie Farr took the win, ahead of Peter Lack and Luke Oldfield with Danny Reidy and Bryan Mann rounding out the top five.  Allan Woods crossed the line in sixth and led Mitchell Gee, Brent Kratzmann, Andrew Wright, Simon Jupe, Dan Murray, Dave Whell, Rob Hamilton and Scott Genrich across the line.  Brandon Rawlings, Jayden Peacock, Lachlan McHugh and Kevin Titman did not finish the race.

After four consecutive weekends of racing Sprintcars Queensland will now head back to AusDeck Patios Archerfield Speedway next Saturday night, 15 October 2016, to make it five in a row.  It will be round three of the Sprintcar Track Championship and if the racing we have already seen so far this season is anything to go by it will be a exhilarating night of Sprintcar racing action that you will not want to miss.  We have already had a number of different winners this season so come on out to Archerfield Speedway next weekend and see if Andrew Scheuerle or Luke Oldfield can get a second win on board, or if perhaps Peter Lack, Brent Kratzmann, Bryan Mann, Kevin Titman, Lachlan McHugh, Mitchell Gee or any one of the other drivers can get their first win of the season.  See you all trackside!

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