Kicking Up the Dirt – Sprintcar Track Championship Round Four

Kicking Up the Dirt – Sprintcar Track Championship Round Four

Joanne White

Sprintcars Queensland started the season with a massive five consecutive weekends of racing before taking last weekend off, giving the teams a chance to regroup and revitalise before returning to AusDeck Patios Archerfield Speedway last night for Round Four of the Sprintcar Track Championship.  Twenty-eight cars hit the track to put on a show and what a show it was!  Jayden Peacock and Brent Kratzmann, who had entered the night a very slender one point lead in the series, both crashed out of the event early in separate incidents, while Lachlan McHugh, Mitchell Gee and Callum Walker all proved once again what a great depth of talent we have coming up through the ranks with some truly inspiring drives.  Gee and McHugh shared the front row for the start of the A-Main with Gee quickly settling into the lead, only to come under immense pressure from McHugh who soon stole the lead.  The pair were in complete control of the race and while Gee pushed hard and ran spectacularly around the top, lapped traffic saw him come unstuck in turn three, relegating him to the rear of the field with eighteen laps left to run.  McHugh led for a further ten laps, with Bryan Mann, Andrew Scheuerle and Peter Lack on his tail, but with eight laps left to run he had contact with a lapped car that left him stranded on the track and relegated to the rear of the field.  Bryan Mann inherited the race lead and despite mounting pressure from Lack and Scheuerle, Mann went on to take a very popular win.  Peter Lack finished an impressive second while Andrew Scheuerle seemed to have banished the gremlins that have plagued him the past couple of meetings and secured a strong third to round out the podium.  Callum Walker had a brilliant night and had a smooth and consistent run to come home in fourth with Steve Greer putting in a truly spectacular effort to round out the top five.

Bryan Mann proved right from qualifying that he had the car speed to take the win at the end of the night, and started the evening by topping the qualifying order after Time Trials.  Mann stopped the clock at a quick 11.795 seconds and was the only car to break into the 11-second bracket.  Peter Lack secured second quickest with a 12.011 second lap, some 0.216 seconds slower than Mann, while young Ben Hilder, who himself is really starting to master the qualifying events, was just six thousandths of a second slower, stopping the clock at 12.017 seconds to lock in third quickest.  Brent Kratzmann and Mitchell Gee rounded out the fastest five.  Kratzmann, Gee, Andrew Scheuerle, Dan Murray, Lachlan McHugh and Scott Doyle, qualifiers four to nine, were separated by less than one tenth of a second, with the entire top twenty-four cars separated by less than one second. 

James Grady and Steven Johnson shared the front row for the start of the first heat of the night, with Chris Harrison, from the Northern Territory, and Steve Greer out of the second row.  Johnson got a great start and had secured the lead by the time they hit turn one but mechanical problems saw him pull to the infield in turn two, handing the lead to Grady.  Grady was already under fire from a very hard charging Greer while further back in the field Jayden Peacock had raced under Murray and was searching for a way past Harrison.  Andrew Scheuerle began his climb towards the front, having started from position seven, racing under Murray and setting his sights on Peacock.  Peacock however was having a brilliant run and soon made his way past Harrison, with Scheuerle following a lap later.  Greer had been putting all kinds of pressure on Grady as they argued over the race lead, but when Greer ran too wide in turn four Peacock didn’t hesitate to swiftly race through on the inside to steal second.  Greer fought back hard on the high side but contact between the pair as they entered turn one ended with Peacock rolling end-to-end and extremely high into the turn one catch fence.  It was a massive crash, and while Peacock is sore, he was able to walk away from the wreck.  James Grady led the restart from Steve Greer and Andrew Scheuerle, with Scheuerle quickly stealing second just a few moments after the race resumed.  Scheuerle was on a mission and with the race lead within sight there was little Grady could do and just a lap and half into the restart Scheuerle raced underneath the Q40 racer and took control of the race.  As Scheuerle stole the lead from Grady, Chris Harrison slipped underneath Greer to steal third, before setting his sights on Grady.  Harrison was looking for a way under Grady when Grady got just a fraction too sideways entering turn four and while Harrison did everything he could to avoid an incident, both he and Grady ended up stranded in turn four.  Unfortunately this also left Steve Greer with nowhere to go and he too came to a stop, while Dan Murray spun to avoid the chaos but was able to keep the Q44 racer running.  Andrew Scheuerle led the restart from Bryan Mann and Dan Murray with five laps left to run, and while Mann was all over the back of Scheuerle, Harrison searched for a way past Murray, and Grady and Greer exchanged positions several times at the rear of the field.  Andrew Scheuerle went on to take the win ahead of Bryan Mann, Dan Murray, Chris Harrison, Steve Greer and James Grady.  Jayden Peacock, Clem Hoffmans and Steven Johnson all failed to finish the event. 

Heat two started with Kristy Bonsey and Dave Whell from the front row, with Whell getting the jump on the start and quickly securing the race lead.  Bonsey, who had raced wheel-to-wheel with Whell into the first corner, settled into second but had her sights set firmly on Whell and the race lead.  Behind the leading pair Brett Minett secured the advantage over Rob Hamilton, while Lachlan McHugh ran the high line, with Kevin Titman on the bottom, as they too tried to find a way past Hamilton.  Hamilton however was not about to surrender his position without a fight and slid straight back underneath Minett as they rounded turns three and four to conclude the first lap.  Minett immediately fired back and regained third half a lap later, the battle thrilling fans on the hill, while Kevin Titman and Peter Lack tried to make their way forward.  Hamilton slid underneath Minett in turn four, just as Lack behind them was racing under Titman, and while Minett tried to fight back to regain his position from Hamilton, contact between Titman and Lack brought the race under caution.  Lack pirouetted spectacularly on his right rear before the Q5 racer tipped onto its side and then returned to the upright position.  Mitchell Gee had nowhere to go and, squeezed between Lack and the concrete wall, making contact with both.  Lack was unscathed but was also unable to restart the event, while Gee had to take to the restart from the rear of the field.  Dave Whell led the restart from Kristy Bonsey and Brett Minett, Rob Hamilton, Kevin Titman and Lachlan McHugh, with Titman having a big look around the outside of Hamilton as soon as the race resumed.  McHugh had a massive look on the inside of Titman, forcing him on the defensive, but Titman had significant momentum on the high side and not only managed to stay ahead of McHugh, but half a lap later he raced around the outside of Hamilton as well.  McHugh persisted with the low line, making his way under Hamilton a lap later, with Gee now right on his tail as well.  Titman was now on the tail of Minett in third, and challenging the Q94 racer for position, while McHugh quickly closed in on the pair.  Up the front of the field Bonsey was having a magnificent run in the Q42 racer, putting together a series of consistent and smooth laps, and was seriously challenging Whell for control of the race.  McHugh made his way past Titman, and then Minett in quick succession, while both Titman and Gee were able to get underneath Minett through turn four.  Gee was all over the back of Titman, the pair keeping the racing close and exciting, while McHugh closed in on Bonsey and Whell.  With the white flag in the air McHugh raced under Bonsey in turn two to steal second, with both Titman and Gee right on his heels.  Contact between Bonsey and Titman as they exited turn two could have so easily ended in disaster for both, and probably Gee too due his proximity, but somehow all three managed to make their way down the back straight and around the final two corners of the race.  Dave Whell took a hard fought and well-deserved win with Lachlan McHugh officially second.  Kristy Bonsey had a truly marvellous race and managed to hang on to cross the line in third ahead of Kevin Titman, Mitchell Gee, Brett Minett, Rob Hamilton and Kevin Britten.  Peter Lack did not finish the race. 

Wayne Iacono started from pole position in heat three, with Andrew Liebke alongside and David Muir, in his first night back on track after a lengthy absence, and Dylan Menz from the second row.  Liebke, in his first race this season, got a brilliant start on the high side when the green flag flew, quickly securing the race lead and opening a small margin over his rivals.  Iacono settled into second ahead of Menz, while deep in the field Brent Kratzmann was on the move as he raced under Callum Walker, just as Ben Hilder was running around the high line.  Hilder had the best run and came out in front of both Kratzmann and Walker and set his sights on Scott Doyle.  David Muir was searching for a way past Dylan Menz, but Menz was having a great run and soon managed to put a small margin between himself and Muir as he closed the gap to Iacono.  Menz had a massive look on the inside of Iacono, eventually getting the job done, while further back in the field Kratzmann slid beautifully underneath Hilder through turn three and set about closing the gap to Doyle and Iacono.  Liebke was way out in front, while Menz and Muir argued over second and third.  Behind them a moment between Iacono and Kratzmann brought the race under caution and left Kratzmann with a flat right rear tyre.  Liebke led the restart from Menz and Muir with four laps left to run with Menz determined and putting all kinds of pressure on Liebke when the race returned to green conditions.  Andrew Liebke managed to hang on to take the win ahead of Dylan Menz and David Muir, with Wayne Iacono, Callum Walker, Scott Doyle, Brock Dean, Ben Hilder, Mitch Gowland and Brent Kratzmann rounding out the finishers. 

Heat four started with Steven Johnson from pole position with Rob Hamilton alongside and Chris Harrison and Steve Greer right behind.  Johnson got a great start when the lights went green and quickly settled into the lead ahead of Hamilton and Harrison.  Brent Kratzmann, who had started from position six, had already secured the advantage over fellow third-row starter Dylan Menz, but was determined to get to the front of the field.  Kratzmann, had an absolutely beautiful run on the low line when the three in front of him were sitting mid-track and was looking to run underneath Greer, Harrison and Hamilton in one hit through turns three and four.  It was breathtaking to watch but unfortunately for Kratzmann Hamilton got a little too sideways in turn four, coming down tack and leaving the luckless Kratzmann nowhere to go.  The pair collided on the bottom of the track in turn four, with Kratzmann inverting the immaculately presented Q2 racer.  Kratzmann was unscathed in the incident but his night of competition was over, and not only loosing any chance to extend his lead in the Track Championship race in the absence of Luke Oldfield, but handing the lead in the series to Andrew Scheuerle.  A full race restart followed with Steven Johnson again from the front row but with Steve Greer now alongside in the absence of Rob Hamilton.  The race was quickly brought under caution though, with Johnson deemed to have jumped the start and relegated to the second row for the next attempted restart, with Chris Harrison now from pole position.  Harrison got a great start and quickly secured the lead while Johnson raced up the inside of Greer to secure second.  Greer spent several laps searching for a way past Johnson, until Johnson pulled out of the race with mechanical issues once more.  Bryan Mann and Ben Hilder closed in on Greer, and while Hilder had a quick look underneath Mann he couldn’t quite get the job done.  Mann edged ever closer to Greer and was smooth, consistent and relentless in his efforts to find a way past, his persistence eventually paying off as he raced under Greer through turn two.  Mann started to pull ahead of Greer and Hilder, leaving the pair to their own battle as he began closing the gap to Harrison.  Hilder was having another solid run, searching high and low for a way past Greer, but an uncharacteristic spin in the final corner, just as Harrison greeted the chequered flag, saw him loose several positions.  Chris Harrison, who has only competed a couple of shows in Brisbane but has so far struggled on the bull-ring that is Archerfield Speedway, finally seemed to have settled in and easily took a well deserved and confidence-boosting win ahead of Bryan Mann and Steve Greer, with Dylan Menz, Kevin Britten and Ben Hilder rounding out the finishers.  Steven Johnson, Brent Kratzmann and Rob Hamilton all failed to finish the event.

Brock Dean, now driving the Q8 racer formally driven by Melissa Boyes, started heat five from pole position and led the field to the green with Wayne Iacono sharing the front row.  Dean got a brilliant start when the lights went green and quickly settled into the race lead, while Iacono held down second and David Muir ran up the inside of Brett Minett to make his way into third.  From deep in the field Peter Lack took to the highline and with the car perfectly set up he had plenty of speed as he tried to make his way to the front.  Lack raced around the high side of Kevin Titman before going around both Brett Minett and David Muir all before the end of the first lap.  By turn two of the second lap Lack had raced around the outside of Iacono and into second and was rapidly closing the gap to Dean and the race lead.  Iacono got too sideways in turn two, leaving David Muir nowhere to go and while there was contact between the pair, Muir was able to keep the car moving.  Iacono however ended up stranded on the track and brought the race under caution.  Dean led the restart from Lack and Muir, and while Muir had a brief look for a way past Lack, Lack was focussed on finding a way past Dean and using every inch of track in his efforts to find a way through.  Brett Minett had a spin in turn four and brought the race back under caution, with Dean to again lead the restart with eight laps left to run.  Lack immediately committed to the high line in spectacular fashion as he made his move for the race lead.  Dean, a seasoned competitor in his own right, didn’t give up without a fight and the pair raced, cleanly, wheel-to-wheel for most of a lap, each giving the other just enough racing room, before Lack powered ahead and took control of the race.  Mid-field Andrew Scheuerle made his way under Kevin Titman in turn two, and was making a beeline to the front of the field.  David Muir got under Brock Dean, with Andrew Scheuerle following soon after and Kevin Titman next in line.  Unfortunately contract between Dean and Titman in turn four left Titman spun and stranded on the track, leaving Dan Murray nowhere to go.  Neither Titman nor Murray was able to restart the event.    Lack led the restart from Muir and Scheuerle for a thrilling two-lap dash to the chequered flag.  Peter Lack went on to take the win ahead of David Muir, Andrew Scheuerle, Brock Dean and Mitch Gowland.  Brett Minett, Kevin Titman, Dan Murray and Wayne Iacono all failed to finish the event.

The sixth and final heat of the night saw James Grady and Kristy Bonsey share the front row ahead of Andrew Liebke ad Dave Whell.  Bonsey was a little too eager and jumped the first start, officials relegating her to the second row for the restart and promoting Whell to the front row.  Whell got the jump on the start and quickly settled into the race lead ahead of Grady and Liebke.  Callum Walker raced up the inside of Scott Doyle and Kristy Bonsey in the first half of lap one of the race, setting his sights on Andrew Liebke while Lachlan McHugh found a way around Kristy Bonsey.   McHugh was now on the tail of Walker, who in turn was on the tail of Grady.  Walker had a look under Grady, just as McHugh had a look under Walker, the trio almost three-wide in turn four.  Walker managed to emerge in front, with McHugh then patiently searching high and low for the right way though.  Before long Walker and McHugh had caught the tail tank of Liebke, and were almost instantly joined by Mitchell Gee as he too tried to make his way to the front of the field.  With Walker on the top side, McHugh in the middle and Gee on the bottom the young trio ran three-wide through turn two, exciting the crowd not just for the race in front of them but for the future of Sprintcar racing.  These three young men each have an immense talent and watching them learn the craft of Sprintcar racing is something special to behold.  McHugh came out in front but Gee was not done and slid beautifully under Walker through turn three before having a massive look under McHugh in turn four, only for Walker to come back hard on the bottom and slip straight past Gee as they raced down the main straight.  Walker then raced under McHugh as they navigated turn three, with Gee quickly following, before Gee slid under Walker as they entered turn one.  McHugh returned to the high side and half a lap later raced around the outside of Walker to once again advance through the field.  Dave Whell took the win ahead of Mitchell Gee and Andrew Liebke, with Lachlan McHugh, Callum Walker, Kristy Bonsey, James Grady and Scott Doyle rounding out the finishers. 

Bryan Mann entered the Dash event as highest points scorer of the night, but a pre-dash marble draw saw him start the event from position seven.  Dave Whell and Lachlan McHugh shared the front row, with Mitchell Gee and Peter Lack right behind them.  Whell got a great start and quickly settled into the lead while McHugh and Gee raced side-by-side as they negotiated over who would secure second.  Gee won that battle and was soon challenging Whell for the lead, while Lack and Mann argued over mid-field positions and Andrew Scheuerle tried to find his way past a very much in form Ben Hilder.  Within a couple of laps Gee raced under Whell to steal the lead, and while Whell put up a great fight there was no stopping Gee on his way to the front.  Whell soon came under fire from McHugh, while further back in the field Andrew Scheuerle was defending is position from a very hard charging Callum Walker, whilst still trying to find a way around Hilder.  Mitchell Gee went on to take the win ahead of Lachlan McHugh while Dave Whell and Bryan Mann raced side-by-side across the line for third and fourth.  Whell beat Mann to the line by just 0.047 seconds and the pair led Peter Lack, Ben Hilder, Andrew Scheuerle and Callum Walker across the line.  Gee declined the Kratzmann Challenge, which, had he accepted, would have inverted the top fourteen starters for the A-main event.

Thirteen cars were scheduled to start the B-Main event but with Brent Kratzmann, Rob Hamilton and Clem Hoffmans all out of action the field was reduced to just ten cars.  Race distance was reduced to twelve laps and it was Scott Doyle and Kristy Bonsey who led the field to the green.  Bonsey got a brilliant start in the Q42 racer and quickly secured the race lead, while Doyle tried to fend off the advances of Kevin Titman and Brock Dean.  Wayne Iacono had a look underneath James Grady but couldn’t get the job done, only for Steven White, who subbed in for Steven Johnson in an effort to try and better diagnose the mechanical problems that had plagued the team all night, to slide under the Q20 racer of Iacono in turn two and set his sights on James Grady.  White chased Grady for a number of laps before Grady began to pull ahead, leaving White to try to defend his position from Iacono.  White and Iacono exchanged positions several times over the course of the next few laps but when Grady looped the Q40 in turn four, even though Grady was able to keep the car moving, Iacono ended up spun as he and White took evasive action.  Bonsey led the restart with three laps to run and Kevin Titman right on her tail and holding nothing back.  Bonsey, with her sights set firmly on the chequered flag, had a brilliant run, and despite enormous pressure from Titman managed to hang to take the win, her first race win since upgrading from her 360ci engine.  Kevin Titman crossed the line in second with Kevin Britten, in only his first night of Sprintcar competition, crossing the line in third and securing a transfer to the A-Main.  Scott Doyle crossed the line fourth, joining Bonsey, Titman and Britten as the final transfer to the A-main, with James Grady, Steven White, Wayne Iacono and Mitch Gowland rounding out the finishers.  Brock Dean did not finish the race.

Mitchell Gee and Lachlan McHugh shared the front row for the start of the 30-lap A-Main event with Gee getting a brilliant start and quickly settling into the lead ahead of McHugh with Bryan Mann settling into third ahead of Ben Hilder and Peter Lack.  Andrew Scheuerle was starting to make his way forward, working the low line through the opening corners to advance a couple of positions, and by the time the race was just a lap and a half old Scheuerle had moved past several cars, including both Hilder and Lack and was sitting in fourth behind Mann after initially starting from position seven.  Scheuerle was soon all over the back of Mann, while McHugh took to the high line in spectacular fashion as he searched a way around Gee, while Lack and Hilder raced side-by-side as they argued over position.  McHugh, still committed to the high side soon managed to build enough momentum the sweep stylishly around the outside of Gee and take control of the race, while Gee tried to stay close by and Mann and Scheuerle began closing in.  Dylan Menz, Steve Greer and Callum Walker were having a great battle mid-field, all three impressing as they put on a show.  Lapped traffic soon came into play for the leaders, with at least the top four drivers committed to the high line and making it look easy as they simply raced around the back markers.  Chris Harrison had a spin in turn four, right in front of the leaders, and while McHugh was able to get through, as everyone took evasive action Gee ended up stranded on the track as well, sadly forfeiting second place. 

Lachlan McHugh led the restart from Bryan Mann, Andrew Scheuerle, Peter Lack and Ben Hilder.  Mitchell Gee restarted at the rear of the field and with just eighteen laps left to run it was pretty clear he would be on a mission to get back to the front.  Gee had a lot of work to do and a lot of tough cars to pass if he wanted to get back to the front, and he wasted no time at all in getting started.  Elbows up and straight to the high line Gee made rapid progress, making his way past several cars a lap for the first few laps of the restart, and before long was on the tail of the battle between David Muir and Kevin Titman.  Within just a few laps the leaders were again in lapped traffic, with McHugh patiently working any line he needed to get the job done.  Bryan Mann was closing in fast, as was Peter Lack who had found his way past Andrew Scheuerle.  Mann had a massive look under McHugh in lapped traffic, but could only show his nose before McHugh pulled ahead once more, leaving Mann to defend his position from Lack who was challenging on the low line for second.  The pace was frantic and exhilarating and the leading quartet weaved through lapped traffic.  McHugh switched lines seemingly effortlessly, but when he switched from the high line to the low side to slip under Chris Harrison and Dylan Menz in turns three and four, things came undone for the race leader.  Menz got a fraction sideways entering turn four, washing off some speed just as McHugh was coming through.  Contact between the pair left McHugh spun and stopped on the track with just eight laps to run.  Kristy Bonsey, who had been having another impressive run as well, spun to avoid the stranded car of McHugh and would join him at the rear of the field for the restart.

Bryan Mann led the restart with eight laps left to run and Peter Lack and Andrew Scheuerle right on his tail.  Callum Walker was up to a very impressive fourth with Ben Hilder and Steve Greer set to argue over fifth and sixth.  Mitchell Gee had made his way into ninth in just ten laps and was always going to be one to watch for the final eight circulations, and of course Lachlan McHugh coming from the rear of the field after what could have been his second feature race win.  Steve Greer put the challenge to Ben Hilder, the pair racing side-by-side, while behind them Dan Murray and Kevin Titman were negotiating over the minor mid-field places in a two-abreast battle that kept the crowd enthralled.  Greer got the better of Hilder while Gee joined the battle between Titman and Murray and McHugh once again put the Q23 racer wherever he needed to weave his way back through the field.  Bryan Mann went on to take a hard fought and popular win, with Peter Lack and Andrew Scheuerle joining him on the podium, experience beating youth in a tough and quality field.  Callum Walker had an impressive run to finish fourth while Steve Greer had one of his best runs in a Sprintcar to date and rounded out the top five.  Kevin Titman had a massive drive to finish sixth after transferring from the B-Main and led Ben Hilder, Mitchell Gee, Dan Murray, Scott Doyle, Dave Whell, Kevin Britten, Chris Harrison, Lachlan McHugh, David Muir, Andrew Liebke and Kristy Bonsey across the line.  Dylan Menz was the only driver who did not finish the race, a stark contrast and welcome change to the attrition rate of a fortnight ago.

Sprintcars Queensland will return to Hi-Tec Oils Toowoomba Speedway next weekend, Saturday 05 November 2016, for another round of the USC Series.  The night will also double as Ultimate Pink Night where the venue will raise money for Breast Cancer Research.  All women and girls, and all children under twelve years old will receive free general admission so come on out for a spectacular night of racing and raise some money for a good cause.  You will not want to miss this one – hope to see you all trackside!

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