Last night 31 Sprintcars rolled into SuperCheap Auto Archerfield Speedway where some of Queensland's finest would take on a group of Australia's best and some talent from America. Donny Schatz wowed fans and racers alike as he dominated proceedings most of the night, while Bryan Mann, Andrew Scheuerle, Luke Oldfield, Peter Lack, David Muir, Danny Reidy and Terry Bracken were standout local performers, each qualifying for the 20-car strong A-Main event. Donny Schatz won the event, with Luke Dillion and James McFadden joining him on the podium. Of the locally-based regular Sprintcars Queensland competitors Andrew Scheuerle had an amazing run to finish a very impressive fourth, with Bryan Mann across the line in fifth after a very solid night.

Qualifying got underway with individual time trials off the infield and it was Brisbane local, and Wednesday night's feature race winner, Bryan Mann who topped the qualifying order with a blistering 11.696 second lap. Mann was 0.122 seconds quicker than second placed Luke Dillon, and while it is only a tiny fraction of a second, it was the largest margin between two qualifiers in the entire field. Dillon stopped the clock at 11.818 seconds with Daniel Pestka, Steven Lines and David Muir rounding out the fastest five. The top ten qualifiers all broke into the 11-second bracket with some exceptionally close times. Jason Sides was five thousandths of a second slower than James McFadden, but only two thousandths of a second quicker than Peter Lack. Further back in the field Danny Reidy was one thousandth of a second slower than Brent Aprile, while Daniel Harding (W12) and Andrew Wright (N78), who were 29th and 30th to hit the track for qualifying, both stopped the clock at exactly 12.201 seconds to sit in 19th and 20th positions at the conclusion of qualifying.

Heat one started with Garry Brazier and Dylan Jenkin from the front row with a strong field of (mostly) Queenslanders behind. Brazier got the jump on the start and quickly settled into the race lead with Jenkin settling into second. It was the Queenslanders though who stole the show, with Kevin Titman, Danny Reidy and Peter Lack having a great mid-field battle while further back in the field Luke Oldfield worked the highline as he tried to make his way closer to the front. Bryan Mann had a very solid run in the Q16 racer and had a breath-taking battle with Steven Lines at the tail of the field. Garry Brazier took the win, never challenged for his position, while Dylan Jenkin crossed the line in a strong second. Daniel Harding crossed the line in third ahead of Danny Reidy, Peter Lack, Luke Oldfield, Bryan Mann, Steven Lines, James Grady and David Whell. Kevin Titman, who actually crossed the line mid-field, was disqualified from the event after he failed to go to the scales when called at the conclusion of the race.

Brisbane locals Terry Bracken and Steven Rowell led the start of heat two with Bracken getting a brilliant start and quickly settling into the race lead. Rowell settled into second but was initially challenged by Andrew Wright as David Murcott, in the Q83 racer, began his charge on the low line. Murcott became embroiled in a tense battle with Americans Shane Stewart and Donny Schatz, but soon left the Americans behind and opened a small margin over them as he edged ever closer to Wright. Further back in the field James McFadden, David Muir and Luke Dillon negotiated over track position, with Dillon in particular making impressive ground. A couple of small errors late in the race saw Wright lose positions to Murcott, Schatz, Stewart and Dillon, but there was nothing anyone could do about Terry Bracken out in front. Bracken went on to take the win with Steven Rowell across the line in second ahead of David Murcott, Donny Schatz, Shane Stewart, Luke Dillon, Andrew Wright, James McFadden, David Muir and Jordyn Brazier.

Heat Three started with Jackson Delamont and Paul Morris from the front row, with hard chargers Richard Morgan and Andrew Scheuerle right behind. Morris got a great start on the outside and quickly made himself comfortable in the race lead while Scheuerle had a magnificent run on the high line, following Morris on the start and running two abreast with Delamont for a couple of corners before emerging in front. Scheuerle kept the pressure on Morris and challenged him for the race lead but Morris fought back hard and drove a very smooth and consistent race. Further back in the field Brooke Tatnell was slowly working his way closer to the front of the field, while Jamie Veal and Daniel Pestka had a brilliant battle towards the back end of the field. Paul Morris took the win ahead of Andrew Scheuerle, Jackson Delamont, Brent Aprile, Brooke Tatnell, Jason Sides, Richard Morgan, Daniel Pestka, Jamie Veal and Nathan McFarlane.

Heat four saw Steven Rowell from pole potion with Garry Brazier alongside. Rowell got the jump first time around, but the race was brought under caution and Rowell was given a warning about going too soon. Second time around it was Braziers’ turn, and once the race had again been brought under caution both cars on the front row were under warning for the third attempted start. The third start was much more even and the leading pair drag raced side-by-side down the main straight. Brazier managed to secure the advantage by the time they hit the first corner but Rowell lost a little ground when he got too low coming down the main straight. Daniel Harding was quick to take advantage and slipped past the outside of Rowell to steal second while Shane Stewart followed swiftly only a couple of corners later. Donny Schatz led Danny Reidy, Luke Oldfield, David Muir and Bryan Mann. It wasn’t long before Schatz left the others behind and closed the gap to Rowell, spending a couple of laps assessing the best way past and then almost effortlessly sweeping in and stealing the position from Rowell. Shane Stewart managed to catch the tail of Daniel Harding, with Donny Schatz soon joining the battle, while Danny Reidy had managed to open a margin of a couple of car lengths on Luke Oldfield and David Muir. Oldfield and Muir remained close, both with exceptional car speed and putting on a great show for the large crowd. Garry Brazier entered lapped traffic a few laps from the chequered flag and while his competitors managed to close in a little in those final few laps, it was Brazier who took the win ahead of Shane Stewart and Daniel Harding. Donny Schatz was officially fourth ahead of Danny Reidy, Luke Oldfield, David Muir, Bryan Mann, Jordyn Brazier and James Grady. Steven Rowell pulled out of the race after completing only three laps.

Heat five started with Dylan Jenkin and Jackson Delamont from the front row with Jenkin quickly securing the race lead and Delamont settling into second. Kevin Titman started from position three and was quick to follow the leaders and secure third but all eyes were on Brooke Tatnell who had started from position six. Tatnell powered his way past the outside of Peter Lack, who had started from position five, before switching to the low line and ducking underneath Richard Morgan to secure fourth by the end of the second corner. Morgan faded quickly before pulling out of the race after only two laps. Peter Lack and Steven Lines had a thrilling battle towards the rear of the field, until Lack made a small mistake and let Lines get away. Lack then became the lead car in a tight battle with Jason Sides and Daniel Pestka, but Lack and his crew had the car set up beautifully and Lack was able to gradually put a margin between himself and Sides as they raced closer to the chequered flag. Dylan Jenkin was untouchable out in front and took the win ahead of Jackson Delamont, Kevin Titman, Brooke Tatnell, Steven Lines, Peter Lack, Jason Sides, Daniel Pestka and David Whell. Richard Morgan did not finish the event.

Heat six rolled onto the grid with Paul Morris and Terry Bracken set to share the front row for the start. Both got a brilliant start, with Morris strong and determined on the low line and Bracken breath-takingly smooth on the high side. The pair drag raced side-by-side down the main straight and into the first corner when the lights went green, neither willing to surrender the advantage. The fight did not stop there however, the pair remaining two wide for about a lap and a half before Bracken finally managed to emerge in front and secure the lead. Andrew Scheuerle, despite having David Murcott on his tail, settled into a strong third while the rest of the field argued amongst themselves. James McFadden was really on the move while Jamie Veal had a great run past the inside of Andrew Wright, only to get the exit of turn four wrong and lose positions to Wright and Luke Dillon. Veal fought back hard as the race wore on, while Dillon kept the pressure on Brent Aprile and the battle between Andrew Scheuerle and Paul Morris heated up. Terry Bracken went on to take the win in the final heat event of the night, with Paul Morris second ahead of Andrew Scheuerle, David Murcott, James McFadden, Brent Aprile, Luke Dillon, Jamie Veal, Andrew Wright and Nathan McFarlane.

The top eight qualifiers after the conclusion of the heat events, Luke Dillon, Bryan Mann, Steven Lines, Donny Schatz, Luke Oldfield, David Murcott, Brent Aprile and Andrew Scheuerle, took to the track for the Bronze, Silver and Gold Shootouts. Scheuerle, Aprile, Murcott and Oldfield contested the Bronze shootout, with Murcott and Scheuerle advancing to the Silver Shootout and Brent Apile and Luke Oldfield to start the A-Main event from positions seven and eight respectively. Schatz and Lines joined Murcott and Scheuerle on track for the Silver shootout, but this time it was Schatz and Lines who were quickest on track, both stopping the clock in the 11-second bracket and securing a transfer to the Gold shootout. Murcott and Scheuerle would start the A-Main event from fifth and sixth positions. Dillon and Mann joined Schatz and Lines on the racing surface for the Gold Shootout and while the leadership changed several times as the few qualifying laps wore on, it was Steven Lines who topped the time board at the conclusion of the event. Luke Dillon would join him on the front row of the A-Main, with Donny Schatz and Bryan Mann to fill the second row of the A-Main grid.

Before the A-Main event could get underway though, there was the all-important B-Main event to be contested over 15 gruelling laps, with only the top six finishers to transfer to the A-Main event. Brooke Tatnell and Jamie Veal shared the front row with a field behind them that would easily pass as an A-Main grid to anyone who had not been paying attention. Tatnell got the jump when the lights went green but as the field entered the first corner it was contact between Paul Morris and Daniel Harding, who had started alongside each other on the third row, that brought the race to a stop. The contact happened just as the pair were entering turn one and launched Morris into a violent series of end-to-end flips. The race was brought to a stop and officials and ambulance paramedics attended to Morris in his car. Morris however did eventually emerge from the wreck under his own steam and while crash crew and ambulance personnel checked him over, he walked from the race track without assistance. The car, especially the front end, took a massive hit, but the safety gear did its job and enabled the driver to walk away from the crash.

A full race restart followed with Tatnell and Veal racing side-by-side into the first corner. Tatnell managed to secure the race lead by the time he exited turn one, with Veal settling into second. Terry Bracken stole the spotlight however, with an absolutely brilliant run on the highline through turns one and two. He raced around the outside of Jackson Delamont and Daniel Harding, and tried to get Garry Brazier in the same bold passing move on the high side. Brazier however was determined on the low line and got more drive coming out of turn two than Bracken and managed to hold on to his position, just as Shane Stewart stole second from Jamie Veal. Delamont fought back hard and had a great battle for position with Bracken, alternating between attacking Bracken and defending his own position from Kevin Titman. Titman drove a great race, with Daniel Harding keeping the pressure on as Titman tried to find the way past Delamont. The race was brought under caution for the spun car of James Grady. Tatnell led the restart from Stewart, Veal and Jenkin with Garry Brazier in fifth. Terry Bracken sat in sixth, the final transfer position to the A-Main, but soon found himself in an intense battle with Kevin Titman. This pair has been close in competition for much of the past week, very evenly matched and both exceptionally hard chargers. On Wednesday night they argued over the lead in the A-Main and last night the battle continued in a clean and exciting race where one small mistake could mean the difference between a start in the main event or watching from the sidelines. Shane Stewart caught race leader Tatnell in lapped traffic but ultimately couldn’t quite pull off the win, with Brooke Tatnell first across the line ahead of Shane Stewart, Jamie Veal and Dylan Jenkin. Garry Brazier and Terry Bracken secured the final two transfers to the A-Main event with Kevin Titman just missing out in seventh place. Jackson Delamont crossed the line in a very respectable eighth and led Daniel Harding, Steven Rowell, Andrew Wright, Richard Morgan, Jordyn Brazier, David Whell, Nathan McFarlane and James Grady across the line. Paul Morris was the only driver who failed to finish the event.

Twenty cars rolled onto the track ready for a monster 30-lap A-Main event, with Steven Lines and Luke Dillon to lead them away and some of the best drivers from Australia and America right behind them and ready to pounce. It was one of those races where there were multiple racing lines and fierce battles right through the field. It didn’t matter who you were watching, there was plenty of action unfolding at every part of the track for each lap of the 30-lap journey. Dillon managed to secure the advantage and while Lines fought back valiantly on the low line heading into turn one, there was little he could do as Dillon took control of the race. Further back in the field it was the Brisbane-based racers, Andrew Scheuerle, Luke Oldfield and James McFadden who really stood out. Starting from positions six, eight and ten the trio took to the highline and began to make their way forward. Heading out of turn four on the first lap McFadden slipped straight between Brent Aprile and Jason Sides in a breath-taking passing move few could pull off, and then slide beautifully underneath Oldfield in turn two. Brooke Tatnell began moving forward while Danny Reidy and David Muir had a race long battle mid-field that showed a real level of professionalism while keeping things clean and exciting for the race fans. Andrew Scheuerle was particularly impressive in the Ausdeck Patios Q25 racer, and despite losing power steering halfway through the race Scheuerle continued his consistent run and cemented his position as one of the hardest to beat Brisbane-based racers. Scheuerle knows all too well the importance of finishing every event, preserving the race car and understanding that consistency week in and week out is vital to any championship race. Steven Lines had a solid race and was on the tail of race leader Dillon as they navigated lapped traffic. Donny Schatz was fast approaching and it was clear the World Champion racer was on a mission. The trio headed through turns three and four when Lines uncharacteristically spun the W3 racer in turn four. Lines looped the car on the low line, managing to avoid both the inside concrete barrier and the other cars in the race, and still keep the car moving and rejoin the race, losing quite a number of positions in the process. Unfortunately for Lines he would be forced out of the race with mechanical dramas only a few laps from home. Schatz was at his best, and both he and Dillon navigated the lapped traffic with ease. Schatz bided his time, spending several laps watching Dillon, waiting for the right opportunity and careful not to let Dillon know just how close he was. Schatz only let Dillon see him when he was certain he would be able to pull off the pass. He made his move as he exited turn four and took to the highline and powered straight past Dillon and into the race lead, much to the delight of the large crowd in attendance. A yellow light stoppage only three laps from the chequered flag was the only stoppage of the event but it was Donny Schatz who took the win, his third Australian win since Christmas, with Luke Dillon home in second and James McFadden officially third. Andrew Scheuerle did a sterling job to finish a very impressive fourth with Bryan Mann rounding out the top five. Luke Oldfield was right at home in a highly experienced and talented field and managed to cross the line in sixth, and led Brent Aprile, Jason Sides, David Murcott, Brooke Tatnell, Daniel Pestka, Jamie Veal, David Muir, Danny Reidy, Shane Stewart, Garry Brazier, Peter Lack, Dylan Jenkin and Terry Bracken across the line. Steven Lines did not finish the event.

ENZED World Series Sprintcars, along with Sprintcars Queensland and Americans Donny Schatz and Jason Sides will return to SuperCheap Auto Archerfield Speedway next weekend for the Seventh Round of WSS and the Australian Sprintcar Open. It will be massive two-night show starting on Friday night and culminating in a monster 50-lap A-Main event on Saturday night. Come along and see all the racing for yourself and see if your favourite driver can beat the best in the business. It will be a massive weekend of Sprintcar racing that you will most certainly not want to miss. Get yourself trackside to SuperCheap Auto Archerfield Speedway and see all the racing for yourself. Plenty of the Sprintcar stars also have merchandise for sale so pop on down to the pit area after the racing is finished, meet the drivers, see the cars up close, grab a photo, autograph or purchase some merchandise as a special souvenir. See you trackside next Friday night, 10 January 2014.