After a few weeks off Sprintcar racing in South East Queensland, in which several of the Sprintcars Queensland teams headed south to contest events like the Australian Sprintcar Title and the Grand Annual Sprintcar Classic, it was back to SuperCheap Auto Archerfield Speedway last night for round nine of the KRE Sprintcar Series. Twenty-four cars turned up to compete in the event, with the night to culminate in a twin 20-lap features and an overall round winner to be crowned after points from both features were amalgamated. Andrew Scheuerle went into last nights competition comfortably leading the points battle while his nearest rival, David Muir, was absent from last nights racing. Luke Oldfield, Kevin Titman, Darren Jensen and Danny Reidy were next in line and keen to try to close the gap to Scheuerle. While Reidy and Oldfield were able to secure a win each in the feature events, Scheuerle finished third in the first A-Main and second in the final feature event. Once again Scheuerle's consistency paid dividends and once the points were tallied, this consistency was enough to secure the overall win for the round, Kevin Titman and Danny Reidy rounding out the final podium. Luke Oldfield and Peter Lack completed the top five.

Qualifying got under way on a track that proved somewhat difficult for some, but it was Luke Oldfield who secured quick time with a blistering 11.783 seconds. Master qualifier Kevin Titman was back in spectacular form, sitting second on the leader board at the end of qualifying, his 11.857 second lap beating the 11.906 laid down by Peter Lack. Danny Reidy and newly crowned Australian Sprintcar Champion David Murcott rounded out the fastest five. Darren Jensen was sixth fastest and the last car to break into the 11-second bracket, with 23 of the 24 cars separated by less than one second.

Heat one started with Paul Rooks and Allan Woods from the front row, with Woods getting a brilliant start on the outside. Unfortunately the race was barely half a lap old when it was forced under caution for the stranded car of Bryan Mann. The Q16 racer had started from five but after contact with another car in turn one, suffered damage to his front end and while he tried to limp the car off the track, he could not quite get a safe distance onto the infield. A full race restart, with Mann set to watch from the infield, followed as Rooks and Woods led them away once more. Woods again got a great start, and quickly settled into the race lead, while at the tail of the field Darren Jensen, Joel Millar and Luke Oldfield went three wide into turn one, Jensen on the high side, Oldfield down low with Millar in the middle. Jensen won out on the high line, while Millar made Oldfield work for the position just a little bit longer. Jensen soon caught Paul Morris and Paul Rooks, but soon found himself on the defensive as Oldfield, having found his way past Millar, rejoined the fight. Morris made a small mistake coming out of turn four, with Jensen quickly seizing the opportunity and slipping by on the inside. Oldfield tried to go with him, but Morris fought back strongly and began putting the pressure on Jensen in an effort to steal his position back. Meanwhile Rooks had caught the tail of race leader Woods and the two had an intense battle for a number of laps, with Rooks having one big look on the inside of Woods in turn four, before dropping back a fraction. Allan Woods went on to take the win, with Paul Rooks across the line in second ahead of Darren Jensen, Paul Morris, Luke Oldfield and Joel Millar. Bryan Mann did not finish the race.

Melissa Boyes and Ben Hilder lined up alongside each other for the start of heat two, and while the first start was aborted, second time around it was Ben Hilder who got the best start and quickly settled into the race lead. Behind Hilder chaos unfolded in turn two, with Melissa Boyes getting a little too sideways before contact with Anthony Lambert and David Murcott. Murcott had just drifted a little higher on the track while trying to find a way past Mark Pholi, and was left with nowhere to go. The incident ended with both Boyes and Murcott up-side-down. Neither Boyes nor Murcott were hurt in the incident, but both were out of the race. Anther full restart followed, this time with Scott Bogucki, piloting the #36 Titan Garages racer, now from pole position with Ben Hilder alongside. Bogucki got the jump on the start and lead the race through turn one, but Hilder was quick to make his move and by the time they were heading down the back straight Hilder, in the immaculately presented #95 Motorguard Motorsport racer, had taken control of the race. Kevin Titman had a great battle with Anthony Lambert for a few laps, searching high and low for a way through, before ducking underneath Lambert as the navigated turn four. Ben Hilder went on to take the win ahead of Scott Bogucki, Mark Pholi, Kevin Titman, Anthony Lambert and James Grady. Melissa Boyes and David Murcott failed to finish the event.

Toowoomba based racer Dave Whell started heat three from pole position, with his second car, currently being driven by American Cap Henry, alongside. The two drag-raced side-by-side into turn one, with Henry eventually emerging in front and Whell settling into second. Andrew Scheuerle got a brilliant start in the Q25 Ausdeck racer, running around the outside of Andrew Liebke as they entered turn one, only to duck straight to the low line and underneath Danny Reidy on the exit of the first corner. Scheuerle had a look underneath Terry Bracken coming out of turn two, but Bracken, diving the Q19 Mitchell Motorsport racer fought back and held onto to his position. While Scheuerle was busy trying to work the low line to get past Bracken, Danny Reidy took to the high side and blasted around the outside of Scheuerle and onto the tail of Bracken. Reidy put all sorts of pressure on Bracken, but a small mistake in turn four a few laps later saw Reidy lose track positions to both Scheuerle and Peter Lack. Reidy fought Lack for position while Scheuerle and Bracken argued over third. Cap Henry went on to take the win with nearly a quarter of a lap lead over his car owner David Whell who crossed the line in second. Andrew Scheuerle was officially home in third ahead of Terry Bracken, Danny Reidy, Peter Lack, Andrew Liebke and Brad Ayers.

Andrew Liebke and Paul Rooks shared the front row for the start of heat four, and raced side-by-side into the first corner. Rooks seemed to secure the race lead momentarily, but lost momentum mid track in turn two, allowing Liebke the chance to slip by on the inside and into the race lead. Andrew Scheuerle was on a mission on the low line and quickly made his way past Cap Henry, Ben Hilder and Paul Rooks before finding himself on the tail of Liebke by the end of the first lap. Liebke drove well, hanging onto the lead for another lap before his more experienced rival slipped by on the inside of turn two. Further back in the field Luke Oldfield and Ben Hilder were on a charge, each making their way past Liebke and Rooks, while embroiled in their own battle for track position. Still, there was no stopping Andrew Scheuerle out in front, and he went on to take the win with a sizable 4.838 second margin back to Luke Oldfield in second place. Ben Hilder crossed the line in third and led Paul Rooks, Andrew Liebke and Cap Henry home. Contact between Henry and Mark Pholi on the final lap resulted in a DNF for the Q14 racer of Pholi.

Heat five got underway with David Whell and Bryan Mann from the front row and while Whell initially secured the lead with Mann in second, David Murcott was on a mission and in one big inside passing move through turns three and four on the opening lap, made his way into the race lead. Further back in the field Kevin Titman, Darren Jensen, Paul Morris and Terry Bracken were having a close and intense battle, with positions changing several times over the course of the race. Bracken and Morris in particular has very impressive runs, but it was David Murcott who took the win, with Bryan Mann across the line in second and Kevin Titman in third. Darren Jensen was fourth past the chequered flag, leading Terry Bracken, Paul Morris, David Whell and Melissa Boyes home.

The sixth and final heat of the night saw James Grady and Joel Millar share the front row for the start, with Grady getting the jump and securing the lead when the lights went green. Millar settled into second but Allan Woods and Danny Reidy quickly began making their way closer to the front, Woods stealing the lead from Grady as they headed down the back straight for the first time. Unfortunately slight contact at the tail of the field between Scott Bogucki and Steven Johnson saw Johnson spin to a stop and bring the race under caution. Woods led the restart from Grady, Millar and Reidy, while towards the tail end of the field Anthony Lambert, Scott Bogucki and Steven Johnson fought over the minor positions, with James Grady and Joel Millar occasionally factoring into the mix too. Danny Reidy was impressive though, and ultimately made his way into the race lead in time to greet the chequered flag ahead of his rivals. Allan Woods finished an impressive second with Peter Lack in third. Anthony Lambert drove a beautiful and consistent race before crossing the line in fourth, with Scott Bogucki, Steven Johnson, James Grady and Joel Millar rounding out the finishers.

Ten cars rolled onto the track for the B-main event, with Paul Morris and Cap Henry to lead the start for 12 laps with only the top four finishers to transfer to the twin A-Mains. Morris got the jump on the start with Henry settling into second. The leading duo were never really seriously challenged for the race lead but all attention was focused further back in the field. Steven Johnson and Brad Ayers had both endured rather rough nights in the office and started the back row of the starting grid for the B-Main. It was hard not to watch Ayers and Johnson as they both put the troubles of the night behind them and worked systematically to put their rivals behind them on the race track. Ayers made his way past five cars just in the opening lap as he weaved his way through the field, using both the top and bottom, his eyes firmly set on a transfer to the A-Main. After only a few more corners Ayers had moved into fourth, the final transfer to the A-Main event, while Johnson had made his way up to sixth and was looking focused and determined with two thirds of the race still to run. Joel Millar spun the Q3 racer in turn three, with James Grady spinning his own Q88 racer to avoid contact. Both cars restarted at the rear of the field, with Paul Morris, Cap Henry, Paul Rooks, Brad Ayers, David Whell and Steven Johnson to lead them away. When the lights went green Whell began attempting an inside passing move on Ayers through turn two, but wasn’t quite able to get the job done, while further back Steven Johnson got a little sideways entering turn two, where he was collected by Andrew Liebke. Johnson was able to keep the car moving, but Liebke stopped on the edge of the track and brought the race back under caution. Liebke restated at the rear of the field as Paul Morris and Cap Henry led the way once more. Another yellow light stoppage soon followed, this time for Melissa Boyes who had spun in turn two, bringing about another restart, still with seven laps to run. Morris and Henry continued to lead the race on the restart, but Ayers and Rooks had a great battle going over third. Rooks clipped the back straight wall and unsettled the car just enough to give Ayers the only invitation he needed and the NQ11 racer quickly made his way into third. Steven Johnson also seized the opportunity and slipped by David Whell and Paul Rooks to move into the fourth and final transfer position for the twin A-Main events. One more yellow light stoppage, this time for the spun car of James Grady, and then it was a three lap dash to the finish. Paul Morris took the win with Cap Henry officially second and Brad Ayers and Steven Johnson securing the final two transfers. Paul Rooks finished fifth ahead of David Whell, Andrew Liebke, Melissa Boyes, James Grady and Joel Millar.

Luke Oldfield and Kevin Titman shared the front row for the first A-Main event, with Danny Reidy and Peter Lack right behind. Oldfield got the jump when the green flag flew with Titman settling into second, but Oldfield uncharacteristically spun the NQ17 racer in turn two of the opening lap, and ended up in the wall, bringing the race under caution less than half a lap in. Oldfield was able to restart the event, but was now at the rear of the field. This now put Danny Reidy from pole position with Kevin Titman alongside. Reidy got the jump on the start and quickly settled into the race lead, while Andrew Scheuerle, who had started right behind him, was quick to secure second. Several laps in and the back part of the field were still running two, sometimes three, abreast, trying to sort themselves out. Three laps into the race and the red lights were on for Brad Ayers who had tipped the NQ11 racer on its side in turn two. Brad would not take and further part in the race. With seventeen laps still to run Danny Reidy led the restart from Andrew Scheuerle, Kevin Titman and Peter Lack while further back in the field Steven Johnson and Scott Bogucki had a great battle, and Luke Oldfield was working his way through the field, determined to make amends for his first lap mistake. Ben Hilder and Allan Woods had a great battle, with Cap Henry also putting on a show for the race fans. Johnson really began making his way forward, while mid field the battle raged. Danny Reidy was unstoppable out in front though and went on to take a hard fought and overdue win, with Kevin Titman getting the better of Andrew Scheuerle and crossing the line in second. Scheuerle finished a very respectable third, with David Murcott, Terry Bracken, Paul Morris, Peter Lack, Darren Jensen, Luke Oldfield, Mark Pholi, Bryan Mann, Anthony Lambert, Steven Johnson, Cap Henry, Ben Hilder, Allan Woods and Scott Bogucki rounding out the finishers of the first A-main event. Brad Ayers did not finish the event.

As the winner of the first A-Main Danny Reidy was tasked with the duty to select via random draw, to invert the top six, eight or ten place getters from the first A-Main for the start of the second feature event. Reidy drew ten, instantly inverting the top ten starters for the second feature and putting Mark Pholi and Luke Oldfield off the front row. Oldfield, with his second chance at a front row start was not going to make the same mistake twice and quickly secured the race lead when the lights went green. Mark Pholi quickly settled into second and drove an exceptional and consistent race and held second for most of the race, despite pressure from the likes of Peter Lack, Terry Bracken and Andrew Scheuerle. Mid field Steven Johnson and Anthony Lambert were having a captivating battle, with the two exchanging positions several times over the course of the first half dozen laps of the race. Scott Bogucki joined the battle and at one stage had a beautiful run slipping straight between Johnson and Lambert on the main straight, only to run too wide in turn two and allow both back through. Bogucki was all over the tail tanks of Johnson and Lambert for the next several laps, but contact with Johnson as the pair exited turn two after seven laps saw Bogucki bring out the reds as he inverted the #36 racer against the turn two wall. He was not injured in the incident but was out of the race.

Luke Oldfield and Mark Pholi continued to lead when the race resumed with thirteen laps left to run but the restart was less than one lap old when it was again brought to a stop, this time a red light for Darren Jensen who had rolled somewhat gently in turn four. Jensen was not injured and was actually able to be restarted at the rear of the field, once his crew had done some quick repairs, before pulling out of the race only a few laps into the restart. Oldfield again led them away with Pholi still holding down second while Scheuerle and Lack argued over third, with Scheuerle eventually winning out. Terry Bracken and David Murcott had a thrilling battle mid field, exchanging positions a couple of times, while further back in the field Lambert and Johnson continued to argue over track position, swapping position back and forth several times, with Allan Woods soon joining the fun and upping the pressure on both Johnson and Lambert. Johnson soon managed to pull away from his rivals ever so slightly, as the race leaders approached and began navigating lapped traffic. After a few laps Scheuerle, who had been patiently biding his time, seized the opportunity and slipped straight by Pholi to steal second, moments before Pholi spun to a stop in turn two and brought the race under caution. David Murcott also became involved and both he and Pholi would be unable to restart the event with only three laps left to run.

Oldfield led the restart with Scheuerle right on his tail tank and Peter Lack and a very impressive Paul Morris close by and ready to strike. Oldfield had dominated from the first fall of the green flag, and had been one of the fastest cars all night, there was nothing anyone could do in the three remaining laps and Oldfield took the win in the second feature event. Andrew Scheuerle finished in second with Peter Lack in third. Paul Morris was a somewhat quiet achiever last night and finished the second feature event a very strong and very impressive fourth and led Kevin Titman, Cap Henry, Danny Reidy, Steven Johnson, Anthony Lambert, David Whell (who got his A-Main start when Brad Ayers withdrew from the second feature), Allan Woods and Ben Hilder across the line. Terry Bracken, David Murcott, Mark Pholi, Darren Jensen, Scott Bogucki and Bryan Mann all failed to finish the event.

Once the points had been accumulated it was Andrew Scheuerle who was credited with the round win, with Kevin Titman officially second and Danny Reidy rounding out the podium. Luke Oldfield was officially fourth ahead of Peter Lack, Paul Morris, Terry Bracken, David Murcott, Cap Henry, Steven Johnson, Anthony Lambert, Darren Jensen, Mark Pholi, Allan Woods, Ben Hilder, Bryan Mann, David Whell, Scott Bogucki and Brad Ayers.

Sprintcars Queensland will return to SuperCheap Auto Archerfield Speedway on Saturday 01 March 2014 for Round 10 of the KRE Sprintcar Series. Will Andrew Scheuerle further extend his lead or can Kevin Titman, Danny Reidy, Luke Oldfield, Darren Jensen or indeed any of the Sprintcars Queensland competitors secure some points for themselves and ever so slightly close the points gap to Scheuerle? Come on out to SuperCheap Auto Archerfield Speedway on Saturday 01 March 2014 and see all the racing action for yourself. Come and cheer on your favourite driver, and then come on down to the pits after the race meeting has concluded and meet the drivers, grab an autograph or some merchandise and see the cars up close. And, if you need a Sprintcar fix before then don't forget to check out night two of the Australian Sprintcar Title, featuring a host of Queensland cars and drivers, on Speedweek on SBS next Sunday afternoon.