Thirty cars rolled into AusDeck Patios and Roofing Archerfield Speedway last night for the fourth round of the SuperCheap Auto Sprintcar Track Championship. Robbie Farr and David Murcott dominated early, securing the two fastest qualifying times, but it was Peter Lack, in his season debut at the Brisbane circuit, who dominated the feature event and went on to take a very well deserved and hard-fought race win. David Murcott came on strong in the closing laps of the A-Main event to finish second while Luke Oldfield likewise had a very impressive run and claimed his third consecutive podium finish, this time crossing the line in third. Robbie Farr finished fourth while Andrew Scheuerle put in another very consistent run to cross the line in fifth.

Qualifying got underway with each of the 30 cars qualifying individually from the infield. Robbie Farr, who qualified early in the session, topped the qualifying order with a blistering 11.702 second lap while David Murcott was second quick after stopping the clock at 11.753 seconds. Bryan Mann, American Cap Henry (driving the #23 racer of David Whell) and Luke Oldfield rounded out the fastest five. As always there was some tough competition on the race track with Brent Kratzmann beating Mick Sauer by only two thousandths of a second, while Paul Rooks beat Matt Butler by just 0.001 seconds. Richard Morgan made his season debut last night and recorded two very consistent qualifying laps, 12.688 and 12.686 seconds while Kristy Bonsey, competing with her 360ci engine, also turned two very consistent qualifying laps, stopping the clock at 13.392 and 13.393 seconds during her two qualifying laps.

Heat one started with Dave Fanning and Dan Moes from the front row, with Kevin Titman and Paul Rooks close behind. Moes got a brilliant start from the outside of the front row and quickly settled into the race lead. Paul Rooks was quick to follow on the high line while Kevin Titman got caught behind pole sitter Fanning. Andrew Scheuerle ran the highline around Titman on the start before trying to do the same to Fanning in turn two. Fanning however fought back, leaving Scheuerle to defend his position from a hard-charging Titman on the low line. Fanning soon challenged Rooks for second and within only a couple of laps Scheuerle had pulled ahead of Titman and had joined the battle with Rooks and Fanning. In the end though there was no stopping Dan Moes who went on to take the win ahead of Paul Rooks, Andrew Scheuerle, Mick Sauer, Kevin Titman, Robbie Farr, Dave Fanning and Jamie Bricknell.

Jason Bottin and Richard Morgan shared the front row for the start of heat two, with Morgan getting the jump on the start. Matt Butler, from position four, quickly followed Morgan to secure second while Dan Murray, from position three, quickly moved up track between Butler and Peter Lack to get around Bottin. David Murcott and Luke Oldfield spent a couple of laps battling each other while trying to find a way past Bottin, with both eventually getting by on the high side of Bottin and setting their sights on Dan Murray. Oldfield slipped underneath Murcott down the main straight and really put the pressure on Murray. Murray was smooth and consistent but it only took Oldfield a couple of laps to make his move. Oldfield slid underneath Murray as the pair rounded turn four, with Murcott still right on their tail. Meanwhile at the front of the field Matt Butler and Peter Lack had closed in on Richard Morgan and the three were embroiled in an intense battle for the race lead, whilst trying to navigate around a lapped car. Richard Morgan held on to take the win with Matt Butler in second and Peter Lack in third. Luke Oldfield crossed the line in fourth and led David Murcott, Dan Murray, Brent Kratzmann, Anthony Lambert, Jason Bottin and James Grady across the line.

Steven Johnson, running a 360ci engine, and Brad Ayers started alongside each other for the start of heat three, with Brock Dean and Andrew Liebke close behind. Ayers got the jump on the start and quickly settled into the race lead while Liebke tried to run around the outside of Johnson through turn two. Johnson held on to second but with Liebke on the highline the bottom was left wide open and both Brock Dean and Mark Pholi took advantage by the end of the first lap, relegating Liebke back a few positions. Johnson, Dean and Pholi had a close battle for the minor places before Pholi spun to a stop in turn two and brought the race under caution. Brad Ayers led the restart from Steven Johnson and Brock Dean but the race was soon brought to a stop when Brandon Haynes got into the turn four wall before taking the green. Haynes inverted the ACT11 racer down the main straight and while he walked away from the crash his night of competition was very prematurely finished. Ayers again led the restart but all eyes were on Bryan Mann as he took to the high line and ran around the outside of Brock Dean before setting out after Steven Johnson. It only took a couple of laps and Mann effortlessly switched to the bottom to get past Johnson in a quick clean passing move through turn four. Meanwhile Cap Henry was working hard on finding a way past Steven Johnson but ultimately ran out of laps. Brad Ayers took the win with Bryan Mann in second and Steven Johnson hanging on for third. Cap Henry finished fourth ahead of Brock Dean, Ben Hilder, Andrew Liebke, Mark Pholi and Kristy Bonsey. Brandon Haynes did not finish the event.

Jason Bottin and Andrew Liebke led the field away for the start of heat four with Bottin getting the initial jump on the start. Liebke however fought back hard on the high side and managed to steal the lead as the pair rounded turn two. Liebke immediately opened a small lead over the rest of the field as Bottin found himself swamped by both Mark Pholi and Peter Lack who were racing side-by-side with Lack on the highline. Bottin stuck to the low line and with Pholi in the middle the trio entered the third corner of the race three abreast. By the time they exited turn four Pholi had managed to secure the advantage with Lack in hot pursuit. Pholi soon moved ahead of Liebke with Lack following only a lap later while further back in the field Bryan Mann was trying to work his way forward. Andrew Scheuerle caught the tail of Andrew Liebke and the two had a fierce battle for several laps before Scheuerle was able to get past. Towards the tail end of the field Anthony Lambert and Luke Manttan had a breath-taking battle over the minor places until Manttan slammed the back straight wall on the final lap and handed the advantage to Lambert. Mark Pholi went on to take the win with Peter Lack in second ahead of Andrew Scheuerle and Andrew Liebke. Mick Sauer finished fifth and led Brock Dean, Bryan Mann, Anthony Lambert, Luke Manttan and Jason Bottin home.

Heat five started with Dave Fanning from pole position and Dan Murray alongside and while Fanning got the jump on the start and Murray settled into second, Brent Kratzmann from position four took to the low line and started challenging for position. Murray was looking for a way past Fanning and as they exited turn two Kratzmann seized the opportunity and quickly slipped underneath both Murray and Fanning to steal the race lead by the time he entered turn three. Fanning fought back in turn four but there was no stopping Kratzmann and Fanning was forced to settle for second. Fanning and Murray had a great race, with Jamie Bricknell, in the Titan Garages #36 racer, soon joining the battle. Bricknell eventually slipped past Murray on the low line through turns three and four, only for Murray to fight back and regain his position half a lap later. Murray closed in on seconded placed Fanning, while Bricknell stayed close behind and Luke Oldfield joined the battle. With just a couple of laps left to run race leader Brent Kratzmann suddenly slowed and pulled off the racing line and onto the inner bike track. Kratzmann, having suffered mechanical dramas in the #4 racer, tried to limp the broken race car across the line but fell just a few car lengths short. Dave Fanning inherited the race lead and went on to take the win with Dan Murray in second and Jamie Bricknell home in third. Luke Oldfield was next across the line with Robbie Farr, Brad Ayers, Ben Hilder and Kristy Bonsey rounding out the finishers. Brent Kratzmann did not finish the event.

Steven Johnson and Kevin Titman shared the front row for the start of the sixth and final heat of the night. Titman got the jump on the start and immediately settled into the race lead and opened a small lead over Johnson in second. Mid-field Paul Rooks climbed over the tail of Richard Morgan in turn three, and did well to avoid contact with the wall, with Morgan soon slipping past Dan Moes in turn four. David Murcott was on the move around the outside of Matt Butler and Cap Henry before going underneath Rooks and settling his sights on Morgan and Moes. Matt Butler really put the pressure on Dan Moes, but Moes, still a relative new-comer to Sprintcars, really held his own. Kevin Titman went on to take the win and secure some much needed points, with Steven Johnson in second and David Murcott home in third. Richard Morgan, Cap Henry, Matt Butler, Paul Rooks and James Grady rounded out the field while Dan Moes and Luke Tinson both failed to finish the event.

David Murcott lead the points going into the Dash event but the pre-Dash draw saw him start the six-lap event from position four. Peter Lack started the Dash from pole position with Cap Henry alongside with Bryan Mann and David Murcott close behind and Luke Oldfield and Robbie Farr from the rear. Lack got a brilliant start and quickly secured the race lead while the rest of the field argued over the minor places. Mann and Murcott had an intense battle mid-field while Farr and Oldfield argued at the back. Peter Lack went on to take the win with Cap Henry a solid second ahead of David Murcott, Bryan Mann, Robbie Farr and Luke Oldfield. Lack declined the opportunity to invert the top fourteen starters in the A-Main, turning down the Kratzmann’s Challenge and hence starting the A-Main event from pole position.

The fifteen-lap B-Main event started with Richard Morgan and Dan Murray from the front row. Murray got a brilliant start and quickly settled into the race lead but unfortunately it was not to last with the race soon brought under caution. Brock Dean had been attempting an outside pass on Brad Ayers through turn two when he got too sideways and spun the Q99 racer. This however left Andrew Liebke with nowhere to go, the #47 racer colliding with the Dean car as everyone tried to avoid contact. James Grady spun to try to avoid contact. Neither Dean nor Liebke were able to restart the event, with both relegated to the grass for the rest of the race. Luke Manttan was also out with mechanical issues. A full restart followed with Morgan this time securing the advantage ahead of Murray and Steven Johnson, but all eyes were on Brent Kratzmann as he quickly made his way closer to the front of the field. Kratzmann took to the high line the moment the green flag flew, and ran around the outside of Brad Ayers, and set out after Dan Murray and Steven Johnson. Johnson managed to slip underneath Murray as they headed through turn four with Kratzmann closing in quickly. It only took a few laps for Kratzmann catch Murray and run the outside line to steal his position and while Murray fought back hard on the low line there was little he could do. The race was then brought under caution for the spun car of Dave Fanning, with Richard Morgan, Steven Johnson and Brent Kratzmann to lead the restart. Once again Kratzmann was on a mission and before the restart was even a lap old he had moved in front of the Johnson, this time working the low line beautifully, while further back in the field Anthony Lambert and Brad Ayers were having a great battle until Ayers spun in turn four and brought the race under caution once more. Morgan again led the restart but Kratzmann was right on his tail and determined to get to the front. He held nothing back and the pair put on a spectacular show for race fans, while further back in the field Dan Murray, Dan Moes and Anthony Lambert all argued over the fourth and final transfer to the A-Main. Murray managed to break away a little and eventually moved in front of Johnson but the battle between the two in the final few laps was hard to tear your eyes from as Johnson relentlessly worked the high line. Brent Kratzmann eventually managed to run around the outside of Morgan to take the win with Richard Morgan in second and Dan Murray and Steven Johnson securing transfers to the A-Main. Dan Moes finished fifth ahead of Anthony Lambert, Dave Fanning, James Grady and Kristy Bonsey. Brad Ayers, Brock Dean, Luke Manttan and Andrew Liebke all failed to finish the event.

Peter Lack and Cap Henry shared the front row for the start of the A-Main event, with a tough field behind them and thirty laps to run there was never any doubt that it would be a spectacular race. Lack got the jump when the lights went green, quickly securing the race lead with Henry in second ahead of David Murcott and Bryan Mann. Two laps in and the race was brought to an abrupt stop when Paul Rooks and Kevin Titman came together in turn one, both inverting their cars. Ben Hilder spun in an effort to lessen the impact with the up-side-down Titman car and while all drivers were able to walk away from the wreck, all three were out of the event. The remaining 28-laps ran without a stop, with Peter Lack dominating from the fall of the green flag. Bryan Mann was running a very strong second, even challenging Lack for the lead on occasion, until he got a little too sideways in turn two and looped the #16 racer, loosing several positions before he was able to rejoin the race. Only half a dozen laps into the restart and the leaders were navigating lapped traffic, with the leaders weaving in and out of the traffic. Luke Oldfield and David Murcott both had brilliant runs in the minor places and the battle between the pair really heated up as the race wore on. Murcott once again proved why he is most certainly a worthy Australian Title winner, with a breath-taking passing move on Oldfield late in the race to steal second. Oldfield too has had a remarkable season so far and is certainly one of the most in-form drivers at the moment, thrilling race fans with exciting racing and really holding his own against some of the best in the country. Lack, Oldfield and Murcott weaved their way almost effortlessly through lapped traffic, making it look a whole easier that what it most likely was, with Murcott timing his run underneath Oldfield absolutely perfectly, slipping underneath the NQ17 racer in turn one only a few laps from home. Murcott challenged Lack for the lead for the last couple of laps but Lack was in a league of his own and was not about to let anyone steal his win. Peter Lack went on to take the win with David Murcott a very impressive second and Luke Oldfield in third. Robbie Farr crossed the line in fourth with Andrew Scheuerle securing another consistent finish, crossing the line in fifth. Cap Henry was next across the line ahead of Bryan Mann, Jamie Bricknell, Brent Kratzmann, Mark Pholi, Mick Sauer, Matt Butler, Richard Morgan, Steven Johnson and Dan Murray. Kevin Titman, Paul Rooks and Ben Hilder all failed to finish the event. Brent Kratzmann was awarded the Hard Charger Award after starting the A-Main event from position fifteen and passing six cars to finish an impressive 9th.

Sprintcars Queensland will hit the road next weekend and head to Maryborough Speedway on Saturday 22 November 2014 for the Dash For Cash race. The Maryborough Speedway circuit has previously seen some brilliant racing action and with a new surface laid on the track this past week, it is sure to be a memorable night of speedway racing action. We will then return to AusDeck Patios Archerfield Speedway on Saturday 29 November 2014. See you trackside!