Last night nineteen 410ci Sprintcars headed to the Toowoomba Speedbowl for another night of frantic racing action. The format for the night was a bit different to our usual format and proved to provide some very interesting results. The format was somewhat similar to a World of Outlaws event where each car got a set of hot laps and one heat event with the heat results determining who would start the Dash event, the B-Main and A-Main race. In the end it came down to a brilliant battle between Peter Lack and Andrew Scheuerle that lasted most of the 25-lap A-Main event. Lack had led the points heading into the feature event, and secured the lead when the race got underway, but Scheuerle was relentless and persistent and managed to steal the lead in the last half of the race. Lack fought back hard, but with tyre wear taking its toll on everyone there was little he could do. Andrew Scheuerle went on to take the win with Peter Lack in second and Kevin Titman filling the final podium position. Brent Kratzmann had a brilliant run in the Q4 racer, holding third for most of the race, only loosing the position to Titman in the final few laps. Jamie Bricknell finished fifth with Bryan Mann having a truly spectacular run, having transferred from the B-Main after a mechanical issue saw him fail to finish his earlier heat event.

Qualifying got under way and it was Bryan Mann, fresh from his spectacular feature race win at Archerfield Speedway last weekend, who topped the leader board at the end of the qualifying session. Mann set the bar at an impressive 11.069 seconds with Peter Lack a close second with an 11.127 second lap. Brodie Tulloch was especially fast in the Q74 racer, securing third quickest, his 11.132 second lap only narrowly beating the 11.136 second laid down by Andrew Scheuerle. Brock Dean completed the fastest five but a mechanical failure in the #99 Face to Face Training racer would unfortunately spell the very premature end to his night of competition. Dean wasn’t the only one to endure problems in qualifying with Luke Tinson having a very rough start to the night, climbing the fence in turn four and inverting the immaculately presented #34 racer in spectacular fashion. Tinson walked away from the crash but his night too was over. Of the nineteen cars who qualified, Dean and Tinson included, all nineteen qualified within the 11-second bracket, with just 0.929 seconds separating the entire field.

Heat one hit the track with Brandon Rawlings and David Whell from the front row. With the top four finishers to transfer straight into the Dash event, and positions five and six to go straight into the A-Main, the pressure was on to have a good heat event. Rawlings got the jump on the start and quickly settled into the race lead while Brent Kratzmann quickly slipped underneath David Whell as they headed through turns one and two. Andrew Scheuerle and Bryan Mann were next in line, with Scheuerle putting all kinds of pressure on the back of Whell. With barely two laps completed Bryan Mann slowed to a stop high on the track in turn two and brought the race under caution. Unfortunately for Mann it would be the end of his race and, with the race format of the night, would relegate him to the B-Main event. Rawlings led the restart with Kratzmann, Whell and Scheuerle on his tail, but the young Consol Racing pilot and his team had the car set up beautifully and the moment the lights went green Rawlings was able to open a small lead over Kratzmann. Andrew Scheuerle resumed his search for a way past David Whell, while Whell remained focussed and consistent. As the race wore on Scheuerle searched high and low, lap after lap, relentless and determined before eventually managing to slip underneath Whell as they rounded turn one just a couple of laps from home. Further back in the field Joseph Tulloch had a great run in the Q11 racer, putting the challenge to Anthony Lambert at one stage before battling with Gary Finglas. Still, there was simply no stopping Brandon Rawlings and the NQ44 racer went on to take his first Sprintcar heat race victory, a great result for a team that has had an unbelievable run of unfortunate luck in recent weeks. Brent Kratzmann finished a solid second with Andrew Scheuerle officially third. David Whell crossed the line in fourth and led Anthony Lambert, Joseph Tulloch, Mike Walsh and Gary Finglas home. Bryan Mann did not finish the event.

Andrew Liebke and Jamie Bricknell shared the front row for the start of the second heat with Bricknell getting the jump on the start and quickly settling into the race lead. Kevin Titman, from position four, was able to follow Bricknell around the outside of Liebke to secure second by the end of the second corner, with Peter Lack managing to slide straight under Liebke through turn three. Terry Bracken spent most of the race chasing down Brodie Tulloch, the two having a great battle for several laps once the gap had been closed. Bracken had a beautiful line on the high side while Tulloch preferred the bottom, but when lapped traffic came into play, it was Bracken on the high side who was able to make the most of the situation and round up both Tulloch and the lapped car. Jamie Bricknell, driving the Titan Garages #36 racer, was simply unstoppable out in front and easily went on to take the win. Kevin Titman was a solid second with Peter Lack unchallenged in third. Terry Bracken crossed the line in fourth, leaving Brodie Tulloch, Andrew Liebke, Luca Cox and Brandon Haynes past the chequered flag.

With time constraints and tyre wear issues it was decided to abandon the Dash event and go straight into the B-Main event. Bryan Mann and Luca Cox shared the front row for the 15-lap affair with the top six to transfer to the A-Main event. Mann got the jump on the start with Cox quickly settling into second. Mike Walsh quickly ran around the outside of Brandon Haynes in the opening corners to secure third by the time they hit turn three, but when Haynes got too sideways on the exit of turn three it nearly spelt disaster for Gary Finglas, Travis Woods, Nelson Reddacliff and Kristy Bonsey. Haynes, Woods and Bonsey all came to a stop in turn four, but all were able to restart the race. A full restart followed and it was again Mann who secured the lead ahead of Cox in second and Walsh in third. Gary Finglas had fourth for just a couple of corners and was running mid-track when Nelson Reddacliff, who had just won his first 360ci Sprintcar feature event and transferred to the back of the 410ci B-Main event with a handful of other 360ci racers, had a breathtaking run on the low line and in a perfect timed passing move, slipped straight underneath Finglas and they entered turn three. Finglas stayed with him, ready to strike at the smallest of mistakes, but Reddacliff ran a faultless race. Bryan Mann went on to take the win ahead of Luca Cox and Mike Walsh with Nelson Reddacliff in fourth ahead of Gary Finglas and Brandon Haynes. Travis Woods and Kristy Bonsey rounded out the finishes, while mechanical problems in the Q27 racer of Steven Johnson prevented him from starting the event. Mann, Cox, Walsh, Reddacliff, Finglas and Haynes all secured transfers to the A-main event, but Reddacliff elected to withdraw from the field, giving Travis Woods a start in the main race.

Eighteen cars lined up for the start of the A-Main event. Peter Lack and Andrew Scheuerle shared the front row and set up what was going to be a thrilling battle that would be hard to tear your eyes from. Brent Kratzmann and Kevin Titman were on the second row while Terry Bracken started from position five. David Whell was supposed to start from position six after a brilliant night but a mechanical bug in the Q23 racer saw him watch the race from the infield, elevating Brandon Rawlings to the third row of the starting line-up. Lack got a perfect start on the low line, quickly securing the lead and while Scheuerle searched first the high line and then the low, there was, initially, little he could do. Lack looked strong and in control of the race, had the car set up beautifully and was determined to stay ahead. Scheuerle tried to stay with him, knowing full well that 25-laps on a track that has been very hard on tyres is a very long race, and waited for the right opportunity to challenge for the lead. With barely a lap completed Travis Woods spun the Q28 racer at the rear of the field and brought the race under caution.

Peter Lack led the restart from Andrew Scheuerle, Brent Kratzmann and Kevin Titman, with Bryan Mann deep in the field, the one to watch. Mann was the only one on the high side as they raced towards the green, and was already starting to make his way though the field despite having only one lap in the books. Mann was running two wide with Andrew Liebke on the bottom when just in front of them Joseph Tulloch spun the Q11 racer in turn four. Mann easily sailed around the top while Liebke turned hard right in an effort to avoid a head-on collision with Tulloch.

Another restart followed with Lack still leading Scheuerle, Kratzmann and Titman. In just one lap Bryan Mann made his way around Andrew Liebke and Brandon Rawlings, and was challenging Anthony Lambert for position when the race was brought to yet another stop, this time for the spun car of Brandon Haynes in turn three. Lack again led the restart, with Scheuerle still in second and Kratzmann and Titman arguing over third. Most of the field were running the bottom but it was Bryan Mann on the high side who captivated everyone’s attention, patiently working his way past one competitor at a time, committed to the highline and consistently thrilling the crowd as he moved through the field. Brodie Tulloch was trying to find a way past Anthony Lambert, but when Bryan Mann arrived on the scene Mann spent just a couple of laps getting past Tulloch before switching to the low side and slipping underneath Lambert. By now the race leaders had hit lapped traffic and the battle between Lack and Scheuerle stole the show. Lack and Scheuerle navigated the first of the lapped traffic with ease, but the traffic, and tyre conditions saw the gap between them close and put Scheuerle in a position to really challenge for the race lead. Scheuerle was on the bottom, Lack up high as they argued over the lead. Scheuerle kept looking on the inside, pushing hard and holding nothing back, Lack fought valiantly to charge back hard on the high side. Lap after lap they put on a thrilling, breath-taking show for the fans, as they raced side-by-side, the race still just ten laps old. Andrew Liebke pulled out of the race with just ten laps completed, his left rear tyre exploding in the middle of turn four. Liebke was able to limp the car from the circuit without causing a stoppage, just as Scheuerle and Lack approached a quartet of their fellow competitors who were embroiled in their own fierce battle towards the back of the field. With the aid of lapped traffic Scheuerle was able to slip underneath Lack, the pair exchanging positions several times, but Scheuerle managed to secure the advantage. While Lack was quick to follow him through, Scheuerle had managed to put some valuable distance between himself and his rival and had created some breathing room. Jamie Bricknell was coming on strong, making his way in front of Kevin Titman only moments before the race was brought under caution so officials could remove a track tyre that had been bumped from the edge of the track onto the racing surface.

Andrew Scheuerle led the restart with just four laps left to run, with Peter Lack in second, but it would be the battle between Brent Kratzmann, Jamie Bricknell and Kevin Titman that would captivate the crowd for those final four laps. Titman was absolutely magnificent on the high line, setting his run up the moment the race resumed. It took less than half a lap for Titman to run around the outside of Bricknell and came up alongside Brent Kratzmann. Titman and Kratzmann raced two abreast for an entire lap, neither willing to back off with a podium finish in sight, but it was Titman who finally emerged in front, leaving Kratzmann to defend his position from a very hard charging Bricknell in the final laps of the race. Andrew Scheuerle went on to take the win, with Peter Lack in second and Kevin Titman rounding out the podium. Brent Kratzmann crossed the line in fourth and led Jamie Bricknell, Bryan Mann, Brodie Tulloch, Terry Bracken, Anthony Lambert, Brandon Rawlings, Luca Cox, Mike Walsh, Travis Woods, Gary Finglas and Joseph Tulloch across the line. Andrew Liebke and Brandon Haynes both failed to finish the event, while David Whell did not make the start.

Sprintcars Queensland will return to Archerfield Speedway in Brisbane next Saturday night, 21 March 2015, for Round 12 of the SuperCheap Auto Sprintcar Track Championship. Get yourself trackside and see all the racing action for yourself - the points chase is really starting to heat up and you will not want to miss this one! See you trackside!