Twenty-six Sprintcars rolled into AusDeck Patios Archerfield Speedway last night for Round Three of the SuperCheap Auto Sprintcar Track Championship. Trying wet track conditions for qualifying saw an interesting line up for the heats, with many of the usual front runners forced to fight for every position, desperate to make their way to the front of the points chase before the A-Main. In the end it still came down to a battle between Andrew Scheuerle, Peter Lack and Luke Oldfield, with Lack and Scheuerle putting on an unbelievable show out in front. The lead changed several times over the course of the race, with Scheuerle eventually taking the win. Lack secured another strong second while Oldfield rounded out the podium, hanging on to third despite a broken right rear shock on the Titan Garages Q36 racer, and after starting back in thirteenth place. Steven Johnson, who started twelfth, had a brilliant run to finish fourth, even stealing third from Oldfield for a moment before a red light stoppage brought the race to a stop and reinstated Oldfield into third. Ben Hilder transferred from the B-Main but had a mesmerising run in the A-Main to finish a very impressive fifth.

Qualifying got underway on a very wet track. The first group to hit the track saw Andrew Scheuerle, Kevin Titman, Mitchell Gee, Peter Lack and Luke Oldfield race against the clock, with Lack the fastest of the group, stopping the clock at 12.335 seconds. Unfortunately for everyone in that first group track conditions improved considerably as each group hit the track for their turn at qualifying. Lack ended up 12th, Scheuerle 13th, Oldfield 17th with both Gee (20th) and Titman (21st) missing the top eighteen inversion. David Whell had an absolutely magnificent run in the third group, stopping the clock at a very quick 11.747 seconds to top the qualifying order. Whell was the only car to get into the 11-second bracket and was an impressive 0.334 second quicker than Richard Morgan, who recorded a quick time of 12.081 seconds to secure second fastest. Young Lachlan McHugh was third quickest with a 12.153 second lap, with Andrew Liebke (12.179) and Steve Greer (12.208) rounding out the fastest five. Less than one second separated the entire field, with Luke Oldfield and Andrew Marks recording identical times (12.525). Scott Doyle suffered mechanical problems in hot laps that unfortunately brought a very premature end to his night of competition.

Heat one started with Nelson Reddacliff from pole position with Andrew Scheuerle alongside and Peter Lack right behind in position three. Scheuerle got a great start and quickly settled into the race lead while Reddacliff secured second with Mark Pholi in third. Lack soon made his move, sliding underneath Pholi as they rounded turn two, and set his sights on Reddacliff as Scheuerle continued to extend his lead. Lack put all kinds of pressure on Reddacliff, searching high and low and having several big looks on the inside of the #85 racer. Lack was determined but patient, while Reddacliff ran a smooth and consistent race, his first at Archerfield Speedway this season. A yellow light stoppage in turn one for the stranded car of Dan Murray brought the race to a stop and bunched the field back up for the final four laps. Scheuerle again simply cleared out and began recreating his impressive lead, while Reddacliff and Lack resumed their battle and captivated the crowd. Pholi tried to stay with them but wasn’t really close enough to challenge unless Reddacliff and Lack made a mistake. Andrew Scheuerle went on to take the win, with a margin of 3.642 seconds. Nelson Reddacliff managed to hang on to finish second with Peter Lack officially third. Mark Pholi was fourth across the line and led David Whell, Steven Johnson, Dale Shilleto, Dan Murray and Kristy Bonsey home.

Andrew Marks and Ben Hilder shared the front row for the start of heat two, with Hilder getting the better start and quickly securing the race lead. Callum Walker was very quick on the outside from position four and quickly ran the high line around Marks in turns one and two. Walker had secured second by the time they exited turn two, leaving Marks to try and defend his position from Richard Morgan and Brad Ayers. Morgan made a small error in turn four and lost a couple of positions, but there was no stopping Ben Hilder out in front. Hilder went on to take the win ahead of Callum Walker and Andrew Marks, with Brad Ayers, Steve Greer, Richard Morgan, Mitchell Gee and Dylan Menz rounding out the finishers.

Luke Oldfield and Luke Tinson shared the front row for the start of the third heat, with the pair banging wheels before the race even started. Oldfield got the jump on the start and immediately set about opening a comfortable margin over his rivals, while Dave Fanning, in his first drive back this season, quickly secured second. Brent Kratzmann was running the low line, with Luke Tinson trying to fight back on the high side, when contact between the pair nearly ended in disaster for both drivers. Kratzmann lost four positions, while Tinson raced for position with Lachlan McHugh. Once McHugh made his way in front of Tinson, he set his sights on closing the gap to Dave Fanning, while Tinson came under pressure from a determined Kevin Titman. Luke Oldfield went on to take the win ahead of Dave Fanning, Lachlan McHugh, Luke Tinson, Kevin Titman, Andrew Liebke, Brent Kratzmann and Clem Hoffmans.

Heat four started with Andrew Marks and Peter Lack from the front row with Marks managing to secure the lead as they took the green. Brad Ayers momentarily held second but Lack fought back hard on the high side to secure second and set out after Marks and the race lead. Mark Pholi spent a couple of laps chasing Ayers before sliding almost effortlessly underneath the NQ11 racer as they raced through turn one, while Lack spent a couple of laps closing the gap to Marks before trying to find a way in front. Again Lack was patient, determined and committed as he worked the low line trying to find the right way through. It was clean racing that was breath-taking to watch, and while it took several laps, with several failed passing attempts, Lack eventually managed to race under Marks through turn four and secure the lead before the end of the main straight. Lack really began opening a comfortable lead, while Marks made a few small errors that saw him fade through the field, and David Whell and Dale Shilleto had a great battle towards the rear of the field. Peter Lack took the win with almost half a lap margin back to Mark Pholi in second. Brad Ayers finished third and led Steve Greer, Andrew Marks, David Whell, Dale Shilleto, Dan Murray and Kristy Bonsey across the line.

Heat five started with Nelson Reddacliff and Brent Kratzmann from the front row, with Ben Hilder and Dave Fanning close behind. Kratzmann got a great start and quickly secured the race lead, with Reddacliff settling into second while Fanning, in third, began putting the pressure on. Fanning quickly ducked to the low line, sliding beautifully underneath Reddacliff as they raced through turn four on the opening lap, stealing second before the first lap was completed. Reddacliff tried to fight back but ultimately there was little he could do. Further back in the field Lachlan McHugh and Kevin Titman were embroiled in an intense battle for position, with both Ben Hilder and Andrew Liebke right on their tail. McHugh and Titman soon caught Reddacliff, the trio having a great battle over the minor places. McHugh managed to get his nose in front of Reddacliff a couple of times, but Reddacliff fought back hard on the high side and managed to maintain his position. Brent Kratzmann went on to take the win with Dave Fanning in second and Nelson Reddacliff hanging on to finish third. Kevin Titman managed to race his way in front of McHugh to steal fourth, leading McHugh, Ben Hilder, Andrew Liebke and Dylan Menz across the line.

Heat six saw Luke Tinson and Luke Oldfield share the front row for the start, with Andrew Scheuerle and Steven Johnson from the second row. Oldfield got a great start and quickly secured the race lead, while Scheuerle had a beautiful run on the low line to slip straight underneath both Johnson and Tinson to steal second before they hit turn two. Johnson followed Scheuerle under Tinson and into third but the start was aborted when Mitchell Gee spun the Q41 racer at the rear of the field. A full race restart followed with Oldfield again getting a brilliant start and quickly securing the race lead. Tinson got a better start this time around and managed to keep Scheuerle behind him a fraction longer than he had on the first start, but Scheuerle had slipped underneath Tinson in turn three to secure second by the end of the first lap. Richard Morgan had a great run on the inside and made his way from sixth to fourth in just the first lap, while Steven Johnson and Mitchell Gee battled mid field. Johnson had only a small margin on Gee when Gee’s night went from somewhat ordinary to one he and the team would probably rather forget. The deflating right rear tyre on the Q41 racer caught small rut in turn one on the wrong angle and was just enough to bike the car and launch Gee into the air and into the turn one catch fence. It was another big crash for the Consol Racing Team, and though Gee is sore and bruised he walked away from the crash relatively unscathed. His car has however seen better days and while his night was very prematurely over, he and the team are confident it won’t be long before he is back on the track. Luke Oldfield led the restart with six laps left to run and Scheuerle and Tinson right on his tail. Oldfield and Scheuerle immediately pulled away from the rest of the field, with Scheuerle all over the back of Oldfield, while further back in the field Steven Johnson was putting pressure on Richard Morgan. Luke Oldfield managed to hang on to take the win ahead of Andrew Scheuerle with Luke Tinson hanging on to finish third. Richard Morgan was fourth across the line, followed by Steven Johnson, Callum Walker and Clem Hoffmans. Mitchell Gee did not finish the event.

Six cars, qualifiers three to eight, took to the track for the Bronze Shootout. Peter Lack, who was eighth going into the shootout, won the Bronze event, stopping the clock at 11.796 seconds. Andrew Scheuerle was second quickest with an 11.878 second lap, with Mark Pholi and Richard Morgan also securing transfers to the Silver Shootout. Dave Fanning and Steve Greer were eliminated from the dash event and would start the A-Main from positions seven and eight respectively. Lachlan McHugh and David Whell joined Lack, Scheuerle, Pholi and Morgan on track for the Silver Shootout, with Lachlan McHugh this time topping the leader board after stopping the clock at 11.823 seconds. Andrew Scheuerle was again second quickest with an 11.832 second lap, only 0.015 seconds quicker than Peter Lack and his 11.847 second lap. David Whell was fourth quickest, securing the final transfer to the Gold Shootout, while Richard Morgan and Mark Pholi were eliminated and would start the A-Main from positions five and six respectively.

David Whell and Peter Lack shared the front row for the start of the Gold Shootout, with Andrew Scheuerle and Lachlan McHugh close behind. Whell got the jump on the start but Lack took to the high line and almost effortlessly ran around the outside of Whell through turns one and two to steal the lead. Lack began opening a comfortable margin while Lachlan McHugh captivated the crowd as he took the high line and raced around Scheuerle through turns one and two before setting his sights on David Whell. McHugh was relentless and worked the high line lap after lap, while Whell defended his position with a smooth and consistent run. Both drivers are really showing truly incredible form at the moment, with young McHugh in particular, still a relative new-comer to Sprintcars, certainly one to watch – he has already shown incredible talent and has the potential to be a real threat in any race. Peter Lack went on to take the win in the Gold Shootout, with David Whell an impressive second and Lachlan McHugh and Andrew Scheuerle rounding out the field.

Ten cars took to the track for the 12-lap B-Main event, with Ben Hilder and Luke Tinson from the front row. Hilder got a great start and quickly secured the race lead, but chaos was unfolding behind him. The incident saw Nelson Reddacliff, Andrew Marks, Kevin Titman and Dan Murray all involved, with Titman inverting the Q59 racer down the main straight. Murray ended up without a front wing, while Titman, who was not hurt in the crash, and Marks were both out of the race. Murray and Reddacliff restarted the race, though Reddacliff faded quickly and pulled out of the event before completing a lap. Ben Hilder again got the jump on the start and quickly settled into the race lead with Luke Tinson and Dale Shilleto close behind. Not for the first time this season, the real battle was unfolding over the fourth and final transfer to the A-Main. Kristy Bonsey had the position, but Dan Murray, despite not having a front wing on the Q44 racer, was pushing hard and waiting for the right opportunity. Murray was quick to make his move coming out of turn three, sliding under Bonsey with just a handful of laps left to run. Ben Hilder took the win with Luke Tinson, Dale Shilleto and Dan Murray all securing transfers to the A-Main. Kristy Bonsey and Clem Hoffmans were the only other finishers, with Dylan Menz, Nelson Reddacliff and Andrew Marks all failing to complete the distance.

It was an action-packed A-main race and while eighteen cars started the event, only ten managed to go the distance. Peter Lack and David Whell shared the front row for the start, with Lachlan McHugh and Andrew Scheuerle from the second row. Whell got a great start for the outside and quickly secured the lead, with Lack and Scheuerle in hot pursuit. Steven Johnson had a great run from position twelve, passing three cars in the first two corners, and then under Dave Fanning just one lap later. Fanning got a little sideways in turn four, leaving a luckless Brent Kratzmann nowhere to go. Kratzmann collected the side of Fanning and turned the Q4 racer around, bringing the race under caution and doing enough damage to the car to end his night of competition.

David Whell led the restart from Peter Lack and Andrew Scheuerle with 29-laps left to run, Steven Johnson back in sixth behind Dave Fanning, and Ben Hilder already up to 9th after transferring from the B-Main and starting 15th. Lack took to the high line on the start and raced spectacularly around the outside of Whell to steal the lead less than half a lap into the restart, Scheuerle working the low line through turn three to slip underneath Whell and steal second. Lachlan McHugh ran the high side around Richard Morgan in turn two to advance a position closer to the front, but ran a faction too wide in turn three to surrender his position back to Morgan. Steven Johnson was all over the back of Dave Fanning, while Luke Oldfield was on a mission towards the front and made his way underneath both Steve Greer and Andrew Liebke in less than a lap. Johnson, still in sixth and under increasing pressure from Mark Pholi, switched tactics and moved to the high side in his efforts to get past Fanning. Johnson spent half a lap running the high side around to steal his position, before setting his sights on Lachlan McHugh. It took only a couple of laps for Johnson to close gap, with the battle between the pair one that would last several laps. By this stage race leaders Peter Lack and Andrew Scheuerle were well and truly surrounded by lapped traffic, with a thick field of cars ahead of them. Lack got momentarily caught behind Dan Murray, with Scheuerle wasting no time at all in capitalising on the opportunity. Scheuerle quickly ducked underneath Lack as they raced down the main straight, to steal the lead before finding a way past Murray. The battle for the minor places was really starting to heat up, with McHugh and Johnson quickly closing in on Morgan and Whell, with Oldfield soon joining the fight for the minor places. It was a truly spectacular race with plenty of passing on a multi-lane race track that kept fans entertained, and so much breath-taking racing you weren’t quite sure where to look. The race was brought under caution with twelve laps left to run when Andrew Liebke and Steve Greer came together in turn four. Liebke was able to restart the event but Greer had suffered too much damage to the rear end of his Q84 racer to continue.

Andrew Scheuerle led the restart from Peter Lack and Lachlan McHugh, with Luke Oldfield (who started 13th) up to fourth, Steven Johnson (who started 12th) up to 5th and Ben Hilder (who had started 15th) up to sixth. David Whell, who had faded to seventh, actually managed to slide underneath Hilder and back into sixth, only for Hilder to immediately fight back and regain his position only moments later. Within only a couple of laps the leaders were again navigating lapped traffic, and when Scheuerle ran a fraction too wide in turn four Lack almost managed to steal the lead. Lack was on a mission and took the high line a lap and a half later, in a brilliant outside passing move, racing around the outside of Scheuerle as they sped down the back straight towards turn three. Lack had the lead and was trying to duck underneath the lapped car of Brad Ayers, when in the background, coming out of turn two, Lachlan McHugh collected the concrete wall before making contact with Luke Oldfield down the straight. McHugh came to a stop and brought the race under caution, handing the lead back to Scheuerle.

With just three laps left to run Scheuerle led the restart from Lack and Oldfield, who now had a broken right rear shock. Steven Johnson, now in fourth and with a podium finish in sight, was all over Oldfield for two laps, slipping underneath him as the white flag flew and only one lap left to run. Unfortunately for Johnson a red light stoppage quickly followed, with Callum Walker and Dan Murray coming together in turn one, with Andrew Liebke caught in the chaos, his Q47 racer well alight as he tried to make his way closer the fire crew. Walker, Murray and Liebke all managed to walk away from the incident but none would be able to restart the race.

Two laps to run and a green-white-chequer race to finish with Andrew Scheuerle to lead the way from Peter Lack, Luke Oldfield, who now had a deflating right rear tyre to add to his broken right rear shock woes, Steven Johnson and Ben Hilder. In the end it was Andrew Scheuerle who took the win, his third in Brisbane so far this season, with Peter Lack a very strong second. Luke Oldfield managed to hold on to finish third with Steven Johnson in fourth and Ben Hilder having a very impressive run to cross the line in fifth. Dave Fanning finished sixth ahead of Mark Pholi, Brad Ayers and Dale Shilleto. David Whell was relegated back to tenth after hitting the cone on the final restart. Callum Walker, Dan Murray, Andrew Liebke, Lachlan McHugh, Luke Tinson, Steve Greer, Richard Morgan and Brent Kratzmann all failed to finish the event.

Sprintcars Queensland will head to Toowoomba’s Hi Tech Oils Toowoomba Speedway next Saturday night for Round Three of the Ultimate Sprintcar Championship, before returning the AusDeck Patios Archerfield Speedway the following weekend for round four of the SuperCheap Auto Sprintcar Track Championship. The racing these stars are putting on at the moment is simply breath-taking and something you really need to see for yourself. Come on out to the speedway and cheer on all your favourite drivers, and pop down to the pits after the show to grab an autograph or two (or ten!). See you trackside!