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Kicking Up The Dirt - SuperCheap Auto Track Championship-Round4
Joanne White posted Sunday November 29, 2015.

Round Four of the SuperCheap Auto Sprintcar Track Championship was run and won at AusDeck Patios Archerfield Speedway last night, with 30 Sprintcars doing battle. Andrew Scheuerle was certainly the man to beat, having won the three previous rounds, and while for a short time it looked like we may have been in for a different winner, Scheuerle was just unstoppable in the Q25 racer and went on to take his fourth consecutive win at the Brisbane track this season. It was a huge night of racing, with plenty of thrills, and big spills, and even a short rain delay. Ben Hilder had a magnificent start to the A-Main race, starting on the front row alongside Scheuerle and getting the jump on the start to secure the lead. Twice. But unfortunately for Hilder he faded as the race wore on and ended up sixth. Mitchell Gee and Paul Morris joined Scheuerle on the podium, while Bryan Mann, in his first night back for the season, and Steven Johnson rounded out the top five.

Qualifying got underway and it was Brent Kratzmann who set he pace from early in the qualifying session. Kratzmann stopped the clock at a quick 11.459 seconds. Young gun Lachlan McHugh was second quickest, just 0.029 seconds slower than Kratzmann with an 11.488 second lap. Ben Hilder, Luke Oldfield and Andrew Scheuerle rounded out the fastest five in a field that saw the top seventeen cars dip into the 11-second bracket. The top twenty-six cars were separated by less than one second, proving just how tough the competition was going to be. Bryan Mann, who ended up 10th after qualifying, was just one thousandth of a second quicker than Mark Pholi, who in turn was only quicker than Andrew Liebke by one thousandth of a second. Unfortunately for Dylan Menz mechanical problems in the Q46 racer during hot laps brought about a very premature end to his night of competition.

Heat one started with Nelson Reddacliff from pole position and Steve Greer alongside. Greer got a great jump on the start and quickly settled into the race lead, smooth and consistent and immediately started to pull away from his rivals. Reddacliff settled into second but was instantly on the defensive as Steve Rowell and Paul Morris began searching for a way through. Andrew Marks, in fifth, was trying to defend his position from the hard charging duo of Brent Kratzmann and Peter Lack. Kratzmann slipped underneath Marks though turn four, with Lack racing around the outside a few laps later. A small mistake from Kratzmann gave Lack all the invitation he needed to quickly switch from the high line above Marks, to the low side and underneath Kratzmann. Lack set his sights on Rowell, who had succumbed to pressure from Morris, while Morris put all kinds of pressure all over the back of Reddacliff. Lack soon found his way past Rowell and joined the battle for second with Reddacliff and Morris, and when Morris made an error in turn tow, Lack was quick to capitalise. Lack spent the final few laps searching for a way past Reddacliff, but Reddacliff managed to hold on to his position. Steve Greer was unchallenged for the lead and went on to take the win, a fraction over six seconds clear of Nelson Reddacliff in second. Peter Lack crossed the line in third after a spectacular drive from position seven on the starting grid, and led Paul Morris, Steve Rowell, Brent Kratzmann, Andrew Marks, Andrew Liebke and Travis Woods across the line.

Scott Doyle and Callum Walker led the start of heat two. Unfortunately the first attempted start was aborted, officials deeming Doyle to have jumped the start and relegated him to second row for the restart. This elevated Richard Morgan to pole position for the start, with Callum Walker still out of position two. Morgan got the jump on the start and secured the lead, with Walker in second ahead of Doyle. Mark Pholi was attempting an inside passing move on Mitchell Gee through turn two when he spun the Q14 racer to a stop and brought the race under caution. When the race resumed Morgan again secured the lead with Walker in second. With the race less than half a lap old Andrew Scheuerle made his way past Doyle and into third, setting his sights on Walker in second. Within just a few laps Scheuerle had closed the margin Walker had created and was all over the back of the young Q33 racer. Scheuerle had several big looks but couldn’t quite pull off a pass, Walker doing a magnificent job holding off his more experienced rival. Further back in the field Brandon Rawlings was all over the back of Scott Doyle, searching for a way past, with his own team-mate Mitchell Gee right on his tail. With only two and half laps left to run Rawlings spun the NQ44 racer in turn three, backing the car into the fence and shortening the tail tank somewhat. Lachlan McHugh soon joined him at the fence, colliding with the stranded car of Rawlings. Both drivers walked away from the crash but neither was able to restart the race. Morgan led the restart from Walker and Scheuerle with just three laps left to run. Richard Morgan went on to take the win ahead of Callum Walker, Andrew Scheuerle, Mitchell Gee, Scott Doyle, Mark Pholi, Clem Hoffmans and Garry Jacobson. Brandon Rawlings and Lachlan McHugh both failed to finish the event.

Brad Ayers and Bruce Marshall lined up alongside each other on the front row for the start of heat three, with Kevin Titman and Dave Fanning right behind them. Marshall got a great start and quickly secured the race lead, leaving Ayers, Fanning and Titman to fight over second. Ayers had second through the opening corners, but by turn three Titman was trying to slip underneath while Fanning ran around the outside. Titman lead the trio out of turn four, but both Ayers and Fanning fought back hard on the high side. Ayers led them into turn one on the second lap, with Fanning quickly switching from the outside line, above Titman, to the low side to slide underneath Ayers and lead the trio into turn two. Meanwhile further back in the field Ben Hilder, Bryan Mann and Luke Oldfield were having a great battle mid-field, and trying to find a way past Steven Johnson, with first Hilder, then Oldfield making their way though. Back at the front of the field things were really starting to heat up, with Titman and Fanning having pulled ahead of Ayers and were now all over the back of race leader Marshall. Titman eventually managed to get underneath Marshall to steal the lead, while Ben Hilder had a breath-taking run to climb his way into an impressive third. Bryan Mann was on a mission, trying to run around the outside of Brad Ayers through turn four, as Steven Johnson ran the bottom and tried to go underneath them both, making for a heart-stopping three-wide race through turn four. Mann won that battle and within just half a lap had already opened a significant margin over Ayers and Johnson. With two laps to go Luke Tinson brought the race under caution when he spun his Q34 racer in turn four. Kevin Titman led the restart and went on to take the win, with Bruce Marshall managing to cross the line in second, with Luke Oldfield and Ben Hilder right behind. Dave Fanning finished fifth and led Bryan Mann, Brad Ayers, Steven Johnson, Kristy Bonsey and Luke Tinson across the line.

A bit of a rain delay followed as Mother Nature dumped a brief but heavy shower of rain over the venue. Archerfield Speedway Promoter John Kelly again did everything he could to make the track usable again and while we were able to resume racing, the track, at least at first, was quite narrow and one lane.

Heat four hit the track with Brad Ayers and Bruce Marshall from the front row and Callum Walker and Richard Morgan ready to strike from the second row of the starting grid. Ayers got sideways on the start, sliding down to the bottom edge of the track, where it was especially wet, and gently tipped the #11 racer on its side. Brad was not hurt in the crash but was unable to restart the event. Callum Walker was elevated to pole position for the restart, with Marshall still alongside. Marshall got a great start and jumped to an early lead, but Morgan had other ideas and had managed to secure control of the race by the time they hit turn two. Walker held down third for several laps, until a mistake in turn two opened the door for Mitchell Gee. Gee soon chased down Marshall and put all kinds of pressure on the Q44 racer but to no avail. Richard Morgan went on to take the win ahead of Bruce Marshall and Mitchell Gee, with Callum Walker having another solid drive to finish fourth ahead of Paul Morris, Brent Kratzmann and Mark Pholi. Brad Ayers was the only driver who did not finish the event.

Heat five started with Brandon Rawlings and Nelson Reddacliff from the front row, with Dave Fanning and Steve Rowell right behind and very eager to get to the front. Rawlings and Reddacliff raced side-by-side down the main straight, with Reddacliff securing the lead by the time they exited turn one. Rawlings settled into second but the race was soon brought to a stop when Fanning and Rowell came together in turn four, with Fanning gently inverting the Q89 car. Fanning was unscathed in the incident and even managed to restart the event at the rear of the field, despite a very crushed main wing. Rawlings and Reddacliff again led the restart, the pair again racing side-by-side towards the first corner. Contact between the leading pair nearly brought both undone as they passed the flag stand, and allowed Rowell to challenge for the lead as he dived underneath the pair. Rowell was able to secure second but Rawlings had control of the race and quickly began opening a small but comfortable lead over his rivals. Peter Lack spent several laps searching for a way past Reddacliff, before setting his sights on Rowell. Lack searched high and low for way past Rowell but ultimately ran out of laps and was forced to settle for third, while further back in the field the battle between Dave Fanning and Steven Johnson was really starting to heat up. Brandon Rawlings took the win ahead of Steve Rowell and Peter Lack, with Nelson Reddacliff crossing the line in fourth and leading Ben Hilder, Dave Fanning, Steven Johnson and Clem Hoffmans across the line.

Heat six, the final Sprintcar heat of the night, saw Scott Doyle and Andrew Marks from the front row, with Andrew Liebke and Steve Greer right behind. Doyle got the jump on the start and quickly settled into the race lead, while Marks held down second but immediately came under pressure from Greer. Andrew Liebke was momentarily next in line but all eyes were on Bryan Mann as he flew around the outside, making his way past both Liebke and Greer in less than half a lap. Mann was all over the back of Marks, searching high and low, patiently waiting for the right opportunity, having several big looks but not quite able to get the job down. Further back in the field Andrew Liebke was under immense pressure from Kevin Titman, who had Luke Oldfield on his tail, the trio putting on a spectacular show for race fans as they fought over the minor places. But the race was soon brought to a stop as two separate incidents unfolded at the same time. Andrew Marks got a fraction sideways in turn four, with an ever so slight touch from behind from Bryan Mann enough to see Marks spin the Q96 racer to a stop coming out of turn four. Behind them though contact between Kevin Titman and Luke Oldfield ended with Titman upside down in the middle of turns three and four. Titman walked away from the wreck, none too pleased with Oldfield, but would make it back trackside for the B-Main event. The race restarted with just four laps left to run and Scott Doyle to lead the field away. Bryan Mann fought hard but it was Scott Doyle who took the win, with Bryan Mann in second and Steve Greer a strong third. Andrew Scheuerle was fourth across the line ahead of Andrew Liebke, while Luke Oldfield, who had started rear of the field after the incident with Titman, managed to climb his way back to sixth by the fall of the chequered flag. Kristy Bonsey crossed the line in seventh and led Garry Jacobson and Andrew Marks across the line. Kevin Titman was the only driver who did not finish the race.

The dash event saw Ben Hilder from pole position with Andrew Scheuerle alongside and Peter Lack and Brent Kratzmann right behind them. Luke Oldfield and Mitchell Gee filled the final row of the six-car starting grid. Hilder momentarily held the lead when the lights went green, the Q95 racer getting a brilliant start on the low line. Unfortunately for Hilder, Scheuerle was quick on the high side and powered around the outside to secure the lead by the time they exited turn one. From there Scheuerle began to open a sizable lead, while the rest of the field argued over the minor places. Peter Lack and Luke Oldfield had a great battle going over fifth and sixth but when Brent Kratzmann, in third, got a little crossed up in turn four, it seemed to set off a chain reaction in the cars behind him, despite there being several car lengths between him and his rivals, Mitchell Gee, Peter Lack and Luke Oldfield all became tangled in turn three and brought the race under caution. Unfortunately for Gee he was unable to restart the event, his Consol Racing Team having plenty of work to do before the A-Main hit the track. Scheuerle led the restart in the Dash, with Hilder in second and Kratzmann third. Kratzmann put the challenge to Hilder for the three remaining laps, having a big look up the inside of the Q95 racer through turn one but was not able to pull off the pass. Andrew Scheuerle took the win and declined the Kratzmann Challenge (which, had he accepted, would have inverted the top fourteen starts in the A-Main) due to the narrowness of the track after the rain. Ben Hilder finished second in the Dash with Brent Kratzmann, Peter Lack and Luke Oldfield rounding out the finishers. Mitchell Gee did not complete the six the journey.

Sixteen cars lined up for the start of the biggest B-Main event we have had in quite some time, with Darren Silcock and Anthony Vanderreyden, as the first two placed cars in the 360ci feature event, sharing the back row of the grid. Andrew Liebke started from pole position, with Callum Walker alongside and a strong field behind them. Walker got the jump on the start and quickly settled into the race lead, with Liebke in second ahead of Dave Fanning and Scott Doyle. Unfortunately chaos unfolded behind them as the rest of the field attempted to navigate through turn two. The incident started with Brandon Rawlings, Kevin Titman and Lachlan McHugh coming together in turn two, with Nelson Reddacliff, Andrew Marks, Anthony Vanderreyden and several others all involved to varying extents as everyone took evasive action. Brandon Rawlings and Andrew Marks were both unable to restart the event but everyone else took to the restart. A full race restart followed with Liebke and Walker again from the front row, and while Liebke initially held the lead as they entered turn one, Walker had a brilliant run on the high line to steal the lead before they hit turn two. Liebke tried to fight back but there was no stopping Walker, while further back in the field Lachlan McHugh and Kevin Titman were trying to work their way closer to the front of the field. McHugh got a little sideways in turn four, just enough that Titman and Scott Doyle were forced to take evasive action, with Nelson Reddacliff getting too crossed-up behind them. Reddacliff spun the Q85 racer in turn four, where he was collected by Kristy Bonsey, who tipped her Q42 racer on it side, Brad Ayers and then Luke Tinson. Unfortunately all four drivers involved were unable to restart the race. Walker led the restart from Liebke, Fanning and McHugh, with Titman still outside a transfer position. With fourteen laps left to run it was set to be a thrilling race, with McHugh challenging Fanning for position and Titman desperate to find a way past at least one of the cars in front of him. Titman attempted a massive slide job though turn three, trying to get underneath McHugh. Titman drifted up track, slamming the wall, with McHugh close behind and the hapless Scott Doyle left with nowhere to go. Contact between the right rear of Doyle's Q46 racer and the front end of NQ23 of Lachlan McHugh would unfortunately leave Doyle out of the race. McHugh was able to restart the event but Titman was also out of the competition. Walker again led the restart with thirteen laps left to run and Andrew Liebke on his tail. Liebke was able to challenge for the lead several times but could not make his way in front of Walker, with Walker going on to take the win. Andrew Liebke was second ahead of Dave Fanning, while Lachlan McHugh crossed the line fourth and secured the final transfer to the A-Main. Clem Hoffmans, Anthony Vanderreyden, Garry Jacobson and Darren Silcock rounded out the finishers. Kevin Titman, Scott Doyle, Nelson Reddacliff, Kristy Bonsey, Brad Ayers, Luke Tinson, Andrew Marks and Brandon Rawlings all failed to finish the event.

Eighteen cars lined up for the start of the 30-lap A-Main event, with Andrew Scheuerle and Ben Hilder from the front row and a big field rich in talent, lined up behind them. Hilder got a great start first time around, quickly securing the lead with Scheuerle forced to settle for second. Unfortunately for Hilder contact between Brent Kratzmann and Peter Lack behind him brought the race to a very sudden stop as Lack was launched skywards in a series of high end-to-end rolls into the turn one catch fence before crashing back down onto the track. Lack was able to walk away from the crash but was out of the race, with Kratzmann too suffering enough damage to end his night of competition.

A full restart followed and despite getting a second chance for a good start, Scheuerle was not quite as quick off the mark as he would usually be. Hilder got the jump and settled into the race lead, while Luke Oldfield, who started out of position three in the absence of Kratzmann, quickly darted up the inside of Scheuerle to steal second before they hit turn one. Steve Rowell and Steve Greer had a great battle mid-field, while Lachlan McHugh, who had started from position eighteen after transferring from the B-Main, was beginning to make his way through the field. Back at the front end of the field Scheuerle made his way past Oldfield as they rounded turn four, and while Oldfield fought back, there was no stopping Scheuerle. Scheuerle now had Hilder firmly in his sights and within just a couple of laps made his way into the race lead, slipping underneath the Motorguard Motorsport Q95 racer in turn four. Oldfield was quick to follow just a lap later but the race was soon brought under caution once more. Andrew Liebke had been having a brilliant run in the Q47 racer, racing up the inside of Lachlan McHugh coming out of turn four and attempting to do the same with Mark Pholi into turn one. Unfortunately contact between Liebke and Pholi launched Liebke into some aerial pirouettes before he nose-dived into the track in turn one. Pholi ended up spinning the Q14 racer and became stranded on the track with Oldfield, who had been approaching Pholi and Liebke to put them a lap down, was unable to avoid the chaos and he too became stranded in turn one. Both Pholi and Liebke were unable to restart the race, with Oldfield restarting at the rear of the field.

Scheuerle led the restart from Hilder and Mitchell Gee, but with only an additional two laps competed the race was once again brought to a sudden stop. Contact between Callum Walker and Luke Oldfield launched Oldfield into the air and saw him roll down the main straight and out of the race. Scheuerle again led the restart, with Hilder and Gee still on his tail, and Paul Morris and Bryan Mann inside the top five. From deep in the field Lachlan McHugh was on a mission. Still very much a new-comer to Sprintcars McHugh has serious potential to be a real contender in any race. Watching him weave his way through the tough A-Main field last night it would be easy to forget just how new to the division he really is. The way he seemingly effortlessly worked the entire track, switching from the low line to the high side as needed, showed a skill some seasoned competitors take years to grasp. He is most certainly one to keep your eye on. Meanwhile Andrew Scheuerle kept extending his lead, weaving through the lapped traffic and lapping nearly half the field. Scheuerle eventually took the win, with a margin of 6.703 seconds over second placed Mitchell Gee. Paul Morris had a spectacular drive to finish third, with Bryan Mann and Steven Johnson rounding out the top five. Ben Hilder faded to sixth by the fall of the chequered flag, but led Lachlan McHugh, Steve Rowell, Dave Fanning, Bruce Marshall, Callum Walker and Steve Greer across the line. Richard Morgan, Luke Oldfield, Mark Pholi, Andrew Liebke, Brent Kratzmann and Peter Lack all failed to finish the event.

Sprintcars Queensland was originally scheduled to take next weekend off, but with Mother Nature having intervened a fortnight ago Sprintcars Queensland will return to AusDeck Patios Archerfield Speedway next Saturday night, 05 December 2015 to re-run the event that was abandoned on 14 November 2015. It’s going to be a big week for a number of teams, with plenty of drivers taking home broken cars this week and just a few days before we hit the track again. Can anyone stop Andrew Scheuerle from getting five in a row? You seriously will not want to miss this one ladies and gentlemen so get yourself trackside to AusDeck Patios Archerfield Speedway next Saturday night and see the action for yourself.

 

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