Donny Schatz was undefeated in his last Australian visit twelve months ago and last night at AusDeck Patios Archerfield Speedway he continued his winning streak. Schatz dominated easily all night, securing quick time in qualifying, and winning a heat before an unlucky dash draw saw him start that event from the rear of the field. Schatz started the A-Main event from fourth and while in the opening few laps Luke Oldfield looked like he had a strong hold on the race lead, the leaders hit lapped traffic in only nine laps. Just two laps later, with 24 (of 35) laps still to run, Schatz made his way into the race lead. Oldfield initially challenged but Schatz soon managed to pull away and went on to take the win. Andrew Scheuerle, who had been undefeated at the Brisbane venue so far this season, finished a strong second with Kevin Titman having a brilliant run to fill the final podium position. Luke Oldfield and Bryan Mann rounded out the top five on a night that saw plenty of carnage for more than a couple of drivers.

Qualifying got underway and it was Donny Schatz who topped the leader board at the end of qualifying, with an impressive 11.665 second lap. Peter Lack (11.841 seconds) was second quickest with Bryan Mann (11.870 seconds), Luke Oldfield (11.924 seconds) and Andrew Scheuerle (11.943 seconds) rounding out the fastest five. Young guns and rising stars Callum Walker and Lachlan McHugh were next in line (12.121 and 12.166 seconds respectively), with times exceptionally close right through the field. Mitchell Gee stopped the clock at 12.263 seconds, just a tiny one thousandth of a second quicker than both Kevin Titman and Brad Ayers, who recorded identical times of 12.264 seconds. Darren Silcock was fourth thousandths of a second quicker than Scott Doyle, while Andrew Liebke was two thousandths of a second quicker than Clem Hoffmans. Jason Bottin beat Ben Hilder by just one thousandth of a second, while David Whell was three thousandths of a second quicker than Dylan Menz. Unfortunately qualifying was not without issue, with James Grady suffering mechanical issues that prevented him from recording a time, while Andrew Liebke discovered an engine problem onboard the Q47 racer and decided to park the car for the night while they investigated the problem further.

Heat one saw Dylan Menz from pole position and Mark Pholi, in the absence of Andrew Liebke, elevated to the front row. Menz and Pholi raced side-by-side into turn one with Pholi eventually securing the race lead. Pholi immediately began opening a small lead, with Menz in second but all eyes were on Donny Schatz coming from towards the rear of the field. Within a lap Schatz had raced around Brad Ayers, underneath Lachlan McHugh, and was attempting to get under Scott Doyle. It took Schatz until the final corner of the second lap to get the job done, and then another lap and a half to catch, as pass, Dylan Menz, before setting his sights on Mark Pholi and the race lead. Pholi had a sizable lead and it took a few laps for Schatz to close the gap, but everything about Schatz, for the entire race, was smooth and methodical. He made it look easy as he moved through the field, closed the gap to Pholi, stole the lead, and then gained a quarter of a lap lead over his rivals. Donny Schatz went on to take the win with Mark Pholi in second and Dylan Menz in third. Scott Doyle and Lachlan McHugh had a great race mid-field, with Doyle managing to hang on to finish fourth ahead of McHugh, Brad Ayers, Brandon Rawlings, Callum Walker and Kristy Bonsey.

Heat two saw Dave Whell and Clem Hoffmans share the front row for the start, with Darren Silcock and Wayne Iacono right behind. Hoffmans got a great start and quickly secured the race lead with Whell in second and chasing hard. Peter Lack was spectacular on the high line, coming from position eight he headed up track as they entered turn one. Running three wide into turn two, with Brent Kratzmann and Kevin Titman on the inside, the trio came up behind Darren Silcock in the ACT5 racer. Titman won the battle coming out turn two, but ran too wide in turn three and opened the door for Kratzmann to slip through. Andrew Scheuerle tried to follow, but Titman fought back on the high line, with Scheuerle only making his way in front of Lack for the time being. Lack and Scheuerle had a great battle for a couple of laps before Scheuerle managed to put Silcock, then Titman between them. Titman was all over the back of Scheuerle, but Scheuerle was not willing to surrender his position. Clem Hoffmans went on the take the win, with Wayne Iacono in second and David Whell in third. Brent Kratzmann was fourth across the line and led Andrew Scheuerle, Kevin Titman, Peter Lack, Steven Johnson, Darren Silcock and Dale Shilleto across the line.

Ben Hilder and Jason Bottin shared the front row for the start of the third heat. The pair raced wheel-to-wheel into turn one with Bottin soon taking control of the race. Luke Oldfield started from position seven and was on a mission to get to the front. By the end of the second corner Oldfield had, seemingly effortlessly, slipped underneath both Anthony Lambert and Mitchell Gee, and set his sights on Paul Morris and Steve Greer. Bryan Mann followed him through, almost making it past the Q36 racer as well when Oldfield ran a fraction wide in turn four, but Oldfield was quick to recover and set about slipping underneath both Morris and Greer. Oldfield also made quick work of finding his way past both Ben Hilder and Jason Bottin to steal the race lead before going on to take an impressive win. Jason Bottin managed to hang on to finish second ahead of Mitchell Gee, Ben Hilder, Steve Greer, Paul Morris, Bryan Mann, Anthony Lambert, Bruce Marshall and Andrew Marks.

Brandon Rawlings and Scott Doyle started alongside each other on the front row for the start of heat four. Doyle settled into the race lead ahead of Rawlings and Kevin Titman, while Donny Schatz took to the high line trying to get past Anthony Lambert and Jason Bottin, with Brent Kratzmann next in line. Kratzmann put up a bigger fight, but it still only took Schatz a couple of laps to find his opportunity and slip underneath the Q4 racer in turn two. Next in line for Schatz was Scott Doyle, who had surrendered the lead to Rawlings, and while he too put up a breath-taking fight, Schatz simply moved underneath the Q43 racer and set his sights on his next target. Meanwhile, further back in the field, Brent Kratzmann and Lachlan McHugh were having a great battle over the minor places. For the final lap of the race all eyes were on the leading trio, with Rawlings trying to hang on to the race lead but facing a massive challenge from both Titman and Schatz. Rawlings and Titman crossed the line side-by-side, with Schatz right on their tail, with transponders handing the win to Kevin Titman by just 0.029 seconds. Brandon Rawlings finished second with Donny Schatz in third just 0.282 seconds behind Titman. Lachlan McHugh finished fourth and led Scott Doyle, Brent Kratzmann, Jason Bottin, Steven Johnson and Anthony Lambert past the chequered flag.

Heat five started with Darren Silcock and Dave Whell from the front row, and while they drag raced side-by-side into turn one it was Whell who emerged in front. Further back in the field Luke Oldfield had the Q36 Titan Garages racer with the inside wheels off the ground as he nearly flipped while racing Andrew Scheuerle and Mitchell Gee, the trio attempting three wide through the second corner. Oldfield still managed to emerge in front, and set out after Steve Greer and Brad Ayers, making his way in front of both in less than half a lap. Oldfield quickly set his sights on Darren Silcock and before long had raced around the outside as they rounded turn two to steal the position. A yellow light stoppage for Wayne Iacono in turn three with five laps left to run bunched the field up for the restart, and while Dave Whell led them to the green, he now had Oldfield right on his tail. Mitchell Gee, who started in fourth, quickly made his way in front of Darren Silcock, only for the race to be brought under caution once more, with Iacono again spun to stop, this time in turn two. Whell again led the restart from Oldfield, with Silcock reinstated into third and Gee back in fourth. Whell was brilliant out in front, but Oldfield was having one of his best nights so far this season and was all over the back of Whell. Oldfield was initially looking for a way past on the highline, but swiftly switched to the low side as they rounded turn four and managed to steal the lead. At the rear of the field Dale Shilleto and Bruce Marshall came together entering turn four, with both cars flipping out of the race. While both Bruce and Dale walked away from the wrecks, neither were able to continue the race, and unfortunately for Marshall he would not make it back trackside for the B-Main, his night prematurely over. Oldfield led the restart with three laps left to run and was unstoppable out in front. Luke Oldfield went on to take the win, with Dave Whell in second ahead of Mitchell Gee, Andrew Scheuerle, Darren Silcock, Brad Ayers and Steve Greer. Bruce Marshall, Dale Shilleto and Wayne Iacono all failed to finish the event.

The action-packed affair that was heat six got underway with Dylan Menz and Ben Hilder from the front row. Hilder got the jump on the start and quickly settled into the race lead ahead of Menz, but it was the action unfolding behind them that had everyone captivated. Clem Hoffmans ran around the outside of Paul Morris in turn two, with Mark Pholi also on the high line. Unfortunately, contract between Morris and Pholi as they raced down the back straight immediately launched Morris into a wild flip straight towards the turn three wall. Callum Walker slowed a fraction and tried to take evasive action as he raced towards the airborne car of Morris, while Peter Lack, who had been trying his signature run around the high side, caught the right rear of Walker as they entered turn three. Kristy Bonsey, already committed to the high line, had nowhere to go, and collided with Morris as he landed in front of her. Pholi ended up-side-down in turn three, while Lack came to stop with his front end mounted on top of the Q33 racer of Walker. All drivers walked away from the crash but all five (Walker, Pholi, Lack, Bonsey and Morris) were unable to restart the race. A full race restart followed with just five cars on the track. Menz and Hilder again led them to the green, but the start was aborted as officials deemed Menz to have jumped the start. Bryan Mann was elevated to pole position for the restart, having originally been set to start the event from position seven. Mann got the jump and easily secured the race lead, with Hilder very comfortable in second. Dylan Menz, Clem Hoffmans and Andrew Marks battled at the rear of the field, with Menz soon pulling ahead of his rivals and Marks eventually making his way front of Hoffmans. Bryan Mann went on to take the win ahead of Ben Hilder, Dylan Menz, Andrew Marks and Clem Hoffmans. Callum Walker, Mark Pholi, Peter Lack, Kristy Bonsey and Paul Morris all failed to finish the event.

Donny Schatz was highest points scorer going into the Dash event, but the pre-dash draw saw him start the event from position six. Mitchell Gee and Luke Oldfield shared the front row for the start of the Dash event, with Gee getting the better jump on the start and quickly securing the race lead. Oldfield had a big look up on the inside of Gee in turn two but could not quite pull off the pass, while at the rear of the field Schatz set about climbing his way towards the front of the field. Schatz spent a couple of laps racing the high line to eventually make his way in front of Bryan Mann, with Andrew Scheuerle and Lachlan McHugh, who were themselves embroiled in an intense battle, next in his sights. Mitchell Gee went on to take the win with Luke Oldfield second and Andrew Scheuerle in third. Donny Schatz managed to finish fourth and led Lachlan McHugh and Bryan Mann across the line.

Nine cars lined up for the start of 15-lap B-Main event, with Callum Walker and Mark Pholi from the front row and only the top four finishers to transfer to the back of the A-Main field. Walker pulled off a spectacular wheel stand as he took the green, but it was Pholi who secured the race lead. Andrew Marks, from deep in the field, took to the high line and raced around Darren Silcock and Jason Bottin, before attempting to come between Scott Doyle and Brandon Rawlings heading down the main straight. A couple of small mistakes saw him fade to the rear of the field before beginning to climb his way towards the front again. Mid-field Scott Doyle was doing a magnificent job holding off Brandon Rawlings and Steve Greer, but contact between Greer and Rawlings in turn four brought the race under caution. With eight laps still to run Mark Pholi led the restart from Dylan Menz and Steve Greer raced up the inside of Menz heading into turn three, while mid-field Steven Johnson and Dale Shilleto came together down the back straight. Johnson and Shilleto were both lucky things didn’t end as badly as they could have but behind them just a car length or two Andrew Marks rode a wheel heading into turn three, launching the Brisbane Foundry Q96 racer high, and hard, into the catch fence, and submitting his nomination for the Sprintcars Queensland annual Wings Award. Marks walked away from the crash with the assistance of first aid personnel and was later taken to hospital for tests and observations. Mark Pholi led the restart from Menz, Greer, Doyle and Johnson with eight laps left to run. Doyle made his way underneath Greer, with Johnson following a few laps later, moments before Greer and Silcock became tangled in turn three and brought the race under caution once more. Mark Pholi once again led the restart, with just five laps left to run, and went on to take the win ahead of Scott Doyle and Steven Johnson. Brandon Rawlings managed to secure fourth, and the final transfer to the A-Main, with Dylan Menz, Callum Walker, Jason Bottin, Darren Silcock and Steve Greer rounding out the finishers. Dale Shilleto and Andrew Marks both failed to finish the event.

The 35-lap A-Main event rolled onto the track with Mitchell Gee and Luke Oldfield from the front row and Andrew Scheuerle and Donny Schatz making for a very formidable second row. Gee got the jump on the start but Oldfield had secured the race lead by the time they hit turn three. Gee held down second but was instantly under pressure from Scheuerle, while Kevin Titman and Lachlan McHugh argued over the minor places, with Bryan Mann and Brent Kratzmann close behind and running two-wide. Schatz soon caught Scheuerle, who had already passed Gee, and slipped almost effortlessly underneath the new-look Q25 racer, before setting about closing the gap to Oldfield. Oldfield hit lapped traffic with 26-laps still to run, but just two laps later, Schatz relieved him of the race lead, making it look easy. Oldfield, to his credit, fought back exceptionally hard, the crowd really getting behind the local livewire, but Schatz soon put a couple of car lengths between himself and his rivals. Mid field there was a breath-taking battle unfolding between Bryan Mann, Peter Lack, and Lachlan McHugh as they swapped positions several times. McHugh soon became involved in a battle with Brent Kratzmann and Ben Hilder, but the race was brought under caution when Steven Johnson collided with the wall coming out of turn three. Johnson was unscathed in the incident but was out of the race.

With just nine laps left to run Donny Schatz led the restart from Luke Oldfield and Kevin Titman. Titman had a brilliant run on the low line, slipping underneath Oldfield as they rounded turn two, with Andrew Scheuerle and Mitchell Gee right on their tail. Scheuerle ran around the outside of Oldfield in turn two, with Gee looking up the inside as they headed into turn three. Behind them Peter Lack slammed the wall coming out of turn two, pulling infield half a lap later. Scheuerle and Titman had a great battle over the minor places but there was no stopping Schatz out in front. Schatz went on to take the win, but contact with a lapped car after the chequered flag saw him spin to a stop in turn three. Andrew Scheuerle crossed the line in second with Kevin Titman home in third. Luke Oldfield finished fourth after a spectacular night of racing, with Bryan Mann rounding out the top five and leading Mitchell Gee, Brent Kratzmann, Scott Doyle, Lachlan McHugh, Brad Ayers, Mark Pholi, Brandon Rawlings, Anthony Lambert, Ben Hilder and Dave Whell across the line. Peter Lack, Clem Hoffmans and Steven Johnson all failed to finish the event.

Sprintcars Queensland are scheduled to return to AusDeck Patios Archerfield Speedway tonight for night two of the USA Sprintcars. Can anyone stop Donny Schatz? Come along and see the action for yourself – it is sure to be a night of edge-of-your-seat racing action and some great family entertainment. Should Mother Nature intervene we will try again tomorrow night, Monday 28 December 2015. See you trackside!