Last night World Series Sprintcars rolled into town to take on some of the best South East Queensland has to offer, and in a field of twenty-seven cars, it was Queenslander Luke Oldfield who stood atop the podium at the conclusion of the thirty-lap feature event. Oldfield started the night strongly, setting quick time in qualifying before putting in couple of spectacular heat race drives and secured his spot in the Gold Shootout event. Oldfield ultimately started the feature event from the second row and spent the first third of the race chasing race leader Brooke Tatnell before racing brilliantly around the outside of Tatnell to take control of the race. Oldfield and Tatnell had a brilliant race for the lead, but disaster struck for Tatnell after just eighteen laps. Left with nowhere to go when a lapped car made a mistake in front of him, Tatnell made heavy contact with the stricken lapped car and the fence, ending his race. James McFadden inherited second and while he tried to find a way past Oldfield during through final twelve laps, Oldfield went on to take the win with McFadden and Daniel Harding rounding out the podium. Andrew Scheuerle, always a textbook example of consistency, crossed the line in fourth.

Hot lapping and qualifying got under way and while young Callum Walker was quickest is the hot lapping sessions, he ended up back in thirteenth at the end of time trials, just 0.337 seconds slower than the fastest car on the track. Luke Oldfield has been in truly magnificent form this season and despite qualifying mid-way through the qualifying order, immediately shot to the top of the leader board with a quick 11.755 second lap. His time proved unbeatable, though the South East Queensland locals showed the travelling tribe of World Series Sprintcars that they are a force that wont be easy to beat. Andrew Scheuerle, Kevin Titman and Bryan Mann completed the top four, all three less than one tenth of a second slower than Oldfield, while James McFadden completed the fastest five. Scheuerle beat Titman by just five thousandths of a second, while further back in the field Mitchell Gee was just a tiny three thousandths of a second quicker than Andrew Wright. In fact, in a field of twenty-seven cars, the top twenty-six were separated by just 1.003 seconds – it does not get any closer than that!

Heat one started with James Grady from pole position with Jason Pryde alongside, while Dave Whell and Richard Morgan filled the second row. Grady and Pryde raced side-by-side into turn one, with Grady just managing to get his nose in front. There was slight contact between the pair as they entered the corner but it was Grady who emerged in front and settled into the race lead. Pryde challenged for position as they raced through turn two but Grady was smooth in the race lead and maintained control of the race. Further back in the field Morgan had settled into third ahead of Whell, but behind them the battle was really starting to heat up as Callum Walker and Luke Oldfield tried to make their way to the front. Oldfield had already raced under both Bryan Mann and Andrew Wright in the first couple of corners of the race and had his sights set firmly on Callum Walker and Daniel Harding in front. Walker was looking for a way under Harding as they rounded turn three, with Oldfield joining the pair on the inside as they headed three-wide through turn four. Harding came out in front but just half a lap later Walker slid beautifully underneath the W12 racer in turn two to steal the position. Harding however slid straight back through before the lap was completed, with Oldfield getting under Walker a few moments later when Walker ran a fraction too wide in turn two. Walker set about defending his position from Bryan Mann, while Oldfield searched to find a way past Harding, eventually getting the job done on the bottom and setting his sights on Whell. Oldfield spent several laps, searching high and low for a way through, all the while Harding, and Walker, closed in. Oldfield eventually found a way through on the low side of Whell as they raced down the back straight, with Harding also getting through when Whell got a little too high. Whell then found himself under enormous pressure from Walker, the young racer having a brief look on the bottom before deciding the top side was going to be his best bet. Walker seemingly effortlessly changed lines and raced around Whell, pulling ahead a little before the chequered flag fell. Oldfield was all over the back of Morgan but there was no stopping James Grady out in front as he went on to take the win. Jason Pryde ran a solid race to cross the line in second while Richard Morgan held off a very hard charging Luke Oldfield to finish third. Oldfield crossed the line in fourth and led Daniel Harding, Callum Walker, Dave Whell, Bryan Mann and Andrew Wright across the line.

Clem Hoffmans started heat two from pole position with Jake Tranter alongside and Steve Greer and Ben Hilder right on their tail tanks. Hoffmans got a great start but it was Tranter on the high side who managed to secure the lead by the time the leading duo reached turn one, with Hoffmans settling into a comfortable second ahead of Ben Hilder and Darren Jensen. Hilder and Jensen were all over the back of Hoffmans, while Jensen tried to run underneath Hilder as they both searched for a way past Hoffmans in turn three. Brent Kratzmann got a great start in the immaculately presented Q2 racer, and, with Brooke Tatnell right on his tail, raced under both James McFadden and Steve Greer in the opening corner. Tatnell was quick to follow him through on the low side, with McFadden the next to move ahead of Greer. Tatnell, with McFadden on his tail, tried to run underneath Kratzmann in turn three, clashing wheels with the Q2 racer as they negotiated over track position. Kratzmann came out in front, while McFadden searched for a way under Tatnell, and Hilder put all kinds of pressure on Hoffmans. Hilder got a little too sideways in turn four and washed off some speed, slowing Jensen down a little, while Kratzmann also got a fraction too sideways behind them before colliding hard with the tyre on the inside edge of the racetrack and ripping the front end from the Q2 racer. While Kratzmann was not injured the damage to the front end of his car was enough to bring a very premature and disappointing end to his night of competition. Tranter led the restart from Hoffmans, Hilder and Jensen with eight laps left to run. Tranter immediately began opening a sizable lead over the rest of the field, extending his margin with each passing lap, while Andrew Scheuerle started trying to climb his way closer to the front, racing underneath Tatnell as they rounded turn one shortly after the race resumed. Scheuerle set about closing the gap to McFadden, who was trying to find a way around Jensen, while Jensen tried to get close enough to Hilder to make a move. In the end though it was Jake Tranter who took the win, with an impressive margin of 5.010 seconds, or almost half a lap, with Clem Hoffmans doing a beautiful job to cross the line in second. Ben Hilder was third past the chequered flag, with Darren Jensen, James McFadden, Andrew Scheuerle, Brooke Tatnell and Steve Greer rounding out the finishers. Brent Kratzmann did not finish the race.

Heat three started with Kristy Bonsey and Simon Jupe sharing the front row and leading the field to the green. Bonsey got a brilliant start on the low side and quickly raced ahead of Jupe to secure the lead before the pair entered turn one. Jupe settled into second but had both Jayden Peacock and Allan Woods right on his tail, with Woods working the high line beautifully as the trio raced down the back straight. Woods made his way around Peacock, but Peacock was quick to fire back and regained his position moments later, while Peter Lack closed in on the pair. Kevin Titman was all over the back of Mitchell Gee, the pair putting on a brilliant show for the fans, while, Jamie Veal and Paul Rooks battled at the rear of the field. Lack was smooth and consistent, working the low line to close the gap to Woods before racing almost effortlessly underneath Woods as the rounded turn four just a few laps from home. Woods soon came under fire from Gee, but a small error from Gee in turn two gave Titman all the invitation he needed to slip through on the bottom. There was however no stopping Kristy Bonsey out in front as she skilfully piloted the Q42 racer to her first heat race win in the 410ci Sprintcar division, a remarkable feat amongst some very tough competition and a moment she will not soon forget. It was a faultless run for Bonsey as she turned a series of smooth laps to take the win almost a second ahead of second placed Simon Jupe. Jupe, who has only raced a Sprintcar at Archerfield a handful of times, had a solid run to finish second and led Jayden Peacock, Peter Lack, Allan Woods, Kevin Titman, Mitchell Gee, Jamie Veal and Paul Rooks across the line.

Heat four rolled out onto the track with Western Australia based Jason Pryde from pole position. Joining him on the front row was Clem Hoffmans, with Richard Morgan and Steve Greer out of row two. Hoffmans was simply magnificent on the high side when the green flag flew and immediately secured the race lead as the field raced towards the first corner. Pryde settled into second but was under fire from Richard Morgan, while deep in the field Tatnell switched from the high side to the bottom, cutting in front of Luke Oldfield and Bryan Mann in turn one, before making contact with Steve Greer as he tried to race under the Q84 racer in turn two. As both Greer and Tatnell slowed a little, Mann climbed over the left rear of Tatnell, which allowed Oldfield to slip through on the inside. Oldfield set his sights on Greer, while closer to the front of the field Morgan found a way past Pryde as Andrew Wright closed in and joined the battle for the minor places. Wright raced under Pryde as they made their way down the back straight, with Tatnell now on the back of Pryde and Oldfield closing in fast. Oldfield took to the high line as he searched for a way around Tatnell and Pryde, but when Tatnell raced under Pryde through turn four, Oldfield was quick to switch lines and slip under Pryde as they rounded turn one. Tatnell was next in line and it took Oldfield less than half a lap to get the job done and turn his attention to Wright. Oldfield had the Q17 racer on rails and once he had made his way past Wright, Morgan was next and after just a couple of laps Oldfield had caught, and passed, the Q54 racer and set his sights on Hoffmans in the race lead. With just three quarters of a lap left to run Oldfield searched high and low as he tried to find a way to steal the lead, but Hoffmans refused to surrender control of the race. Coming out of the final corner Oldfield had one last lunge on the bottom of the track, racing wheel-to-wheel with Hoffmans as they greeted the chequered flag in a thrilling end to heat four. Clem Hoffmans just managed to hang on to take the win, beating Luke Oldfield to line by just 0.049 seconds. Oldfield of course finished second and led Richard Morgan, Brooke Tatnell, Andrew Wright, Jason Pryde, Bryan Mann and Steve Greer across the line.

Simon Jupe and James Grady led the field to the green in heat five, with Jupe getting a brilliant start and quickly taking control of the race. Allan Woods quickly dove underneath Grady to secure second, while Callum Walker followed in turn two to move into third. Jamie Veal and Daniel Harding both managed to move forward in the opening lap while Andrew Scheuerle and Dave Whell both moved past James Grady, with Scheuerle also looking to find a way underneath the Q9 car of Whell. Harding and Scheuerle were slowly closing in on Veal, who was trying to find a way past Woods, and while Scheuerle had several big looks underneath Harding, he could not quite get the job done. Veal took to the high side to try and find a way around Woods but to no avail, with Woods running a truly spectacular and consistent race to hold the V35 racer at bay. Simon Jupe went on to take the win quite comfortably over Callum Walker and Allan Woods, with Jamie Veal, Daniel Harding, Andrew Scheuerle, Dave Whell, James Grady and Paul Rooks rounding out the finishers.

The sixth and final heat event saw Jake Tranter and Kristy Bonsey, who both won their earlier heat events, share the front row and lead the field to the green. Tranter pulled off an impressive wheel stand down the main straight as the green flag flew but still managed to secure the race lead, while Ben Hilder raced underneath Bonsey in the first corner of the race to secure second. Bonsey was left to try and defend her position from Darren Jensen, Jayden Peacock and Peter Lack who were all looking for a way through, as James McFadden and Mitchell Gee raced wheel-to-wheel behind them. Jensen managed to race under Bonsey as they navigated turn three, while Peacock and Lack also had a look, with McFadden on the inside as well. Bonsey exited turn four ahead of Lack, McFadden and Peacock but soon faded to the rear of the field while Lack put all kinds of pressure on the back of Jensen. Within just a few laps McFadden, who had been biding his time, made his move and swiftly swept under Lack as they rounded turn four. Lack tried to fight back but just could not find a way through, when Jayden Peacock had a spin in turn four and brought the race under caution. Jake Tranter led the restart from Ben Hilder and Darren Jensen, and once the lights went green to get the race back underway, McFadden was quick to move on Jensen, racing under the Q75 in turn two. Peter Lack tried to follow him through but got too sideways in turn three and spun the Q5 racer to a stop. Unfortunately this left Kevin Titman nowhere to go, and while Titman tried to spin his own car to lessen the impact, contact was unavoidable. Lack restarted at the rear of the field while Titman was relegated to the infield after officials gave him the mechanical defect flag for a flat right front tyre. Tranter again led the restart from Hilder and Jensen with five laps left to run, and McFadden immediately got to work as he searched for a way past Jensen. It took less than a lap for McFadden to find the right way through and begin to chase down Hilder, while Jensen soon found Mitchell Gee right on his tail. Jake Tranter went on to take the win, his second for the night, with Ben Hilder home in second and James McFadden rounding out the top three. Darren Jensen was fourth across the line and led Mitchell Gee, Jayden Peacock, Peter Lack and Kristy Bonsey home. Kevin Titman did not finish the event.

The Bronze Shootout rolled onto the track with Darren Jensen, Brooke Tatnell, Kevin Titman and Mitchell Gee set to battle it out for just two places in the Silver Shootout. Brooke Tatnell went quick time in the Bronze Shootout, but local young gun Mitchell Gee was just two thousandths of a second behind. They both advanced to the Silver Shootout while Kevin Titman and Darren Jensen would share the eighth row for the start of the A-Main event.

Andrew Scheuerle and Daniel Harding joined Brooke Tatnell and Mitchell Gee on track for the Silver Shootout, again with only the fastest two to transfer to the next event. It was another close battle but this time it was Western Australian based Daniel Harding who clocked the fastest time, with Brooke Tatnell just managing to secure a transfer to the Gold Shootout event. Mitchell Gee and Andrew Scheuerle would start the A-Main event from positions five and six respectively.

For the Gold Shootout, which would determine the top four starting positions for the upcoming feature event, Luke Oldfield and James McFadden, the highest two points scorers for the night, would join Daniel Harding and Brook Tatnell on track for three qualifying laps. Tatnell again secured quick time, and secured himself pole position for the main race, but Daniel Harding went second quick to lock himself into the outside of the front row for the start of the A-Main, having recorded a time just seven thousandths of a second slower than Tatnell. Luke Oldfield and James McFadden would share the second row for the start of the feature after finishing third and fourth respectively in the Gold Shootout.

However, before the main event could get underway there was the last-chance B-Main to be run over twelve gruelling laps, with just the top six finishers to transfer to the A-Main race. Eleven cars lined up for the start of the event, with Peter Lack elevated to pole position in the absence of Paul Rooks, who had suffered engine dramas and withdrawn from the event. Alongside Lack was Allan Woods, and behind them a tough field all eager to secure a transfer position. Woods, who almost missed the start of the race, got the jump on the first start and settled into the race lead, only officials deemed him to have jumped the start and brought the race under caution. Unfortunately for Lack he spun in turn three as the field was slowing down and as he required another push start, he was relegated to the very back of the field. This left Clem Hoffmans from pole position alongside Woods, with Lack now at the rear of field, where he joined Bryan Mann in somewhat unfamiliar territory for the pair so used to running at the front of the A-Main. Mann had suffered a 25-point penalty for being late to drivers briefing earlier in the night, and despite some strong heat performances, could not make up the points deficit during the heat events. Clem Hoffmans got the jump second time around and settled quickly into the race lead, leaving Woods to try and defend his position from a hard charging Andrew Wright. Wright took to the high side as he searched for a way past Woods, but Woods was focussed on Hoffmans and finding his way underneath the Q3 racer and taking control of the race. The race was barely half a lap old when Woods raced under Hoffmans to steal the lead, while further back in the field Jayden Peacock was having a brilliant run as he raced around the outside of Dave Whell and then Jason Pryde before turning his attention to Wright and eyeing off a top three position. Bryan Mann and Peter Lack began the hard work of trying to weave their way through the B-Main mid-field, with Lack clipping the wall coming out of turn two as he tried for a bold and spectacular pass on the outside of Steve Greer. Mann was committed to the high side as he raced on the tail of Whell and Pryde, eventually running around the outside of Whell just as Lack slid underneath. Mann was on a mission on the top-side, racing around Pryde and then Hoffmans as he edged ever closer to the front of the field. James Grady brought the race to a stop when he had a spin in turn four with six laps to go, officials relegating Grady to the infield for the conclusion of the race with a mechanical defect. Wright led the restart from Woods and Peacock, with Pryde and Lack both quickly finding their way past Hoffmans, leaving Hoffmans to battle with Greer, the pair exchanging positions several times as the laps wore on. Unfortunately Greer got into the back of Hoffmans in turn three with just two laps to go, causing both cars to stop and bringing the race under caution. Hoffmans was unable to restart the event while Greer restarted at the rear for the two lap dash to the chequered flag. Andrew Wright went on to take the win with Allan Woods in second and Jayden Peacock completing the top three. Bryan Mann, Peter Lack and Jason Pryde all managed to secure transfers to the A-Main race, while Dave Whell, Kristy Bonsey and Steve Greer rounded out the finishers. Clem Hoffmans and James Grady both failed to finish the event.

Twenty Cars lined up for the start of the thirty-lap A-Main event with Brooke Tatnell from pole position and Daniel Harding alongside. Tatnell secured the lead when the lights went green, however chaos unfolded through the rest of the field. The race was brought under caution and Andrew Wright slowed to a stop high on the track in turn two. Unfortunately for Wright he was unable to restart the event. A full restart followed with Tatnell again getting the better start and securing the lead ahead of Harding and Luke Oldfield, while mid-field Darren Jensen and Callum Walker stuck to the high side, and Ben Hilder raced underneath Kevin Titman. Jamie Veal was on the move, having started all the way back in thirteenth, and made short work of getting past both Walker and Jake Tranter in one seemingly effortless move as they raced down the main straight just a few laps into the race. Richard Morgan was beginning to climb his way closer to the front of the field while Jayden Peacock was making impressive progress in the Q77racer. Peacock made his way past Morgan, and soon joined the thrilling battle between Walker and Tranter, and while Tranter managed to open a small margin over Walker and Peacock, it was hard not to watch the battle between two of the young guns of Sprintcars Queensland as the battle between Walker and Peacock intensified. The pair exchanged positions back and forth, switching lines and putting their cars wherever they needed to get the job done. The battle was clean, with both drivers giving the other just enough racing room, and thrilling the crowd as they put on a truly captivating show that showed off the incredible talent we have in the younger generations, and make us all excited to see just how far these future stars can go. The pair soon caught the tail of Tranter once again, who lost ground after a massive, crowd-pleasing wheel stand down the back straight, to make an already exhilarating race even more exciting. Elsewhere Kevin Titman was working the high side brilliantly as he battled with Mitchell Gee, but not to be outdone Luke Oldfield had not only moved into second and chased down race leader Tatnell, he used lapped traffic, which the leaders encountered only half a dozen laps into the race, to his advantage and ran around the outside of the W2 racer to steal the lead in spectacular fashion. Tatnell obviously fought back hard, but Oldfield had a firm grasp on the race lead. Tatnell was relentless in his pursuit of the race lead and had several big looks at a way past Oldfield when the opportunity presented itself in lapped traffic, but as Tatnell stuck to the high line and looked for a way around Oldfield on the bottom, disaster struck. Simon Jupe, who was about to go a lap down, slammed the back straight wall before bouncing down track. Jupe ended up stopped and facing the oncoming field just a couple of car lengths in front of the leaders, with several other lapped cars sharing the same part of the track. Bryan Mann, also about to go a lap down, had no time to react and collided hard with the stranded Jupe, his right rear climbing over the right rear of the Q49 racer of Jupe. Mann was exceptionally lucky not to roll, and while Oldfield had been running the bottom and was able to avoid the chaos unfolding in front of him, Tatnell on the high side had nowhere to go and no time to react. The impact was almost head on and at high speed, with Tatnell then making heavy contact with the wall as well. Mann, Jupe and Tatnell we all unable to restart the event, all three cars suffering significant damage and while all three drivers thankfully walked away from the wreck, Jupe was somewhat winded and limped off the track, his knees having taken a rather hard hit.

With twelve laps left to run Luke Oldfield led the restart from James McFadden and Daniel Harding, but it was the mid-field pack that had the crowd captivated. Andrew Scheuerle and Mitchell Gee had a great battle over the minor places, while Jamie Veal came on particularly strong in the closing third of the race. Peter Lack skilfully weaved his way through the battle between Callum Waker and Jayden Peacock, as he edged ever closer to the front of the field, before leaving Walker and Peacock to resume the thrilling battle that they both seemed to be thoroughly enjoying. Luke Oldfield went on to take the win ahead of James McFadden and Daniel Harding, with Andrew Scheuerle and Jamie Veal completing the top five. Unfortunately though, Veal failed to go to the scales after the conclusion of the race and was disqualified from the event. Mitchell Gee was next across the line ahead of Kevin Titman, Darren Jensen, Jake Tranter, Peter Lack, Ben Hilder, Jayden Peacock, Callum Walker, Richard Morgan, Jason Pryde and Allan Woods. Brooke Tatnell, Bryan Mann, Simon Jupe and Andrew Wright all failed to finish the event.

Sprintcars Queensland, and World Series Sprintcars, return to Hi-Tec Oils Speedway in Toowoomba next Saturday night, 03 December 2016 for another thrilling night of Sprintcar Racing action. Can anyone stop Luke Oldfield from getting back-to-back WSS round wins? Can Andrew Scheuerle or Peter Lack get a win on home soil? Will Brent Kratzmann finally have a change in luck? And will it be a Queenslander that gets the win? We have such a depth of talent, youth and experience here in Queensland and the drivers all proved once again last night just how tough the Queensland competition can be. It will be a night of Sprintcar racing to not be missed so make sure you get yourself trackside at Hi-Tec Oils Speedway in Toowoomba next Saturday night to see all the racing action for yourself. Or tune in to clayperview.com to live stream the event if you can’t make it trackside.