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Kicking Up The Dirt - ECL Track Championship - Round Seven
Joanne White posted Saturday December 31, 2016.

The last race meeting for 2016 sure was a big one at AusDeck Patios Archerfield Speedway last night. Thirty-two cars turned up to put on a show and they didn't disappoint. There were plenty of thrills and spills, with plenty of drivers getting up-side-down, but it was Donny Schatz who stole the show, inverting the top thirteen starters for the A-Main event and then taking the lead in the main race after just sixteen laps. Hard-charging locals Luke Oldfield and Peter Lack joined Schatz on the podium, while Logan Schuchart and David Murcott rounded out the top five.

Qualifying got underway and with very different track conditions to that of Boxing night just a few short days ago, the qualifying results proved vastly different. Kevin Titman topped the qualifying order, stopping the clock at a quick 11.851 seconds, just 0.057 seconds ahead of Bryan Mann. Mann was second fastest around the tight Archerfield Speedway circuit with Luke Oldfield also breaking into the 11-second bracket with a 11.985 second lap to secure third. With the top three qualifying spots filled by locals, Donny Schatz stepped into fourth, a vast improvement on his 23rd from Boxing night, while last start winner Mitchell Gee rounded out the fastest five. The top twenty-seven cars were separated by just 0.997 seconds, a remarkable feat from all involved. Unfortunately Tim Ford had ongoing issues in the Q70 racer and did not record a time, while Lucas Wolfe, in his Australian Summer debut, suffered mechanical issues in the Ayers Family owned USA1z racer and completed his qualifying out of order. This meant Wolfe could not qualify any better than fifteenth, but stopped the clock at 12.313 seconds and slotted perfectly into fifteenth position.

Heat one started with Brock Dean and Anthony Lambert from the front row and while Dean got the jump on the start, Lambert challenged hard on the high side as they rounded turns one and two. Dean managed to take control of the race and led the field down the back straight, while Peter Lack secured his position ahead of Dan Murray and set his sights on Lambert, and Andrew Scheuerle raced under Brent Kratzmann in turn two. Scheuerle set his sights on Callum Walker, making his move at the end of the first lap, with Kratzmann following him under Walker as they raced down the back straight. Kevin Titman was quick to follow Kratzmann on the bottom while Scheuerle and Kratzmann put on a breath-taking show as they made their way under Murray and set out after Lambert. Lambert had a moment in turn four, loosing several positions as he straightened the car, while Lack was relentless as he closed in on race leader Dean. Lack committed to the high line as he tried to find a way around Dean, the pair running two abreast for a couple of laps while they argued over the lead. Lack eventually managed to move ahead of Dean and once in front he started to open quite a comfortable lead. Peter Lack went on to take the win ahead of Andrew Scheuerle and Brock Dean, with Brent Kratzmann crossing the line in fourth and leading Dan Murray, Kevin Titman, Callum Walker, Kevin Britten, Anthony Lambert, Mitch Gowland and Andrew Corbet across the line.

Sean Richards, joining us from New South Wales, started heat two from pole position alongside Mark Pholi. Contact between the pair as they entered turn one launched Pholi into a frightening flip, and as the chaos unfolded behind him as the rest of the field tried to take evasive action, Mitchell Gee got into Bryan Mann, with Gee also rolling end-to-end into turn one. Both Gee and Pholi were, fortunately, able to walk away from the wrecks but would take no further part in the race, while Bryan Mann restarted with damage to his main wing. A full race restart followed with Ben Hilder now from the front row in place of Pholi and alongside Richards. Hilder got the jump second time around and quickly secured the lead while Richards settled into second ahead of Brett Minett. Scott Doyle however was simply brilliant on the top side, racing around Minett and Richards by the time they exited turn two, and while Doyle got a little too crossed up exiting the corner, the field behind him were too caught up on their own battle to be able to capitalise on the mistake. Minett raced up the inside of Richards, while Lachlan McHugh had a look on the inside of Minett, the trio going three-wide through the corner. Minett emerged in front with McHugh next in line, and while McHugh had another look on the inside of Minett half a lap later, Minett slid beautifully back underneath Doyle to regain second. McHugh spent the next three quarters of a lap looking for a way past Doyle, eventually getting under the #43 racer in turn two, and leaving Doyle to defend his position from Bryan Mann who was coming on strong after finding a way past Richards. Mann, despite the damage to his wing, put all kinds of pressure on Doyle, with Richards occasionally having a look at joining the battle as well, but there was no stopping Ben Hidler out in front as he successfully navigated lapped traffic and went on to take the win. Brett Minett finished a strong second with Lachlan McHugh officially third. Scott Doyle managed to hang on to finish fourth and led Bryan Mann, Sean Richards (who got into the left rear of Mann after the race concluded and spun the N51 to a stop in turn two), Anthony Vanderreyden and Kristy Bonsey home. Mitchell Gee and Mark Pholi did not finish the race, and while Gee and his Titan Garages team tried to make it back trackside for the B-Main event later in the evening, it didn't quite eventuate. Pholi's car suffered significant damage and his night was unfortunately very prematurely over.

Heat three started with Dave Whell from pole position with Dylan Menz alongside and David Murcott out of position three in the absence of Paul Rooks, who withdrew from the event with steering box issues. Whell got the jump on the start and quickly settled into the lead while Murcott almost effortlessly slipped straight into second. Donny Schatz swiftly followed on the low line, sweeping under Lucas Wolfe and Dylan Menz to move into third with barely half a lap completed. Murcott had a big look underneath Whell in turns three and four but couldn't quite get the job done while further back in the field Logan Schuchart and Luke Oldfield had raced underneath Lucas Wolfe. Wolfe made a small mistake coming out turn four as he tried to race under Oldfield, the pair making contact and slowing just enough to leave Sean Iacono nowhere to go. Iacono clipped the Q17 racer of Oldfield and inverted the immaculately presented #21 car down the main straight. Iacono walked away from the wreck but was unable to restart the event. Whell led the restart from Murcott and Schatz with nine laps still to run. Murcott was all over the back of Whell, before executing a beautiful slide job to steal the lead as they rounded turn three, leaving Whell to try and defend his position from a hard charging Schatz. It took Schatz just one lap to find a way around Whell, using the high side to get the job done, and setting out after Murcott, while Logan Schuchart set about finding his own way past Whell. Further back in the field Oldfield found his way in front of Wolfe and Menz, with Wolfe soon closing in on Menz as well. Schuchart was all over the back of Whell, with Oldfield closing in fast and the laps ticking away, and while it took over a lap of the pair racing two-wide, Schuchart finally managed to emerge in front as the white flag flew. Oldfield was next in line and while he worked the top side trying to find a way around Whell, a last corner switch to the bottom saw the pair cross the line side-by-side, with Whell managing to hang on by just five thousandths of a second. David Murcott took the win ahead of Donny Schatz and Logan Schuchart with David Whell and Luke Oldfield rounding out the top five. Lucas Wolfe crossed the line in sixth and led Dylan Menz and Andrew Liebke past the chequered flag. Sean Iacono did not finish the race.

Kristy Bonsey started heat four from pole position and when the green flag flew she quickly secured the lead over fellow front row starter Dylan Menz. Bonsey settled into the race lead while Ben Hilder tried to race up the inside of Brock Dean, and Brent Kratzmann attempted to run around the outside of Brett Minett. Kratzmann tagged the wall coming out of turn two and almost brought Minett undone as he straightened the Q2 racer down the back straight, while David Murcott managed to capitalise on the situation and used the bottom perfectly to move ahead of both Minett and Kratzmann and begin challenging Dean for track position. Donny Schatz also made the most of the chaos in front of him, following Murcott through on the low side before slipping under Murcott a lap later. Schatz and Murcott were both all over the tail of Dean, the trio putting on a magnificent show for the fans, with all three soon making it past Dylan Menz. Unfortunately for Murcott, Schatz got too loose coming out of turn four and left the former Australian Champion nowhere to go. Contact between the pair upended Murcott and while he was uninjured, he was unable to restart the event. Schatz was relegated to the rear of the field for the restart with seven laps left to run. Kristy Bonsey led the restart from Ben Hilder and Brock Dean with Dylan Menz next ahead of Brent Kratzmann. Kratzmann was all over the back of Menz on the start and within half a lap had slipped through on the bottom to move into fourth, but all eyes were on Schatz as he began making his way through the field. In just a lap and a half he raced around the outside of Andrew Liebke, Brett Minett and Dylan Menz before spending a couple of laps chasing down Kratzmann. At the front of the field Hilder was putting all kinds of pressure on Bonsey, but Bonsey held her own and drove a magnificent race, holding Hilder off for more than half the race. Hilder soon raced up the inside of the Q42 racer to steal the lead, but was only able to enjoy the clean air in front of him for a couple laps before Schatz took control of the race. Donny Schatz raced under Hilder with just three quarters of a lap left to run, stealing the lead and taking the win after an impressive drive from the rear of the field. Ben Hidler crossed the line in second ahead of Kristy Bonsey, with Brock Dean, Brent Kratzmann, Dylan Menz, Brett Minett and Andrew Liebke rounding out the finishers. David Murcott did not finish the race.

Heat five was an action-packed affair and while Kevin Britten and Sean Richards shared the front row for the start, it was the action behind them, on the first attempted start, that brought the race to a stop. Britten got the jump on the start and quickly secured the lead, while Dave Whell tried to run the low side to move into second. Whell ran under Richards, but Lachlan McHugh ran underneath Whell as they came out of turn two and raced down the back straight but the race was soon brought to a stop when Scott Doyle got too side-ways coming out of turn four, lifting the front wheels of the Q43 racer of the ground and leaving a luckless Kevin Titman nowhere to go. Contact between the pair ended with Doyle rolling end-to-end onto the main straight, while Titman was left stranded on the track facing the oncoming traffic. Quick reflexes by Mitch Gowland avoided any further disaster and while Doyle was out for the rest of the night, Titman managed to restart at the rear. Britten led the restart from McHugh and Whell but the race had barely resumed when Sean Richards and Luke Oldfield came together in turn one as Oldfield tried to slip by on the inside of the N51 racer. Both cars restarted the race from the rear of the field as Britten, McHugh and Whell once again led the field to the green. At the rear of the field Oldfield made his way past Richards while Titman searched the top side for a way past Anthony Vanderreyden. Oldfield pulled out of the race with a flat right rear tyre just as Callum Walker backed the Q33 racer into the fence in turn one. Unfortunately for Titman he once again had nowhere to go and while he tried to slow and spin the Q59 racer to avoid the stranded car of Walker, contact proved inevitable. Walker and Titman restarted at the rear once more, but race leader Kevin Britten pulled out of the event before the race resumed, leaving McHugh to lead them to the green. A determined Kevin Titman was once again trying to fight his way forward from the back of the field and was attempting an inside passing move on Richards through turn four, when Richards spun the N51 racer. Titman was able to narrowly avoid becoming involved but Walker was this time left with nowhere to go, colliding with Richards and ending both their races. McHugh led the field of five remaining cars to the green and while he was never challenged for the lead, Kevin Titman maintained his determination from the rear of the field and after finding his way around Vanderreyden, set about closing in on Mitch Gowland. Lachlan McHugh took the win ahead of Dave Whell and Mitch Gowland with Kevin Titman and Anthony Vanderreyden the only other finishers. Sean Richards, Callum Walker, Kevin Britten, Luke Oldfield and Scott Doyle all failed to finish the event.

Dan Murray inherited pole position for the start of heat six with Paul Rooks out of proceedings, with Anthony Lambert sharing the front row. Murray got the jump on the start and quickly settled into the race lead, while Peter Lack quickly raced under Lambert to secure second. Andrew Scheuerle didn't hesitate in following Lack past Lambert on the bottom, while Logan Schuchart raced underneath fellow American Lucas Wolfe. Unfortunately with less than a lap complete Lambert spun on the entry to turn four, leaving Schuchart, Wolfe and Bryan Mann little room to move. Mann ended up stopped on the track on the exit of the turn and was restarted at the rear of the field, with Lambert being sent to rear as primary cause. Lucas Wolfe was promoted the front row for the restart, alongside Dan Murray, with Murray again getting a brilliant start and quickly securing the lead. Wolfe got a much better start this time around and settled comfortably into second while Schuchart tried to hold off a hard-charging Peter Lack. Lack soon found himself under pressure from Andrew Scheuerle but quickly managed to get ahead of Logan Schuchart and set his sights on Wolfe amidst the lapped traffic. Wolfe ran the high line searching for a way around the lapped car of Sean Iacono, while Lack took to the bottom, only to make contact with Iacono and loose a little ground on Wolfe. Dan Murray took the win ahead of Lucas Wolfe and Peter Lack with Logan Schuchart, Andrew Scheuerle, Bryan Mann, Andrew Corbet, Anthony Lambert and Sean Iacono rounding out the finishers.

The top eight Dash event saw Kevin Titman and Bryan Mann share the front row for the start, with Titman getting a brilliant start and quickly racing into the lead. Donny Schatz was quick to move under Mann to steal second and immediately put the challenge to Titman for control of the race. Titman was magnificent on the high side and managed to hang on to the lead, while Schatz was patient as he searched for the right moment to make his move. Lachlan McHugh was trying to run the top side around Ben Hilder and Logan Schuchart when Bryan Mann had an uncharacteristic spin coming out of turn four and brought the race under caution. Titman led the restart from Schatz and Schuchart and while Titman drove a great race he ran a fraction too wide in turn three and allowed Schatz to slip through. Titman ran a comfortable second ahead of Schuchart but the real battle was that between Ben Hilder, Lachlan McHugh and Brent Kratzmann as they raced for mid-field positions. McHugh eventually ran around the outside of Hilder, and while Hilder tried to fight back on the bottom, he was soon forced on the defensive as Kratzmann tried to make his way through. Donny Schatz went on to take the win while Kevin Titman managed to hold off a last lap charge by Logan Schuchart to cross the line in second, less than one hundredth of a second ahead of Schuchart in third. Lachlan McHugh finished fourth and led Ben Hilder, Brent Kratzmann, Andrew Scheuerle and Bryan Mann across the line. Donny Schatz accepted the Kratzmann Challenge, much to the delight of the large Archerfield Speedway crowd, thus inverting the top thirteen starters for the A-Main event. (Scott Doyle was scheduled to be the fourteenth starter in the event and would have started off pole but his earlier crash during the heats left him unable to start the event. The top thirteen starters would be in inverted for the A-Main race, with the top five finishers from the B-Main making up the rest of the field).

Fourteen cars lined up for the start of the fifteen lap B-Main event, with Brett Minett and Dave Whell from the front row and only the top five finishers to transfer to the back of the A-Main field. Mitchell Gee and his team tried valiantly to make the start of the race but simply ran out of time, the race starting without him. Minett and Whell raced wheel-to-wheel into the first corner but it was Whell who emerged in front and took control of the race. An incident that started with Anthony Vanderreyden and Andrew Liebke ended with Kevin Britten up-side-down in turn two and brought the race to a stop. Britten was unscathed in the crash but was unable to restart the event. Second time around it was Minett who got the better start and quickly secured the lead while Whell instantly came under fire from Brock Dean. Dean stole second by the end of the first lap, setting his sights on Minett while Dylan Menz ran the high side to get around Dave Whell. Anthony Vanderreyden and Andrew Liebke also favoured the top side, while at the front of the field Dean had relieved Minett of the race lead, leaving Minett to try and defend his position from both Dylan Menz and Dave Whell. Minett ran mid-track while Whell attacked on the bottom but it was Menz on the high side who captivated everyone’s attention. Menz was truly spectacular as he raced around both Minett and Whell, the trio three wide in turn three, to move into second, with Whell and Callum Walker then both getting under Minett through turn four. Minett took to the top to try and fight for his position, gaining a small advantage over Walker and challenging Whell for position. Behind them Vanderryeden got too high in turn two, flipping the ACT72 racer out of the race, and leaving Andrew Liebke nowhere to go. Liebke restarted at the rear of the field as Dean led the restart from Menz and Minett. Minett made a mistake coming out of turn two, clipping the wall along the back straight, and faded through the field, while Callum Walker raced up the inside of Dylan Menz, and Anthony Lambert began to close in. Brock Dean took the win ahead of Dave Whell, with Callum Walker, Anthony Lambert and Dylan Menz all securing transfers to the A-Main race. Kristy Bonsey crossed the line in sixth and led Sean Iacono, Sean Richards, Andrew Liebke, Mitch Gowland and Andrew Corbet across the line. Brett Minett, Anthony Vanderreyden, Kevin Britten and Mitchell Gee all failed to finish the event.

The A-Main rolled onto the track with eighteen starters and Dan Murray and Lucas Wolfe to lead them to the green. Murray got a brilliant start and quickly secured the lead in advance of Wolfe while David Murcott and Luke Oldfield argued over third. Murcott soon won that battle, while Bryan Mann and Peter Lack battled behind them and Brent Kratzmann and Andrew Scheuerle started what would turn into an epic battle as the race wore on. Lachlan McHugh took to the high side trying to find a way around Kratzmann and Scheuerle, eventually getting past Kratzmann and setting his sights on Scheuerle, just as Logan Schuchart and Donny Schatz started working their way through the field. McHugh soon slid underneath Scheuerle, with Schuchart quick to follow less than half a lap later. Schatz didn't hesitate and within a half a lap had not only raced under Scheuerle, but had worked the bottom as he looked for a way past both Schuchart and McHugh. Schuchart moved down track to try and race under McHugh through turn four, with Schatz quickly slipping through on the bottom, the trio in a spectacular three-wide battle through the corner. Schatz emerged in front, with only a very narrow advantage over Schuchart, but quickly started pulling away. It took Schatz just ten laps to make his way into fifth, weaving his way past the intense battle between Peter Lack and Bryan Mann and making it look all too easy. Luke Oldfield, with Schatz now on his tail, raced his way around Wolfe and into third, with Schatz in hot pursuit and slipping underneath Wolfe just half a lap later, all the while Murcott closed in on race leader Murray. Murcott raced his way past Murray and took control of the race, oblivious to what was happening behind him. Oldfield caught Murray and started looking for a way around the outside, while Schatz simply raced straight between the pair and they rounded turn three. Just a couple of laps later Callum Walker spun the Q33 racer to a stop in turn four, bringing the race under caution.

David Murcott led the restart from Donny Schatz and Luke Oldfield, with just fifteen laps completed and twenty-five laps left to run. It took Schatz less than a lap to steal the lead from Murcott, but it was the mid-field action that was demanding attention. Lachlan McHugh tried to race underneath Bryan Mann, while Mann fought back on the topside to regain his position. Andrew Scheuerle looked for a way under Logan Schuchart and Lucas Wolfe, only for Schuchart to race straight between Scheuerle and Wolfe to gain the advantage coming out of turn four. Bryan Mann was searching the high side for a way around Andrew Scheuerle, while Brent Kratzmann was having a brilliant run on the bottom to move back in front of Lachlan McHugh. Kratzmann then raced under Mann, as McHugh went around the outside, with Scheuerle soon getting past Wolfe, only to be immediately forced on the defensive as a hard charging and determined Kratzmann challenged him for position. Kratzmann had a massive look on the inside of Scheuerle through three but couldn't quite get the job done, opening the door for Wolfe to slip back through and leaving Kratzmann to battle with Lachlan McHugh. Kratzmann raced back up the inside of Wolfe coming out of turn two, with McHugh a little too close on his tail. McHugh climbed his right front wheel over the left rear of Kratzmann, spinning a luckless Kratzmann around and leaving the equally luckless pair of Bryan Mann and Kevin Titman with nowhere to go. Mann made heavy contact with Kratzmann before Titman joined the chaos. Both Mann and Titman ended up on their sides, and while none of the drivers were hurt, Kratzmann, Mann and Titman were all unable to restart the event.

Donny Schatz led the restart from David Murcott and Luke Oldfield, with time restrictions causing the race to be shortened by five laps, leaving fifteen laps on the board. Ben Hilder suffered front-end dramas on the start and while he tried to stay out of the way and limp the car from the track, the race was forced back under caution. Officials penalised David Murcott two positions for hitting the cone on the previous start, leaving Schatz to lead the final restart from Luke Oldfield and Peter Lack. Lachlan McHugh, who was relegated rear of the field for his part in the incident with Kratzmann, Mann and Titman, worked the high line beautifully trying to make up lost ground, while Logan Schuchart kept making steady progress towards the front of the field. Dan Murray and Andrew Scheuerle had a thrilling battle over minor positions, with Murray running the bottom perfectly and Scheuerle forced to go the long way around the top. The pair exchanged positions several times but Scheuerle eventually managed to make his way in front. Donny Schatz went on to take the win ahead of Luke Oldfield and Peter Lack, while Logan Schuchart and David Murcott rounded out the top five. Andrew Scheuerle crossed the line in sixth ahead of Dan Murray, Lachlan McHugh, Dave Whell, Brock Dean, Lucas Wolfe, Dylan Menz and Anthony Lambert. Brent Kratzmann, Bryan Mann, Ben Hilder, Kevin Titman and Callum Walker all failed to finish the event.

Sprintcars Queensland will return to AusDeck Patios Archerfield Speedway tomorrow night, 01 January 2017 to ring the New Year in with another spectacular night of Sprintcar racing. Come and celebrate the New Year with us and see the racing action for your self! Until then, have a safe and happy New Year, whatever you may be doing, and we hope to see you track side tomorrow night!

 

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