After a late change to our race calendar a week ago it was decided that our washed out meeting from October would be re-run last night. With only a few days notice we were able to pull together a field of twenty-one quality cars to contest Round Five of the East Coast Logistics Sprintcar Series at Ausdeck Patios and Roofing Archerfield Speedway last night. Andrew Scheuerle was in breath-taking form all night, and after qualifying third quickest in qualifying, putting together a couple of solid heat race runs, and starting the A-Main from the front row, he was absolutely unstoppable. Andrew Scheuerle went on to take his first win of the season, leading Kevin Titman across the line with Peter Lack filling the final podium position. Kristy Bonsey had a truly phenomenal night, crossing the line in fourth, after qualifying for her first Dash event, with Brock Dean, who spent most of the A-Main in second, crossing the line in fifth.

Brent Kratzmann topped the leader board when qualifying concluded, stopping the clock at a quick 11.809 seconds. Kevin Titman was second quickest, his 11.942 second lap narrowly beating the 11.967 recorded by Andrew Scheuerle, and the 11.974 locked in by Mitchell Gee. Peter Lack rounded out the fastest five with a 12.049 second lap. Nicholas Whell, in his first competitive drive in a Sprintcar, qualified an impressive twelfth, with a 12.513 second lap, just three thousandths of a second behind Anthony Lambert in eleventh.

Heat one started with Andrew Baumber and Kris Jennings sharing the front row. The first start was aborted with Baumber soon relegated to the second row for jumping the first start, leaving Dan Murray from pole position. Murray and Jennings raced side-by-side into turn one, with Jennings having a brilliant run on the high side to take control of the race as they raced towards the second corner. From deep in the field Peter Lack raced around the outside of Mick Sauer and Andrew Baumber before setting his sights on Brock Dean, while Brent Kratzmann was brilliant on the bottom as he raced underneath both Sauer and Mitchell Gee as the trio rounded turn two. Kratzmann, with Gee on his tail, quickly made his way past Baumber and set out after Sauer, while Dean made his way underneath Murray to move into second. Murray was then quickly forced on the defensive once more as a very determined Peter Lack starting putting the pressure on before eventually getting through on the bottom, while Dean caught Jennings and took control of the race as they raced towards turn three. Gee soon got the better of Kratzmann, while at the back of the field Nicholas Whell got into the wet on the bottom of turn three and collided with Baumber as they tried to get through turn four. Both drivers walked away but neither was able to restart the event. Another caution for the spun car of Jason King less than a lap into the restart left us with a two-lap dash to the chequered flag. Dean led the restart from Lack and Murray, and while Murray came under enormous pressure from both Gee and Kratzmann, he was able to hold on for the rest of the race. Brock Dean got the win ahead of Peter Lack and Dan Murray, with Mitchell Gee home in fourth ahead of Brent Kratzmann, Mick Sauer, Kris Jennings, Randy Morgan and Jason King. Andrew Baumber and Nicholas Whell did not finish the event.

Clem Hoffmans started heat two from pole position with Kristy Bonsey alongside and Anthony Lambert and Allan Woods from the second row. Bonsey got brilliant start on the top-side, quickly cementing herself in the lead and leaving the field behind her to negotiate over the minor positions. Hoffmans settled into second while Woods concentrated on keeping Jessie Attard behind him, and Kevin Titman began an impressive run around the top. Titman committed to the high line to get the better of Andrew Scheuerle and Dave Whell, before having a big look on the top-side of Anthony Lambert. Titman was persistent on the top but could not quite find a way past Lambert, only for Whell to come charging back on the bottom. Whell and Titman traded places back and forth a few times, all the while searching for a way past Lambert, with Scheuerle closing in fast and looking for a way through. Titman got the better of Whell before racing underneath Lambert half a lap later, only for Lambert to slide straight back past as they approached turn one. Lambert made his way past Attard and while Titman tried to follow he soon found Scheuerle on his tail challenging for position. Scheuerle was on a mission to get to the front and spent just a couple of laps looking for a way past Attard before seizing an opportunity when Attard made a mistake coming of turn four. Titman and Attard battled for the rest of the race while Scheuerle got the better of Lambert with less than one lap left to run. Kristy Bonsey absolutely dominated out in front, and while Allan Woods crossed the line in second an issue with the main calliper with four laps left run saw the Boss Hogs team change the rear end in the Q28 racer before the second round of heats. Clem Hoffmans crossed the line in third ahead of Andrew Scheuerle, Anthony Lambert, Jessie Attard, Kevin Titman, Dave Whell, Tony Michell and Trent Vardy.

Randy Morgan and Dan Murray shared the front row for the start of heat three, with Morgan quickly securing the lead and opening a small margin over Murray. Murray held down second head of Anthony Lambert, while Kevin Titman began looking for a way last the Q90 of Lambert while trying to defend his own position from Mick Sauer. Mitchell Gee applied enormous pressure to the back of Jessie Attard, eventually getting through on the bottom as the pair rounded turn four. Gee left Attard in the clutches of Brent Kratzmann and started chasing down Sauer. Gee soon got the better of Sauer and made short work of getting past Titman as well, only for the race to be brought under caution moments later when Nicholas Whell spun in turn two. Morgan led the restart from Murray, Lambert and Titman, with Gee immediately challenging Titman for fourth, finally getting the job done as the white flag flew, while behind them Kratzmann got underneath Attard, only for Attard to fire straight back underneath the Q2 racer less than half a lap later. Randy Morgan easily got the win ahead of Dan Murray, Anthony Lambert, Mitchell Gee, Kevin Titman, Mick Sauer, Jessie Attard, Brent Kratzmann, Nicholas Whell and Andrew Baumber. Tony Michell did not finish the event.

The fourth and final heat of the night started with a couple of false starts. Clem Hoffmans, from position two, then pole sitter Kris Jennings, jumped the starts and were relegated to the second row, leaving Kristy Bonsey from pole position with Dave Whell alongside. Unfortunately for Allan Woods, contact with Andrew Scheuerle on the second attempt at a start left him with enough damage to end his race. Bonsey got an exceptional start when the lights went green for the third time, quickly securing the lead ahead of Whell and Hoffmans. Hoffmans soon surrendered third to Kris Jennings who came charging through on the bottom, with both Brock Dean and Andrew Scheuerle following Jennings moments later. Scheuerle was fast and determined and, when a small opening appeared underneath Dean and Jennings, Scheuerle did not hesitate, racing underneath the pair as they all rounded turn two. Dean made his way underneath Jennings half a lap later, while behind them Peter Lack was searching for a way around Hoffmans. Lack eventually made his way underneath Hoffmans, while closer to the front of the field Scheuerle was searching high and low trying to find a way to get ahead of Dave Whell. Scheuerle was single-minded and focused, but Whell refused to surrender the advantage. Scheuerle finally managed to get through on the inside of Whell just as the race was brought under caution for the spun car of Jason King, bunching the field back up for a green-white-chequered dash to the finish. Out in front Kristy Bonsey was completely untroubled as she raced to her second heat race victory of the night. Dave Whell hung on to finish second ahead of Andrew Scheuerle, Peter Lack, Brock Dean, Clem Hoffmans, Kris Jennings, Trent Vardy and Jason King. Allan Woods did not finish the event.

A pre-dash marble draw left Brent Kratzmann and Peter Lack from the front row for the start of the Dash event. The first start was aborted with Lack relegated to the second row for restart after jumping the start first time around. Dave Whell inherited the front row alongside Kratzmann, and while Whell and Kratzmann drag raced wheel-to-wheel into the first corner it was Whell on the high line who came out in front. Kratzmann surrendered second to Scheuerle, but contact between Lack and Kratzmann moments later sent Kratzmann too high in turn four, and while Mitchell Gee tried to slip through between Lack and Kratzmann, contact between the Q36 of Gee and the Q2 of Kratzmann left Kratzmann stranded on the track and brought the race under caution. Whell led the restart from Scheuerle and Gee and while Kratzmann started making way forward from the rear of the field and past Kristy Bonsey in her first Dash event, Peter Lack challenged Mitchell Gee for third. Dave Whell went on to take the win, earning pole position for the main event, with Andrew Scheuerle home in second ahead of Mitchell Gee, Peter Lack, Kevin Titman, Brock Dean, Brent Kratzmann and Kristy Bonsey.

Seven cars lined up for the start of the eight-lap B-Main, with Randy Morgan and Kris Jennings to lead them to the green. Morgan got the jump and began opening what would become a very comfortable lead, while Jennings held second briefly until Trent Vardy slid through on the bottom of turn two, relegating Jennings back to third. Nicholas Whell sat in fourth for a number of laps, while behind him Jason King, Andrew Baumber and Tony Michell were negotiating over the minor places. King and Michell made their way past Whell, and while Whell had a brief look back underneath Michell, he was not able to regain his position. Towards the front of the field Vardy was under increasing pressure from Jennings, when a small mistake from Vardy gave Jennings a brief opening on the bottom. Jennings was quick to react and swiftly slipped through to take second, only for the race to be brought under caution a lap later when Vardy backed the Q55 racer into the wall entering turn four. Morgan led the restart from Jennings and King with three laps still to run and the last transfer positions still in play. Morgan and Jennings started to pull ahead of the rest of the field while King defended his position from Michell. Randy Morgan managed to pull nearly three seconds ahead of his nearest rival in just three laps, take a very comfortable win ahead of Kris Jennings and Jason King. Andrew Baumber managed to take fourth and secure the last transfer to the main race, with Nicholas Whell and Tony Michell rounding out the finishers. Trent Vardy did not finish the event.

Dave Whell and Andrew Scheuerle led the eighteen-car field around for the start of the 30-lap A-Main event. Whell and Scheuerle raced wheel-to-wheel into the first corner, but it was Scheuerle on the top-side who managed to secure the lead. Whell had second briefly, until Mitchell Gee came charging through on the bottom, leaving Whell to battle Peter Lack in a bid to claim third. Kristy Bonsey got around Brent Kratzmann and had a big look underneath Brock Dean, only for Dean to race ahead on the high side and get the better of Kevin Titman. Dave Whell had a moment in turn four with Lack, and, as the rest of he field took evasive action, Whell, Lack and an unlucky Kratzmann were among those who lost ground. Mitchell Gee had a spin in turn two, while running second, and brought the race under caution, giving himself just twenty-eight laps to climb his way forward from the rear of the field. Another caution just one lap into the restart, for Jason King who had spun the NQ69 racer in turn four, halted progress once more.

Andrew Scheuerle led the restart from Brock Dean and Kevin Titman but another caution less than a lap in, this time for an incident involving Andrew Baumber and Clem Hoffmans, put the race on hold once more. On the restart it was again Scheuerle ahead of Dean and Titman, with Kristy Bonsey up to a very impressive fourth after just three laps. Lack was on the back of Bonsey, but was forced to defend his position from a hard-charging Jessie Attard, while Brent Kratzmann took to the high line and started settling to a groove as he began making his way forward. Kratzmann, Dave Whell and Randy Morgan had quite an intense battle raging for a number of laps, and while positions changed back and forth several times, Kratzmann eventually secured the advantage and started to pull away, leaving Whell and Morgan with Mitchell Gee on their tail. Scheuerle began expertly weaving his way through the back markers, with Dean and Titman close behind. Titman occasionally challenged Dean for second, unsuccessfully, while Kratzmann and Gee worked the top-side beautifully to climb their way closer to the front of the field. A small mistake from Dean in turn two handed second to Titman, with Peter Lack also getting through, leaving Dean to try and hang on to fourth. Kratzmann was running inches from the wall as they raced around Mick Sauer, while behind them Mitchell Gee was running the top and searching for a way past Dan Murray and Anthony Lambert. Lambert soon joined Kratzmann and Gee on the top-side and began making his way closer to the front, but there was no stopping Andrew Scheuerle out in front as he raced to his first win of the 2018-2019 race season. Scheuerle took the win almost half a lap ahead of Kevin Titman in second. Peter Lack crossed the line in third while Kristy Bonsey managed to get the better of Brock Dean in the later stages of the race to take fourth. Brock Dean rounded out top five and led Jessie Attard, Anthony Lambert, Brent Kratzmann, Mitchell Gee, Mick Sauer, Dan Murray, Dave Whell, Randy Morgan, Allan Woods, Kris Jennings and Jason King across the line. Andrew Baumber and Clem Hoffmans did not finish the event.

Despite having already raced two consecutive weekends, Sprintcars Queensland will return to Ausdeck Patios and Roofing Archerfield Speedway next Saturday night, 08 December 2018, for another big night of Sprintcar racing, and out last run at the Brisbane venue before the busy post-Christmas racing begins. See you trackside folks!