Last night a MASSIVE field of 45 Sprintcars rolled into Ausdeck Patios and Roofing Archerfield Speedway for round six of World Series Sprintcars, and while it looked like the venue would once again be hit by rain in the mid-afternoon, the approaching storm kindly split and missed the speedway altogether. It was an absolutely huge night of Sprintcar racing, where our local boys took on some of the best in both Australia and the World, doing us all proud and showing that we have some pretty remarkable home grown talent right here in Queensland. Luke Oldfield was consistently our best-performing local, while Donny Schatz, Lucas Wolfe and Logan Schuchart, all based in Queensland for this Australian trip, were all at the front of the field. Donny Schatz got the win in convincing fashion last night, running mostly unchallenged for the lead until the closing stages of the main race when Lucas Wolfe had a brief look at upstaging the Worlds best. Wolfe, who has already secured a fifth and a third here in Queensland this past week, crossed the line in second while Shaun Dobson and Luke Oldfield had a mesmerising battle for third. Dobson got the finial podium position in the last few laps of the race, leaving Oldfield in fourth with reigning Australian Champion Kerry Madsen rounding out the top five. Logan Schuchart, driving the Queensland-owned Motorguard Motorsport USA1 racer of John Weatherall, finished a strong sixth, while the next best Queenslander was Callum Walker, who had a phenomenal drive in the Q33 racer to come in a very impressive twelfth against some of the best in the word.

Qualifying got underway with a very full and very busy infield, with 45 cars split in half to form two flights, hopefully evening the playing field a little for those qualifying in the second half. Callum Walker was first on the track for qualifying, setting the benchmark for fight one at 11.740 seconds, while Kevin Titman was forty-fourth, the very last car to hit the track, and managed to stop the clock at 12.249 seconds, only 0.509 seconds slower than Walker. It was Luke Oldfield however who topped the qualifying order for flight one, stopping the clock at 11.557 seconds, with Donny Schatz (11.585), Brad Keller (11.700 seconds on his first run at the Brisbane venue), Callum Walker (11.740 seconds) and Jye O’Keefe (11.746 seconds) completing the top five in flight one. Jason Pryde beat Bryan Mann by just 0.002 seconds, while Mann beat Kaiden Manders by just one thousandth of a second. Lachlan McHugh ran two extremely consistent laps, his second lap just one thousandth of second quicker than his first, while the 22- cars in flight one were separated by just 0.798 seconds. Flight two qualifying saw David Murcott lead the way with a 11.802 second lap, with Shaun Dobson (11.865 seconds), Kerry Madsen (11.925 seconds), Lucas Wolfe (11.937 seconds) and Logan Schuchart (11.955 seconds) rounding out the quickest five in flight two. Karl Hoffmans had troubles in hot laps and did not complete his qualifying, while the twenty-two cars who completed qualifying in flight two were separated by just 0.831 seconds. In fact, to show how incredibly close the competition is, the entire field of forty-four cars who completed qualifying, were separated by just 1.076 seconds, the quickest twenty-five overall separated by less than half a second.

Heat one started with Darren Jensen from pole position with Glen Sutherland alongside, and hard-chargers Steve Rowell and Mitchell Gee behind. Jensen and Sutherland raced side-by-side through the opening corners, with Sutherland getting the lead coming out of turn two, only for Jensen to slide underneath the S20 race in turn four to take control of the race as they completed the first lap. Behind them Gee secured third ahead of Rowell while Lachlan McHugh had a sensation run on the bottom to race straight underneath both Rowell and Gee and steal second with only half a lap completed. James McFadden, who started back in seventh, quickly moved ahead of Jye O’Keefe, before racing underneath Bryan Mann, before quickly displacing Rowell and Gee and setting out after McHugh. Luke Oldfield was on the move from the back of the field as well, quickly making his way around O'Keefe and Brad Keller, setting his sights on Gee, who had moments ago surrendered a position to Mann. McFadden made his way past the inside of McHugh, while behind them Mann, Gee and Oldfield captivated the crowd as they argued over the minor places, while closing in on McHugh. Glen Sutherland had problems in the S20 racer, collecting the turn three wall and bringing the race under caution with four laps still to run. Jensen led the restart from McFadden and McHugh, and while McFadden was quick to run around the outside of Jensen and steal the lead, McHugh came under increasing pressure from Oldfield. Oldfield was magnificent as he raced underneath McHugh down the main straight, before spending just half a lap catching Jensen. Less than a lap after stealing third from McHugh, Oldfield raced around the topside of Jensen and started trying to catch McFadden. Mann had a massive look on the inside of McHugh as they crossed the line, but could not quite get close enough to displace the Q23 racer. James McFadden got the win ahead of Luke Oldfield, Darren Jensen and Lachlan McHugh, with Bryan Mann, Mitchell Gee, Brad Keller, Jye O'Keefe and Jack Lee rounding out the finishers. Glen Sutherland and Steve Rowell both failed to finish the 10-lap journey.

Dave Whell started heat two from pole position with Mitchell Wormall alongside. The first start was aborted but second time around the leading duo raced two abreast into the first corner, with Wormall managing to secure the lead as they approached turn three. Whell settled into second while behind him Lynton Jeffrey and Carson Macedo negotiated over third. Macedo raced beautifully up the inside of Jeffery in turn three, and while Jeffrey tried to return the favour in turn four, Macedo was too quick on the top. One lap later though and Jeffrey made his way past Macedo on the bottom, before getting by Whell on the next corner. Macedo quickly followed, leaving Whell with a hard charging Jayden Peacock on his tail for a few moments before Peacock spun the Q77 racer in turn four and brought the race under caution. Going back to the last completed lap it was Wormall who led the restart from Whell and Jeffrey, while Macedo was relegated to the rear of the field with a very flat left rear tyre. When the race resumed Jeffrey and Whell continued their battle, now with Donny Schatz on their tail, while deeper in the field Sam Walsh had a big look on the inside of Callum Walker, only for Walker to fight back on the high side and begin searching for a way around Kaiden Manders. Walsh was left to try and defend his position from Jayden Peacock, but the race was soon back under caution when Jeffrey and Whell came together in turn two. Wormall again led the restart but now had Schatz on his tail, while Walker resumed his run on the topside searching for way past Manders. Jayden Peacock took advantage of an opening on the bottom and raced straight up the inside of both Walker and Manders coming out of turn four, with Walker immediately dropping lower on the track to try and get underneath Manders as well. Manders not only managed to keep Walker behind him but, less than half a lap later, drove back underneath Peacock to regain his position. Sam Walsh soon joined the battle, displacing Walker before making his way between Peacock and Manders, while at the front of the field Schatz relieved Wormall of the race lead. Lynton Jeffrey made his way past Walker, while the flat left rear on the N99 racer of Macedo finally shredded and Macedo limped the car to the infield. Walker had a brilliant run on the bottom as he raced back underneath Jeffrey in turn four, before powering up the inside of both Walsh and Peacock one lap later to advance two positions as the white flag flew. Donny Schatz got the win ahead of Mitchell Wormall, Jason Pryde and Kaiden Manders, with Callum Walker home in fifth. Jayden Peacock was next across the line ahead of Sam Walsh and Lynton Jeffrey, while Carson Macedo and Dave Whell both failed to finished the event after each were issued the mechanical defect flag.

Heat three started with Cody Maroske from pole position with Mick Saller alongside, and while Maroske got the jump on the start and initially held down the lead, Dominic Scelzi from position three was quick to move into the race lead. Dylan Menz worked the high line searching for a way past Andrew Scheuerle, while Scheuerle tried to find a way under Andrew Corbet, but the race was brought under caution when David Murcott got a little sideways in turn three and left Brent Kratzmann nowhere to go. Scelzi led the restart from Saller and Maroske, with Maroske immediately coming under fire from Daniel Harding. Harding made his way underneath Maroske, and while Maroske tried to fight back he soon found Andrew Scheuerle on his tail. Maroske had a big look on the inside of Harding while Scheuerle was truly phenomenal on the top side and made it look effortless as he raced around the top, getting past both Maroske and Harding in one spectacular outside passing move through turns one and two. Logan Schuchart made his way underneath Maroske just as Kerry Madsen spun the A1 racer, on his own, in turn four. Scelzi led the restart from Saller and Scheuerle and while deep in the field Brent Kratzmann had a look underneath Andrew Corbet, and Dylan Menz searched the topside for a way past Kratzmann. Scheuerle and Harding traded places, while Corbet and Maroske battled for the mid-field places, and both Kerry Madsen and David Murcott started making their way forward from the rear of the field. Madsen raced underneath Murcott, Kratzmann and Menz in less than half a lap, quickly setting his sights on Maroske and Corbet, who were still racing side-by-side as they negotiated over the minor places. Murcott and Madsen had their own battle mid-field, swapping places several times, while Brisbane locals Kratzmann and Menz exchanged positions several times as they raced closer to the chequered flag, crossing the finish line side-by-side. Dominic Scelzi got the win ahead of Micak Saller and Logan Schuchart, with Andrew Scheuerle home in fourth and leading Daniel Harding, Cody Maroske, Kerry Madsen, Andrew Corbet, David Murcott, Dylan Menz, Brent Kratzmann and Karl Hoffmans across the line.

Heat four started with Mitch Gowland and Nelson Reddacliff from the front row with Gowland getting the jump and leading the field to the first corner. Unfortunately the race was brought under caution when Tim Van Ginneken spun the V36 racer in turn one, leaving Shaun Dobson nowhere to go. On the restart it was Gowland who again led the field, with Kevin Titman quickly displacing Reddacliff from second and setting his sights on the race leader. Reddacliff faded as Darren Mollenoyux and Lucas Wolfe, who had a sensational run on the bottom, came charging through, with Jamie Veal and Peter Lack quickly following. Stewart Craig stopped on the back straight, bringing the race under caution once more, with Titman and Mollenoyux to lead the restart. Wolfe quickly made his way around Gowland to secure third, while Veal and Lack fought over fifth and six. Mollenoyux briefly challenged Titman for control of the race but Titman proved too strong on his home track and soon opened a comfortable margin over his rivals. Wolfe searched high and low for a way around Mollenoyux, using every bit of race track he could find, but Mollenoyux held his own and managed to keep the hard-charging American at bay, Tim Van Ginneken tried to make his way past the battle that was unfolding mid-field between Gowland and Reddacliff. Kevin Titman got the win a little over two seconds ahead of Darren Mollenoyux in second, with Lucas Wolfe managing to secure third. Jamie Veal crossed the line in fourth, leading Peter Lack, Shaun Dobson, Tim Van Ginneken, Nelson Reddacliff, Mitch Gowland, Bryan Zelinski and Stewart Craig past the chequered flag.

Glen Sutherland and Dave Whell shared the front row for the start of heat five with Sutherland getting the best start and quickly securing the lead while Mitchell Gee quickly moved into second. Jayden Peacock raced up the inside of Whell in turn two, only for Whell to return serve as they raced down the back straight and into turn three. Bryan Mann used the bottom to race up the inside of Jason Pryde, before getting underneath Whell entering turn one, and Peacock as they exited turn two. Luke Oldfield was again on a charge from the rear of the field, racing up the inside of Pryde, before going around Whell and then heading back down track to get by on the inside of Peacock in the space of just one lap. Oldfield set out after Mann while Callum Walker took to the high line in an effort to find a way past Whell and Peacock. As Walker displaced both Whell and Peacock, Oldfield caught Mann, racing past the Q16 racer on the topside, before rapidly closing in on the back of Gee. Gee took control of the race from Sutherland, but Oldfield was mesmerising on the topside as he raced around the pair to steal the lead for himself. Gee fought back on the bottom, regaining the lead for half a lap before Oldfield again raced around the top. Walker tried to race underneath Mann as they approached the chequered flag, but could not quite get there in time. Luke Oldfield got the win ahead of Mitchell Gee and Glen Sutherland, while Bryan Mann finished fourth ahead of Callum Walker, Jayden Peacock, Dave Whell, Jye O'Keefe and Jason Pryde. Jayden Peacock went for a wild ride after the chequered flag, the throttle sticking open on the Q77 racer coming out of turn two. Peacock climbed right rear of Bryan Mann and launched hard into the concrete wall on the back straight. Peacock was unscathed in the incident.

Mitchell Wormall and Darren Jensen led the field to the green in heat six, with Wormall initially leading but Jensen fighting back on the inside. Jensen took control by the end of the first lap, with Wormall settling into second while Sam Walsh made his way past Kaiden Manders and Lachlan McHugh before getting underneath Steven Rowell and putting pressure on Carson Macedo as they fought over third. McHugh got the better of Manders coming out of turn four, before he raced through on the inside of Rowell and Walsh as they exited turn two, while at the front of the field the battle for the lead between Jensen and Wormall was just heating up, the West Australian and the Queenslander holding nothing back as they exchanged places several times. McHugh quickly made his way past Macedo, using the low line to get the job done, and immediately began closing in on Jensen and Wormall. Kaiden Manders and James McFadden caught the tail of Sam Walsh, and with Manders on the bottom, McFadden on the top, the pair raced either side of the N92 racer, the trio three-wide as they entered turn one. Manders came out in front but less than half a lap later McFadden slid underneath the Q83 racer before turning his attention to Macedo and McHugh, who were still arguing over the minor places, whilst trying to find a way past Jensen. Macedo slid underneath McHugh, but McHugh returned serve on the next corner, with McFadden soon joining the battle. Mitchell Wormall was first past the chequered flag leading Lachlan McHugh, Darren Jensen, Carson Macedo, James McFadden, Donny Schatz, Kaiden Manders, Sam Walsh, Brad Keller, Jack Lee and Steve Rowell across the line.

Mick Saller started heat seven from pole position with Mitch Gowland alongside with Saller securing the lead when the green flag flew. Gowland settled into second while Peter Lack and Kevin Titman argued over third and fourth, and Logan Schuchart tried to make his way forward on the inside of Dylan Menz and Andrew Corbet. Lack ran the high line trying to find a way past Gowland, while Menz stuck to the topside as he searched for a way around Corbet. Stewart Craig spun the Q9 racer in turn one and brought the race under caution with Saller to lead the restart from Titman, Gowland and Lack. Lack quickly made his way through on the inside of Gowland while Schuchart worked the bottom to secure the advantage over Menz before getting by Gowland half a lap later. Menz was all over the back of Gowland, with Lucas Wolfe quietly using the bottom to get in front of both Gowland and Menz, while at the front of the field Schuchart made his way past Lack, Titman and Saller in quick succession to steal the lead, moments before Menz and Gowland came together in turn three, leaving David Murcott nowhere to go. Both Menz and Murcott inverted their cars in the chaos, though both drivers walked away from the incident unscathed. Unfortunately though all three drivers were unable to restart the event. Saller led the restart from Titman and Schuchart with five laps to run, with Schuchart spending several laps searching for a way back past Titman before turning his attention to Saller. Saller and Schuchart raced side-by-side across the line with Logan Schuchart getting the win by just 0.086 seconds. Mick Saller was forced to settle for second and led Kevin Titman, Peter Lack, Lucas Wolfe, Andrew Corbet, Karl Hoffmans and Bryan Zelinski across the line. Mitch Gowland, Dylan Menz, David Murcott and Stewart Craig all failed to finish the event.

The eighth and final heat of the night saw Nelson Reddacliff start from pole position with Cody Maroske alongside. Maroske got his nose in front on the start but Reddacliff was fast on the bottom and secured the lead coming our of the first corner. Maroske settled into second but committed to the high line and, just two laps into the race, stole the lead from Reddacliff, leaving his rival with Dominic Scelzi on his tail. Scelzi ran to the top, following Maroske, and within a few laps had secured second, with Jamie Veal closing in fast. Mid-field Andrew Scheuerle was battling with Tim Van Ginneken, Kerry Madsen and Shaun Dobson, while Veal made his way ahead of Reddacliff, leaving Reddacliff and Daniel Harding to fight over mid-field positions, the pair running two abreast for several laps and crossing the line side-by-side, Harding just a fraction in front, beating Reddacliff by one 0.077 seconds. Cody Maroske was first to greet the chequered flag and led Dominic Scelzi, Jamie Veal, Daniel Harding, Nelson Reddacliff, Kerry Madsen, Shaun Dobson, Tim Van Ginneken, Andrew Scheuerle, Darren Mollenoyux and Brent Kratzmann across the line.

Ten cars lined up for the twelve lap C-Main event, with Cody Maroske and Andrew Corbet leading the field to the green. It took a couple of attempts to get the race underway but it was Maroske who led the field into turn one. Carson Macedo quickly secured second, while behind them Dylan Menz and Glen Sutherland raced either side of Nelson Reddacliff. Reddacliff got back under Menz when the Q46 racer got too high in turn four, but things came undone for Reddacliff when he and Sutherland came together in turn one as they fought over track position. Contact between the pair launched Reddacliff high into the air, where he bounced from tail tank to front end before landing back on four wheels. Reddacliff was quick to exit the car, unscathed, but was out of the race. Maroske led the restart from Macedo, with Andrew Corbet and Jack Lee in third and fourth and Dylan Menz and Brent Kratzmann close behind. Kratzmann and Menz had a brilliant battle when the race resumed, with Kratzmann determined on the bottom, making his way in front of Menz, only for Menz to fight back valiantly on the top side, refusing to surrender. The pair quickly caught Corbet, who had been displaced by Lee, with Kratzmann making his way underneath Corbet before opening a comfortable margin on his rivals. Macedo took the lead as he and Maroske approached lapped traffic, only for Corbet to spin the Q78 racer and bring the race under caution. Maroske got his lead back for the restart but Macedo timed his move perfectly, racing up the inside of Maroske with just half a lap left to run. Carson Macedo secured the win in the C-Main, with Cody Maroske home in second, the pair earning transfers to the back of the B-main grid. Jack Lee came home in third ahead of Brent Kratzmann, Dylan Menz, Glen Sutherland, Karl Hoffmans, Dave Whell and Andrew Corbet. Nelson Reddacliff was the only driver who did not finish the C-Main event.

The Bronze shootout saw Callum Walker take on Shaun Dobson, Jamie Veal and James McFadden, with Shaun Dobson coming out on top, stopping the clock at 13.322 seconds. Jamie Veal went second quick and would join Dobson in transferring to the Silver Shootout, while James McFadden and Callum Walker were eliminated from the shootout event and would share the fourth row for the start of the A-Main.

Lucas Wolfe and Logan Schuchart joined Shaun Dobson and Jamie Veal on track for the silver Shootout, but Dobson and Veal remained unbeatable. Dobson again topped the leader board after stopping the clock at 13.175 seconds, with Veal second quickest with a 13.295 second lap. Lucas Wolfe and Logan Schuchart would share the third row of the starting grid for the A-Main.

Luke Oldfield and Donny Schatz joined Shaun Dobson and Jamie Veal on track for the Gold Shootout, with Schatz this time dominating. Schatz stopped the clock at 13.278 seconds to earn pole position for the main race, with Shaun Dobson to share the front row. Luke Oldfield and Jamie Veal finished third and fourth respectively in the shootout events.

Eighteen cars rolled out for star-studded B-Main race with Andrew Scheuerle from pole position and Sam Walsh on his outside. Scheuerle got the jump when the lights went green, while Jason Pryde quickly settled into second ahead of Walsh. Peter Lack, Kaiden Manders, Mitchell Gee and Kevin Titman battled mid-field, with Lack making impressive progress towards the front, while Carson Macedo started a very impressive run from the back of the field. The race was brought under caution when Jason Pryde and Kaiden Manders come together coming out of turn four, sending Manders into the concrete. Manders was able to limp the Q83 racer from the track during the caution. Scheuerle led the restart from Daniel Harding and Dominic Scelzi, while Lack raced his way up the inside of Pryde as Macedo made his way around Gee. Macedo was on the move and soon made his way around both Pryde and Walsh, setting his sights on Lack before getting the better of Lack and challenging Scelzi for position. Another caution, this time for the spun car of Jason Pryde in turn two, bunched the field back up with Scheuerle to again lead the way from Harding and Scelzi. Macedo and Scelzi traded places several times, while Walsh made his way underneath Lack, with Macedo soon running around the outside of Harding to move into second with only a few laps left to run. The race was declared at the next caution, for the spun car of Kevin Titman in turn four, with Andrew Scheuerle the unchallenged winner ahead of Carson Macedo, who had a truly remarkable drive after transferring from the C-Main. Daniel Harding finished third ahead of Sam Walsh and Dominic Scelzi while Peter Lack rounded out the top six to earn the final transfer to the A-Main event. Mitchell Gee finished seventh and led Mitchell Wormall, Mick Saller, Darren Mollenoyux, Darren Jensen, Bryan Zelinski, Jayden Peacock, Tim Van Ginneken, Cody Maroske, Jason Pryde and Kevin Titman home. Kaiden Manders was the only driver who did not finish the B-Main.

Twenty-cars lined up for the start of what was set to be thrilling A-Main race. Held over 30-laps it was Donny Schatz who led the field to the green, easily getting the jump on the start and settling into a comfortable lead while Luke Oldfield and Shaun Dobson argued over second. Andrew Scheuerle began moving forward, while Lucas Wolfe and Logan Schuchart made their way in front of Jamie Veal, with James McFadden looking to follow them through. Wolfe quickly joined Oldfield and Dobson as they battled for second, with Wolfe looking to run straight between the pair and secure the advantage for himself. It was a bold move and while he could not quite make it happen, the trio were relentless as they negotiated over track position, Oldfield running strongly on the bottom while Dobson had the top covered, leaving Wolfe searching high and low for a way through. Wolfe soon managed to get around Oldfield, and with his eyes set firmly on Dobson, the trio continued to captivate the crowd. Schatz began to weave his way through lapped traffic, doing what he does best, and made everything look so easy as he ran away from the field, oblivious to how intense the battle behind him was. Schuchart soon began challenging Oldfield for position, while Carson Macedo continued his run from the B-Main and was working his way through the field. Wolfe got the better of Dobson, leaving Dobson to contend with the hard-charging duo of Oldfield and Schuchart, with Oldfield soon getting underneath Dobson, while deeper in the field James McFadden and Lachlan McHugh exchanged positions back and forth until McFadden secured the advantage. Kerry Madsen and Shaun Dobson were on the tail of Oldfield as they tried to make their way past lapped traffic, with Dobson running the high line to get back in front of Oldfield. The race had run non-stop until Lachlan McHugh brought the race under caution with only a few laps left to run. Schatz led the restart from Wolfe, Dobson, Oldfield and Madsen and while Wolfe briefly challenged Schatz for the lead he was forced to settle for second. Behind them the battle for the final podium position was going to go right to line, and while Oldfield got underneath Dobson in turn two and steal third for a few laps, Dobson was quick and relentless on the topside and raced back around Oldfield as they passed the white flag. Donny Schatz got the win ahead of Lucas Wolfe and Shaun Dobson, with Luke Oldfield fourth ahead of Kerry Madsen. Logan Schuchart finished sixth and led James McFadden, Jamie Veal, David Murcott, Carson Macedo, Daniel Harding, Callum Walker, Dominic Scelzi, Brad Keller, Andrew Scheuerle, Bryan Mann, Lachlan McHugh and Jye O'Keefe home. Sam Walsh and Peter Lack both pulled out of the race before completing the thirty-lap journey.

The teams are now regrouping and getting organised for tomorrow night, Friday 05 January 2018, when they return to Ausdeck Patios and Roofing Archerfield Speedway for night one of Round Seven of World Series Sprintcars, incorporating the Australian Sprintcar Open. We have another massive field nominated for the special two-night show and the boys are just warming up - this is going to be a massive weekend of Sprintcar racing so get yourself trackside and cheer on your favourite! See you there!