By Phil Michell Motorsport Media

A very competitive field of Wingless Sprints from across South Australia and Victoria rolled into the Sunline Speedway at Waikerie last Saturday night to contest the venue’s opening night of the season and after an entertaining 20 lap finale it was Joel Heinrich who emerged as the race winner.

Following a heat win and a fourth from his two heat races Heinrich went into the race as one of the favourites and he didn’t disappoint as he led the entire race distance and he went on to win ahead of Matthew Kennedy and Jake Ashworth.

Fourth place went to Brad Evans, who was impressive all night, with William Caruso, Roydn Bailey, who was making his first start of the season, Michael Spoljaric, Greg Cunningham, Ben Harris and Lucy Evans rounding out the top ten.

Current Australian Champion Joel Chadwick was lucky to take the green in the A-Main after his engine had a major misfire during the roll around laps and he would retire after only a handful of laps.

Earlier the “Joel’s” clean swept the heat races with Chadwick winning both of his heat races with Heinrich winning the other.

One pleasing aspect of the night was the fact that two new drivers took to track for the first time with Mildura youngster Jordon Bolitho and Mick Baker making their debuts with cars being beautifully presented, especially Baker’s #77 black and green Cool.

Another strong line-up of 15 drivers will contest the next Wingless SA event at the Murray Bridge Speedway this Saturday night (February 24) with last start Murray Bridge winner Anthony Tapley returning along with Matthew Kennedy, Brett Ireland, Jake Ashworth, Brad Evans, Spencer Taylor and Victorians Nic Green, Jay Brown and Anthony McMillan.

Nominations – Saturday 24th February 2018, Murray Bridge Speedway: S2 Jake Ashworth, S9 Ben Harris, S10 William Caruso, S21 Matthew Kennedy, S33 Brad Evans, S37 Anthony McMillan, S46 Spencer Taylor, S47 Anthony Tapley, S51 Jay Brown, S52 Jordon Bolitho (ROF), V61 Nic Green, S71 Brett Ireland, S73 Melissa McMillan, S80 David Cuppleditch, S82 Greg Cunningham

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Despite coming out on top in the end, Millar was outshone by surprise packets in veteran David Cook and youngster Alex Ross earlier in the event. The Cook and Ross duo shared the front row of the Victorian Title-deciding feature race, with another surprise packet in Ross Jarred occupying the second row with Millar.

When the green flag dropped for the 30-lap decider, it was Ross who got the jump on the pole sitter and the pair stayed in first and second for the opening 10 laps, as Millar quickly moved into third. As Ross headed Cook, the latter managed to wrestle the lead away from Ross for a handful of laps, before a mistake exiting turn four saw him spin towards the infield and he consequently hand the lead back to Ross, dropping back to fourth.

With Ross out in front, Millar closed in on the leader, while another impressive racer in Alex Thomson, who had started from position six, worked his way up to third. On lap 16, Millar took the lead away from Ross, as the battle for third intensified between Thomson, Cook and current autObarn Super Series Champion Luke Weel.

The event looked like it was going to go 30 laps without a single stoppage, but that all changed on lap 27, when a collision between Cook and Weel while fighting over fourth resulted in a spectacular crash on the back straight. Both cars were towed to the infield with damage and the drivers weren’t injured.

Photo: Robert Lake Photography

This lone stoppage then set up a three-lap battle to the chequered flag for the Victorian Title honours between Millar and Ross. With Millar running strongly, it was always going to be difficult for the inexperienced Ross, but he certainly didn’t go down without a fight and threw everything at Millar. In the end, Millar held on for a narrow victory ahead of a gallant Ross in second and Thomson in third.

Daniel Storer, the current autObarn Super Series leader, finished just off the podium in fourth ahead of defending Victorian Champion Glenn Watts in fifth. The latter was in great form on the night, winning one of his earlier heat races, but it was in one of the other heat races when he collected an infield tyre, resulting in a DNF. This DNF saw him lose vital points and he was forced to qualify for the feature race via the B main. After winning B main 2, Watts started the feature race from position 16. With everything to gain and nothing to lose, Watts charged his way through the field and brought it home in fifth.

Jarred, Mitchell Broome (SA), Wayne Logue, birthday boy Shaun Lyness and Clint McLaren rounded out the top-10 finishers.

The remaining finishers were veteran Peter Logue, B main 1 winner Luke Storer, Ben Doukas and Todd Hobson.

Apart from Cook and Weel, the only other non-finishers were locals Matthew Balcombe and Mathew Symons.

B main 1, supported by NOS Race Parts, was claimed by Luke Storer ahead of fellow feature-race transferee Hobson, while B main 2, also sponsored by NOS Race Parts, saw the win go to Watts and joining him in the feature-field field was second-placed finisher Doukas.

Heat-race wins earlier in the night were shared between Cook (x 2), Thomson (x 2), Symons (x 2), McLaren, Peter Logue, Watts, Daniel Storer, Wayne Logue, Millar, Jarred, Balcombe and Ross.

Photo: Robert Lake Photography

The heat-race action saw plenty of close racing but also some spectacular accidents. Simpson Speedway has a little bit of everything and the drivers, as they raced for track position with their rivals, didn’t always get it right.

For the second season in a row, the Victorian Title was proudly supported by The Tyre Factory – Warrnambool. To find out more about The Tyre Factory – Warrnambool, visit their website at www.ttf.com.au or LIKE them on Facebook by searching The Tyre Factory Warrnambool. The Tyre Factory – Warrnambool is owned by Wingless Sprint racer Geoff Cook.

For further information about the AWSR, visit their website at www.awsr.com.au, LIKE them on Facebook or follow them on Instagram and Twitter by searching Australian Wingless Sprint Racing.

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Heading the 52-car line-up for the Victorian Title, which includes a mixture of youth and experience, is defending champion Glenn Watts.

Watts, who won last season’s Victorian Title at Hamilton’s Western Speedway by leading from start to finish, is coming off a second place in last Saturday night’s latest autObarn Super Series round at Warrnambool’s Premier Speedway and is full of confidence for a successful Victorian Title defence.

Photo: Robert Lake Photography

Another strong chance will be the man Watts finished second to on Saturday night, defending autObarn Super Series Champion Luke Weel. Weel is looking to make amends from last year’s Victorian Title, where a spin while challenging Watts for the lead cost him the top spot and he went on to finish just off the podium in a disappointing fourth.

Last season’s Victorian Title surprise packet was Michael Skene, who had qualified on the outside of the front row for the feature race and then went on to finish in fifth place. There’s no doubt that Skene is looking for a repeat of that performance by finishing a bit higher.

After finishing sixth in the recent Australian Championship, Travis Millar carries a fair bit of confidence into this season’s Victorian Title and is going to be one to challenge at the pointy-end of the field. In last season’s event, he ended up sixth.

The Storer brothers, Daniel and Luke, head into the Victorian Title with good form on their side. Daniel is the current autObarn Super Series point standings leader and is one of the front-running Victorian Title contenders, while Luke carries a lot of confidence into the event following his season-best finish of third in last Saturday night’s autObarn Super Series round.

Other Victorian Title contenders are likely to be Dayn Bentvelzen, youngsters Todd Hobson, Ben Doukas and Alex Ross, Michael McDonald, locals Matthew Balcombe and Mathew Symons, veteran Peter Logue and his son Wayne, another veteran in Tony Moule, last season’s Victorian Title 10th place finisher Jeremy Beddison, Mick Parry and Clint McLaren.

Carly Walsh, who finished 11th in last season’s Victorian Title, and Bianca Klemm are going to be flying the flag for the ladies and are most certainly not to be taken lightly.

Looking to take the Victorian Title west to South Australia will be Mitchell Broome who finished an impressive eighth in last season’s running of the event, along with the Beasley brothers Travis and Brad, and Trent Gravestock.

The format for this season’s Victorian Title will see the drivers compete in three rounds of heat races each ahead of the C main, B main and the Victorian Title deciding feature race.

For the second season in a row, the Victorian Title is proudly supported by The Tyre Factory – Warrnambool. To find out more about The Tyre Factory – Warrnambool, visit their website at www.ttf.com.au or LIKE them on Facebook by searching The Tyre Factory Warrnambool. The Tyre Factory – Warrnambool is owned by Victorian Title entrant Geoff Cook.

Photo: Robert Lake Photography

2018 Victorian Title Nominations:

VX2 Robert Whiteside

V2 Travis Millar

VX4 Jaidyn Job

V4 Carly Walsh

S4 Travis Beasley

V7 David Alford

V9 Dayn Bentvelzen

V10 Peter Merrett

V11 Mathew Symons

V14 Alex Ross

VX14 Shaun Lyness

V16 Wayne Logue

VX17 Warren Sell

V20 Thomas McDonald

V23 Mathew Balcombe

V24 Michael Lovell

V26 Luke Schneider

V28 Luke Weel

V30 Tony Moule

V31 Mick Rigby

V33 Luke Storer

S35 Mitchell Broome

V35 Glenn Watts

V36 David Cook

V43 Daniel Storer

VX46 Michael McDonald

V48 Michael Skene

V49 Ross Jarred

V50 Robert Stevenson

V52 Scott Irons

V54 Jeremy Beddison

V55 Luke Tuckett

V60 Steven Hateley

V66 Marc Evans

V67 Chris Halesworth

VX69 John Rotheram

S69 Brad Beasley

V70 Aron Lawrence

V72 Tyson Bartlett

VX77 Travis Evans

V77 Alex Thomson

V79 Clint McLaren

V81 Matt Bartlett

V83 Todd Hobson

S85 Trent Gravestock

VX90 Daniel Kelly

V91 Bianca Klemm

VX91 Ben Pollansky

V92 Raymond Klemm

V95 Geoff Cook

V98 Peter Logue

VX98 Ben Doukas

For further AWSR information, visit their website at www.awsr.com.au or LIKE them on Facebook or follow them on Instagram and Twitter by searching Australian Wingless Sprint Racing.

-ENDS-

The post Hot Field Prepares for Vic Title Battle appeared first on AWSR.

By Phil Michell

The Wingless Sprints will make the first of two appearances at the Sunline Speedway at Waikerie this Saturday night (February 17) at the venue’s season 2018 season opener with a strong entry list of 15 competitors set to take to the tight Riverland venue. The line-up includes a majority of the State’s leading drivers and on paper it is one of the most talented list of drivers that has ever competed at Waikerie therefore the racing should provide a great spectacle for the big crowd that is expected.

Dual Australian Champion Joel Chadwick will be one of the pre-event favourites, but he will have his work cut out battling the likes of Joel Heinrich, Matthew Kennedy, Jake Ashworth, Michael Spoljaric and William Caruso. The field will also include several Riverland locals including Mildura based racers Jay Brown, Anthony McMillan and rookie Jordon Bolitho, who will be stepping up from the Speedway Karts. The local contingent will also include Renmark’s Lucy Evans, Roydn Bailey and rookie Shane Hammerstein.

The meeting this weekend comes hot on the heels of one of the best feature races of the season at the Murray Bridge Speedway last Friday night. On a night that the Wingless Sprints were the main support category to Night 1 of the Australian Speedcar Title many of the race fans and Speedcar teams left the venue talking about the Wingless A-Main.

In what was his first event following his back-to-back win in the Australian Championship Joel Chadwick was upstaged by Anthony Tapley, who put an exciting “slider” on the National Champion to take the win over Chadwick and former Australian Champion Daniel Hartigan. Fourth place went to Joel Henrich with Western Australian Mitchell White, Jake Ashworth, Brad “Kenny” Evans, rookie Daniel Smith and Shane Hammerstein rounding out the finishers.

Earlier Chadwick was undefeated in the heat races as he won both of his preliminaries while Spencer Taylor was victorious in the remaining heat race.

The official nomination list for Saturday 17th February 2018 at the Sunline Speedway, Waikerie: A1 Joel Chadwick, S2 Jake Ashworth, S3 Roydn Bailey, S10 William Caruso, S16 Joel Heinrich, S19 Michael Spoljaric, S21 Matthew Kennedy, S32 Daniel Smith, S33 Brad Evans, S37 Anthony McMillan, S44 Lucy Evans, S51 Jay Brown, S52 Jordon Bolitho (ROF), S79 Shane Hammerstein, S82 Greg Cunningham.

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Weel, who dominated both of his heat races earlier in the night and earned the right to start the feature race from pole position, crossed the line to win by more than 2.5 seconds ahead of current Victorian Champion Glenn Watts in an impressive second. Watts made a last-lap pass to pip Luke Storer for second place. Storer’s third-place finish was his first podium result of what has been a challenging season thus far.

Photo: Robert Lake Photography

In a career-best drive, Ben Doukas enjoyed a solid run to finish in fourth, while Joel Heinrich (SA) rounded out the top-five. Heinrich had earlier in the night won his B main and had started deep in the field.

A hard-charging Daniel Storer produced a gallant effort to finish in sixth, after the current Super Series point standings leader was sent to the rear of the field following an earlier incident.

Youngster and recent Junior Sedan graduate Alex Ross produced a similarly spectacular drive to seventh after qualifying into the feature race via the B main.

The top-10 finishers were rounded out by Alex Thomson, David Cook and one of the B-main winners Todd Hobson.

There was a fantastic battle towards the end of the race for positions at the back end of the top-10 – in fact positions 7-14 were separated by a matter of seconds at the fall of the chequered flag.

The final running positions were filled by Mathew Symons, Matthew Balcombe, Mitchell White (WA), Luke Schneider and two-time Australian Champion Daniel Hartigan (WA). Both White and Hartigan put in a massive effort to compete on the night and qualifying into the feature race out of the 66-car field following the duo racing at Murray Bridge Speedway (SA) on the previous night.

Michael McDonald was unlucky to miss out on a front-running result, retiring from the race at about two-thirds distance while running in fourth. William Caruso (SA) was also unlucky, retiring while running inside the top five when a steering component snapped mid-corner. An error also denied Mitchell Broome of a strong result – he was running in eighth up until he tapped the wall and popped a rear tyre. The trio were joined on the infield by local Geoff Cook and current Australia # 6 Travis Millar.

This round saw a unique format, with three B mains being contested to fill out the back of the feature race. They were won by Heinrich, Broome and Hobson.

Dayn Bentvelzen, last season’s Super Series runner-up finisher, missed out on a spot in the feature race, along with the likes of veteran Peter Logue and impressive teenager Carly Walsh.

The autObarn Super Series continues at Mount Gambier’s Borderline Speedway (SA) on the Saturday night of March 17.

This Saturday night will see the 2017-18 season Victorian Title fought out at Simpson Speedway.

Latest autObarn Super Series Point Standings:

1: Daniel Storer – 851 points

2: Luke Weel – 706

3: Alex Thomson – 695

4: Mathew Symons – 593

5: Dayn Bentvelzen – 568

6: Joel Heinrich – 562

7: Todd Hobson – 512

8: David Cook – 465

9: Travis Millar           – 461

10: Mick Parry – 455

For more information about the Victorian Wingless Sprints, visit their website at www.awsr.com.au/vic. You can also LIKE them on Facebook by searching Victorian AWSR Wingless Sprintcars or FOLLOW them on Twitter by searching @VicWinglessSpri.

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While each of the 10 series rounds will be contested over doubleheaders on each of the five schedule weekends, a number of the rounds will also be run in conjunction with multiple familiar blue-ribbon events, including the Darwin Title, the Malidook Challenge, the Keenquip Feature, the four-night Milwaukee Power Tools Power Series, and the Freo Crane Hire Twin Feature Night.

Photo: Damo Shoots Cars

In order to be eligible to qualify for the final Total Tools Top End Challenge point standings, each driver will be required to compete in eight of the 10 rounds.

“Not only will this new series be a fantastic opportunity for interstate drivers to get some track time under their belts prior to the start of the 2018-19 season throughout the rest of the country, it also offers the perfect occasion for teams to experience the hidden gem that is Australia’s Top End,” said NT Wingless Sprints Secretary Mike Borchardt.

“With each weekend consisting of two nights of racing, drivers could treat their visit as a mini holiday and experience Northern Territory hospitality at its finest. They would be most welcome to base their cars here throughout the series and the locals would be more than happy to show them the sights in between races.”

With a number of interstate drivers having travelled to the Northern Territory in previous seasons and enjoyed some much needed downtime and sightseeing in addition to their racing duties, NT Wingless Sprints are looking forward to welcome some more visiting drivers in the 2018 season. As they say, you’ll never never know if you never never go!

To register your interest, please contact Mike Borchardt via phone on 0447089511 or via email to michael.borchardt@contractor.cop.com, or Shane Norman via phone on 0418838789 or via email to shanenorman382@gmail.com.

For more information on the NT Wingless Sprints, visit their website at www.awsr.com.au/nt. You can also LIKE them on Facebook by searching NT Wingless Sprints.

2018 NT Wingless Sprints Calendar:

June

9-10 – Northline Speedway

29-30 – Northline Speedway

July

27-28 – Northline Speedway

August

17-18 – Northline Speedway

24-25 – Northline Speedway

The post NT Wingless Sprints Seeking Interest appeared first on AWSR.

After winning the previous night’s preliminary feature race in impressive fashion, Chadwick, whose back-to-back wins is now five Australian Championships for the state of South Australia (adding to that tally are Chadwick’s double, Todd Wigzell’s pair of wins in 2012 and 2015 and Rory Button’s inaugural win in 2009), started from the outside of the front row for the 2018 Australian Championship deciding feature race.

L-R Mark Blyton (2nd), Joel Chadwick (1st) and Dean Thomas (3rd)

Photo: Crashy’s Photos

Lined up beside pole sitter and Valvoline Raceway track specialist Mark Blyton (NSW), Chadwick battled for the lead with Blyton before taking full control of the lead after a dozen completed laps. From there, he was never headed for the remainder of the 35-lap event.

Despite the best efforts from Blyton, he had to settle for second behind Chadwick in what turned out to be a career-best finish for the veteran racer in a title event.

In a feature race that impressively went 30 laps without a single caution period, there were two stoppages in the closing stages, which also included a return of the wet weather. Lap 30 saw the race brought to a halt after heavy contact between David Eggins (NSW) and two-time Australian Super Sedan Champion Peter Logue (Vic) on the main straight resulted in Logue, who had earlier won the B main, crashing into the outer tyre wall. Both drivers weren’t injured but they were retirements.

As they say in motorsport, caution periods breed caution periods, and that’s exactly what occurred, when three laps later, youngster and Valvoline Raceway newcomer Matthew Iwanow (WA), who was running in eighth place after qualifying fifth, spun around entering turn four and sustained race-ending damage in the process, while Anthony Tapley (SA) also spun in the incident. While Iwanow was sidelined, Tapley was able to restart at the tail of the field.

With a two-lap sprint to the chequered flag, the rain began to fall, and that certainly created yet another challenge for Chadwick as he came up to tackle the green, white, chequer. Handling the pressure of a greasy, unpredictable track surface with ease, he went on to put together two trouble-free laps and was rewarded with back-to-back Australian Championship wins.

Joel Chadwick

Photo: Crashy’s Photos

While Chadwick and second-placed Blyton greeted the chequered flag without too many dramas, the battle for third place was certainly intense and it was only decided as the drivers raced towards the finish line. In the end, it was current NSW Champion Dean Thomas (NSW), who earlier in the race dropped back towards the foot of the top 10, who stole the final spot on the podium away from Jason Bates (NSW). Bates, the 2016 NSW Champion, was sitting third up until the final corner, when contact from behind slowed him and it allowed the defending Valvoline Raceway Track Champion to pip him for the spot.

Behind Bates in fifth was current Tasmanian Champion Luke Redpath (Tas). After starting from position 8 in tonight’s feature race, Redpath showed plenty of pace throughout the weekend in what was his Valvoline Raceway debut and he was rewarded with a satisfying top-five result.

A position 13 starting Travis Millar (Vic), one of the weekend’s surprise packets Andy Hibbert (Vic), current Northern Territory Champion Troy Carey (NSW) charged home from position 15, two-time Australian Champion Daniel Hartigan (WA) and impressive Kyle Mock (NSW) rounded out the top-10 finishers.

Troy Carey (NSW) battles with Matthew Symons (Vic)

Photo: Crashy’s Photos

The remaining finishers consisted of Luke Sayre (NSW), Clint McLaren (Vic), Peter Granger (NSW), current Queensland Champion Daniel Flood (NSW), Glenn Wright (Qld), Matthew Symons (Vic), Luke Weel (Vic), current Victorian Champion Glenn Watts (Vic), Tapley and Michael McDonald (Vic).

Apart from Eggins, Logue and Iwanow, the only other Australian Championship decider retirement was Jeff Thomas (NSW), who had started from position 3, and retired on lap 14, due to a fuel pump failure.

Mother nature reared its ugly head during the middle of tonight’s racing, when it brought the night’s proceedings to a stop, due to wet weather front, for over an hour following the completion of the fourth and final round of heat races.

Earlier in the night, the heat-race wins were claimed by Peter Logue, Chris Halesworth (Vic), Carly Walsh (Vic), Watts, David Cook (Vic), Eggins, Weel and Tony Moule (Vic). In the fourth and final round of heat races, it saw seven of the eight winners reside in the state of Victoria.

In the march to the Australian Championship deciding feature race, following the rain delay, the E main was claimed by Shaun Lyness (Vic), the D-main win went the way of Leighton O’Brien (NSW), following the family’s winning form was Mitchell O’Brien (NSW) who drove to victory in the C main, and the final four Australian Championship decider spots on offer in the B main were filled by Peter Logue, who drove to a hard-charging race to win ahead of fellow transferees: Wright, Weel and McDonald. The biggest incident from these last-chance events occurred in the D main, when Steve Thomas (NSW) rode out a huge wreck on lap five in between turns three and four. Although the eldest of the Thomas siblings wasn’t injured, the same couldn’t be said for his car which was destroyed.

Please Note: All Australian Championship results are to remain unofficial, up until engine checks are completed, which are required to be done within a 21-day period.

Appreciation Post: The entire Australian Wingless Sprint Racing committee would like to thank the drivers, pit crews, supporters, officials from the Sprintcar Association of NSW and the Valvoline Raceway team, for their wonderful efforts throughout the weekend that helped make this season’s Australian Championship one of the best.

Get Social: For further AWSR information, visit their website at www.awsr.com.au or LIKE them on Facebook or Follow them on Instagram and Twitter by searching Australian Wingless Sprint Racing.

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Andy Hibbert (Vic)

Photo: Crashy’s Photos

The Geelong, Victoria-based racer, who has three Australian Championship top-five finishes to his name and is also a previous Wingless Sprint feature-race winner at the Valvoline Raceway track, headed into weekend not really considered as one of the real contenders and that was reflected when his group went for a lowly $150 at the previous night’s Calcutta event. However, Hibbert tossed aside the form guide and as a result sits at the top of the point standings heading into tonight’s finale.

Hibbert performed the best in his three heat races, with a pair of wins and a third, and started the preliminary feature race from pole position. For most of the 20-lap distance, he dictated the pace up until half a dozen laps from the finish, when local Jeff Thomas took control of the lead. Thomas’ lead was short lived, when defending Australian Champion Joel Chadwick came from the clouds, or should we call it position 8, to rail it around the high and move from third to the lead.

Once out in front, Chadwick, from Adelaide in South Australia, was never headed in the closing laps and went on to score an impressive win ahead of Jeff Thomas and Hibbert in second and third place respectively.

L-R: Andy Hibbert (3rd – Vic), Joel Chadwick (1st – SA) and Jeff Thomas (2nd – NSW)

Photo: Crashy’s Photos

Outside the podium finishes in fourth was current Northern Territory Champion and a hard charging Troy Carey (NSW) from a position 14 start, current NSW Champion Dean Thomas (NSW), another hard charger in Daniel Storer (Vic) from position 15, Mark Blyton (NSW), current Queensland Champion Daniel Flood (NSW), Jason Bates (NSW) and Ashleigh Jack (NSW) in 10th.

In a 24-car preliminary feature-race line-up, every driver drove very well and greeted the chequered flag. The remaining finishers were current Tasmanian Champion Luke Redpath (Tas) in 11th ahead of Anthony Tapley (SA), Travis Millar (Vic), two-time Australian Champion Daniel Hartigan (WA), Geoff Piekar (NSW), current Victorian Champion Glenn Watts (Vic), Michael McDonald (Vic), Todd Hobson (Vic), Luke Sayre (NSW), Glenn Wright (Qld), Kyle Mock (NSW), Clint McLaren (Vic), an unlucky Matthew Iwanow (WA) and the final finisher Peter Granger (NSW).

Hartigan, who had started from 10, had a tough run throughout the preliminary feature race and struggled to move forward and finished back in 14th. Fellow Western Australian and a first-time Valvoline Raceway visitor was in sensational form during his heat races and a result qualified from the outside of the front row for the preliminary feature race. From outset in the preliminary feature race, Iwanow was hampered by a mechanical issue and consequently dropped well down the field. Another driver to hit hard times in the preliminary feature race was Kyle Mock (NSW). After destroying his regular car in a crash at the NSW Title a fortnight earlier, the 17-year-old racer debuted a new car for this weekend’s Australian Championship and showed impressive speed to qualify in position 6. In the race, he went backwards and finished in a disappointing 21st.

Earlier in the night the three rounds of heat races resulted in the victories shared between Hibbert (x 2), Dean Thomas (x 2), Millar, Mock, David Eggins (NSW), Iwanow, Luke Weel (Vic), Brittany Kuypers (Vic), Jeff Thomas, Blyton, Tapley, Granger, McDonald, Watts, Jack, McLaren, Hobson, Redpath, Chadwick, Sean Dicker (NSW), Carly Walsh (Vic) and Hartigan.

One of the highlights from the heat races was the fact that over the three rounds, there were three different female winners: Kuypers, Jack and Walsh.

In terms of hard-luck stories, there were a few of them. There were crashes from Mitchell O’Brien (NSW), Michael Gray (NSW), Graham Flood (NSW) and the most serious was that of youngster Zac Pacchiarotta (NSW). The latter clashed with Graham Flood going down the main straight and it resulted in a big crash. Pacchiarotta was attended to quickly by the crash crew and was then transported by ambulance to the nearby Westmead Hospital. Pacchiarotta spent the night in hospital for observation but has now been released.

Zac Pacchiarotta (NSW) battles with Graham Flood (NSW) and Tyson Williams (NSW).

Photo: Crashy’s Photos

Not involved in crashes but had some misfortune during the heat races were the likes of Weel, Harley Smee (NSW), NSW Title surprise packet Jason Martin (NSW), Robert Mazzer (NSW) and Brian Briton (NSW). The latter two were sidelined due to engine failure in their opening heat races that has put them out for the rest of the weekend.

Top 10 Australian Championship Point Standings (after Night 1)
1: Andy Hibbert (Vic) -106 points
2: Jeff Thomas (NSW) – 102
3: Matthew Iwanow (WA) – 100
4: Mark Blyton (NSW) – 100
5: Dean Thomas (NSW) – 99.5
6: Joel Chadwick (SA) – 99
7: Daniel Flood (NSW) – 96.5
8: Luke Redpath (Tas) – 95
9: Jason Bates (NSW) – 94.5
10: Kyle Mock (NSW) – 94.5

Event Information: Tonight’s second and final night is going to consist of a fourth and final round of heat races, E main, D main, C main, B main and the 35-lap Australian Championship-deciding feature race.

Get Social: For more information on the AWSR, visit their website at www.awsr.com.au or LIKE them on Facebook or Follow them on Instagram and Twitter by searching Australian Wingless Sprint Racing.

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10. Luke Redpath (Tas)
    As the one of the few drivers amongst the field who have never visited the Valvoline Raceway track before, track experience isn’t on Redpath’s side; however, the current Tasmanian Champion was a force to be reckoned with in last season’s Australian Championship, coming home in a strong second place. While track time certainly isn’t an issue for him, having contested a busy schedule this season between Wingless Sprints, Speedcars and Speedway Karts and collected a total of 8 feature-race wins so far this season, will Redpath be race hardened for the 90 plus competitors he’s soon to face?

9. Jason Martin (NSW)
   The big question mark heading into the Australian Championship is no doubt Martin, who recently exceeded expectations and delivered a career best performance in the NSW Title, coming from eighth in the pole shuffle to start the feature race on the outside of the front row and going on to complete the podium in third. Hungry to prove his impressive performance was no fluke, Martin showed that he wasn’t afraid to go up against the country’s best drivers, but can he back it up under the pressure of the Australian Championship?

8. Luke Weel (Vic)
   Despite not having much experience at the Sydney venue, Weel, who is regarded as one of the country’s fastest racers, has proven that he can qualify well in title events, having earned pole position in the previous two Australian Championships – Toowoomba’s Hi-Tec Oils Speedway and Carrick Speedway – but has been unable to go on with the job. Showing good speed in his past visits to the track, the most recent of which was the NSW Title where he placed 13th due to experiencing dramas throughout his heat races, Weel will be hoping that the third time’s the charm as he shoots for a hat trick of Australian Championship pole position starts. However, on this occasion, he wants to finish the weekend on the top step of the podium.

7. Daniel Hartigan (WA)
   As a two-time Australian Champion, it’s hard not to include Hartigan in our predictions. Making the long trek to Valvoline Raceway for the first time in his career to contest the NSW Title, where he was running strongly inside the top-10 up until an incident with another driver towards the end of race resulted in him spinning out and being sent ROF. Despite the disappointing end to his NSW Title campaign, he showed great pace for a driver who had never seen the track before and he certainly won’t let his lack of track experience get in the way of his hunt for Australian Championship win # 3.

6. Luke Sayre (NSW)
   In a class where consistency is vital, Sayre has definitely been hitting his marks this season, with a feature-race win at Gilgandra Speedway and two minor podium finishes at Valvoline Raceway under his belt. Currently sitting third in the NSW Club Championship point standings, the 18-year-old racer was disappointed to run 11th in the NSW Title and will be looking to make amends in the Australian Championship. If he can qualify strongly, he’ll no doubt be a threat.

5. David Eggins (NSW)
   A regular front-runner on a domestic level, with four-feature race wins to his name this season, Lismore’s Eggins is one of the form drivers in Northern NSW. Having his best ever run at Valvoline Raceway with a pleasing fourth place in the NSW Title, this result will give Eggins a good foundation for a strong Australian Championship performance.

4. Joel Chadwick (SA)
   Recently being forced to qualify for the NSW Title feature race via the B main after a crash during his heat races, going on to salvage a top-10 finish, Chadwick is another example of why a strong qualifying result is so important. While he may have limited Valvoline Raceway track experience, the defending Australian Champion knows just how to handle the pressure of a title event and will leave nothing in the tank in his attempt to claim back-to-back wins.

3. Jason Bates (NSW)
   After qualifying on pole for the NSW Title and ultimately slipping back to eighth, Bates will be determined to bounce back in the Australian Championship. Carrying the confidence of having won the 2016 NSW Title at the Sydney track, along with a multiple feature races, Bates will without a doubt be a contender, so be sure to keep an eye on the green machine!

2. Mark Blyton (NSW)
   At a place where experience counts for everything, we certainly can’t forget about veteran racer Blyton, who has completed more laps around Valvoline Raceway than any other driver, having made his first appearance at the track in the early 1990s. After challenging for the lead in the NSW Title before being forced to settle for the runner-up spot when his car setup dropped off in the latter stages of the race, Blyton will be hungry to go one better in the Australian Championship and achieve his maiden Australian Championship victory.

1. Dean Thomas (NSW)
   All eyes will be on Thomas during the Australian Championship, after his impressive and dominant victory in the recent NSW Title. As the current Valvoline Raceway Track Champion, all thoughts lead to Thomas running at the pointy end of the Australian Championship feature-race field, but his rivals certainly won’t make it easy!

Honourable Mentions: current Australia # 3 Daniel Storer (Vic), current Victorian Champion and Australia # 4 Glenn Watts (Vic), current Northern Territory Champion Troy Carey (NSW), current Queensland Champion Daniel Flood (NSW), Matthew Iwanow (WA), Travis Millar (Vic), Harley Smee (NSW), Ashleigh Jack (NSW), Peter Logue (Vic), Peter Granger (NSW) and Jason Davis (NSW).

The above top-10 predictions are just a guide and only just scratch the surface in terms of the number of likely front-runners. All we know is that the 2018 Australian Championship will no doubt be an action packed and extremely competitive event!

Event Information: Having commenced yesterday with scrutineering and the Calcutta, the opening night of Australian Championship competition commences tonight with hot laps, three rounds of heat races and a preliminary feature race, followed by the fourth and final round of heat races, the D main, C main, B main and the Australian Championship-deciding feature race tomorrow night.

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Having just taken out the NSW Title at the Sydney venue, conquering a 60-strong field to do so, all eyes will be on newly-crowned NSW Champion Dean Thomas, with the current Valvoline Raceway Track Champion being in the best possible form to clinch another pleasing result. Joining Dean in the nominations will be two of his brothers, Jeff and Steve, with the trio hoping to do their family proud.

Photo: Lone Wolf Photography

Veteran Mark Blyton has been in strong from throughout the 2017-18 season so far, having collected two feature-race victories and a handful of minor podium results, and he will be looking to convert this form into a strong Australian Championship result, while 2016 NSW Champion Jason Bates will be out to prove himself, having been very competitive this season despite not recording a feature-race win, along with current Northern Territory Champion Troy Carey.

Luke Sayre, Peter Granger and Ashleigh Jack have each experienced success this season, with a feature-race win apiece, which they’ll be hoping to continue when they take to the Valvoline Raceway track, while surprise packet Jason Martin will be one of the underdogs heading into the event, having recently achieved his career-best result with a third-place finish in the NSW Title.

After a disappointing premature retirement in the recent NSW Title, Sean Dicker will be hoping to turn his luck around in the Australian Championship, while his brother Jamie, who recently finished an impressive fifth in the NSW Title, is going to be right amongst the front runners. Rewarded with his second career feature-race win earlier this season, youngster Harley Smee will be hoping to continue his momentum and come away with a pleasing Australian Title result, while previous minor podium finisher this season Jason Davis and father and son duo Graham and Daniel Flood will also be in attendance. The latter being the current Queensland Champion.

Northern NSW will be strongly represented, with 2016 Queensland Champion Trent Martin leading a group of contenders, which includes David Eggins, Robert Mazzer, veteran Mick Santin, Michael Butcher, Warren King and Natasha Herne, into battle.

Lou Pacchiarotta will be joined in the Australian Title field by his nephew Zac, while 2012 Australian Title podium finisher (third) and a recent returning driver to the class Joel Rhind, veteran Brian Briton, Sean Mayo, Kyle Mock, John McRae, Kyle Angel, Parker Eveleigh, Jamison Blyton (Mark’s son), O’Brien brothers Mitch and Leighton, Jeff Neve, Darryl Marshall, Troy Baker and Geoff Piekar are all aiming to run strongly throughout the heat races in the hope of giving themselves the best chance of qualifying into the feature race.

Completing the NSW nominations are Tyson Williams, Mitchell Pyne, Max Risbridger, Cody Boulding, Coby Elliott, Jacqui Salmon, Andrew Seery, Lawrence McDougall, Shane Chippindale, Nick Tatnell, Mitch Manning, Drew Hillman, Kyle and Jack Ionn, Jarrad Rust, Michael Gray, John Newman, Brock Gardiner, Wayne Arnold and Simon Bestmann.

The Australian Championship will be held over three nights, beginning on Thursday (February 1) with scrutineering during the day and the Calcutta at night. The following night (February 2) will see drivers hit the track to contest hot laps, three rounds of heat races and a preliminary feature race, with the fourth and final round of heat races, the D main, C main, B main and the Australian Championship-deciding feature race to be held on the Saturday night (February 3).

To find out more about the Australian Championship, contact Mick Parry on 0423 548 622.

For more information on the AWSR, visit their website at www.awsr.com.au or LIKE them on Facebook or Follow them on Instagram and Twitter by searching Australian Wingless Sprint Racing.

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