After being one of the fastest drivers throughout the weekend, Joel Chadwick was rewarded with victory in the 2017 Powranna Plant Hire Australian Wingless Sprint Championship at Carrick Speedway in Tasmania tonight.
Chadwick, from Adelaide in South Australia, qualified out of position two for the Australian Championship deciding feature race alongside pole sitter Luke Weel (Vic), and was able to set the pace for the entire 35-lap distance.
Despite pressure from Weel over the opening 15 laps and then from local Luke Redpath in the latter stages, Chadwick, who finished sixth in last season’s Australian Championship, kept his cool and then went on to greet the chequered flag as the winner.
In what was a first-class drive, Chadwick was a thoroughly deserving winner and now becomes the third South Australian-based driver to win the Australian Wingless Sprint Championship behind Rory Button (2009) and Todd Wigzell (2012 and 2015).
Photo: Angryman Photography
For the second season in a row, second-place in the Australian Championship was filled by a Tasmanian-based driver. On this occasion, Luke Redpath drove an outstanding race and came home second. During the latter half of the race, Redpath, who had started from position three, had caught Chadwick, but he was unable to affect a pass and had to settle for second. Despite missing out on the win, Redpath and his team were rapt with their performance.
Photo: Angryman Photography
Scott Thomsen (Qld) completed the podium in third place and was satisfied with his result. He raced hard throughout the feature race from his position four start and well and truly did the state of Queensland proud.
Finishing just off the podium in fourth was Daniel Storer (Vic) ahead of Glenn Watts (Vic), veteran Peter Logue (Vic), Jeremy Smith (Tas), Sam Wren (Vic), outing Australian Champion Daniel Hartigan (WA) and Tony Moule (Vic) in 10th. Due to failing to directly qualify into the feature race, Hartigan started from position 21, due to his provisional start as defending champion, and he worked his way through to bring it home in ninth.
Luke Storer (Vic), Wayne Hurford (Vic), Jack Crossin (Tas), Chris Breen (Tas), Mathew Balcombe (Vic), Jason Langdon (Vic) and Steve Thomsen (Qld) completed the remaining finishers.
The heartbreak story of the feature race was Weel. After qualifying on pole position for the Australian Championship deciding feature race for the second season in a row, Weel was running strongly in second up until he suffered a broken left front torsion arm and was forced to retire to the infield. Once again, it was a case of what might’ve been for Weel, when it comes to the Australian Championship. However, despite the obvious disappointment, Weel showed once again why he’s one of the country’s leading Wingless Sprint drivers.
Apart from Weel, another spectacular exit from the feature race was B-main winner and ex-Tasmanian Champion Bradley Herbert, who crashed out between turns three and four on lap 20. This turned out to be the feature race’s only stoppage. Herbert was OK, but he was left to rue the way his Australian Championship campaign ended.
Other feature-race retirements were Bradley Walkley (Tas) and Josh Padman (Tas).
In the B main, Bradley Herbert drove to the win and booked his spot in the feature-race field, along with Chris Breen (Tas), Walkley and Steve Thomsen (Qld). Those to miss out on a transfer were Jamie Rolls (Tas) and youngster Carly Walsh (Vic). Both Rolls and Walsh were used the feature-race reserves but were not required.
The B main saw a number of major crashes. The first was on lap seven, when leaders, Mick Parry (Vic) and Matthew Symons (Vic), clashed in turns three and four and it resulted in Symons rolling over. This incident also involved Sam Borlini (NT) and Ebony Hobson (Vic), who were following right behind in third and fourth. While Symons and Borlini were eliminated, both Parry and Hobson restarted. On lap 14, both Hobson and Parry retired. Parry, who sat in second, crashed heavily into the turn four wall, while Hobson, who was impressively leading at the time, retired to the infield, due to an overheating engine.
Geoff Cook (Vic) picked up the C-main win and transferred into the B main, along with second-placed Jake Power (Tas). Joe Turnbull (Tas) and Glen Harris (Vic) missed out on transfers after finishing in third and fourth respectively.
In tonight’s final two rounds of heat races, the wins were shared between Weel (x 2), Crossin, Whitchurch, Wren, Symons, Breen and Hobson. There were a number of spectacular incidents during the heat-race action, as the drivers raced hard to consolidate points or reclaim lost points from the previous night. Hartigan and Breen clashed in turn four in heat-race 11 which resulted in both drivers failing to finish. Then, in heat-race 13, Tom Payet (WA) rolled over in turns three and four. Payet’s crash brought to an end what was a tough weekend for the current and three-time Western Australian Champion. In the following heat race, Luke Storer had a mechanical issue that led to a DNF, but he had still enough points to qualify directly into the feature race. The 16th and final heat race saw one of the biggest crashes of the entire weekend. Brad Whitchurch, the two-time Tasmanian Champion and the state’s form driver heading into the Australian Championship weekend, was battling for the lead with fellow local Wade Lello, after contact was made between the pair as they entered turn one. This contact sent Whitchurch into a series of vicious flips. Whitchurch wasn’t injured in the crash, but his car was totally destroyed. Despite still being 12th on points heading into the feature race, he was a non-starter. Hadyn McBain (Tas) was another retirement from the final heat race, due to crashing heavily into the turn two infield tyre wall after contact with another rival.
The beginning of the Australian Championship final night saw Jeremy Smith judged as the best presented car and crew of the weekend.
All results are to remain unofficial, up until engine checks are completed, which are required to be done within a 21-day period.
The Australian Wingless Sprint Racing committee would like to thank all of the drivers, crews, supporters, sponsors, officials and the Carrick Speedway teams, for their wonderful efforts throughout the weekend in order to make this year’s Australian Championship one to remember.
For more information about the AWSR, visit their website at www.awsr.com.au or LIKE them on Facebook or Follow them on Twitter by searching Australian Wingless Sprint Racing.
Photo: Angryman Photography