No less than 48 drivers will be taking to the track at Murray Bridge Speedway this weekend in an attempt to claim top honours in this season’s running of the South Australian Wingless Sprint Title, but with defending champion Joel Chadwick amongst the nominations, it’s certainly not going to be easy.
Having already created history as the first ever driver to win three South Australian Titles on the trot, home-state hero Chadwick is no doubt going to be a hot favourite heading into the two-night event, but that’s not to say he won’t have a battle on his hands, with numerous other past and present titleholders going up against him.
Photo: Savage Shots Photography
After a stellar performance during last month’s Australian Championship at Warrnambool’s Premier Speedway, many eyes will be on Alex Ross (Vic) as he makes his first appearance as Australian Champion aboard the Michael Uebergang-owned car in an effort to back up his recent winning result.
Making a guest appearance in the driver’s seat of the Mathew Balcombe-owned Vic # 28 machine, current and four-time Western Australian Champion Tom Payet (WA) has proven time and time again that he knows exactly what it takes to win a state title event and he will be likely to fare well, with Balcombe also joining him on the track in his own Vic # 23 car.
Current Victorian Champion Luke Storer will be another of the drivers who will be flying the flag for Victoria, as will his older brother Daniel, with the pair having recently come away with top-10 finishes in the Australian Championship.
Joining them will be current Australia # 2 Luke Weel, who has experienced a banner season so far, being unlucky not to win the Victorian Title, along with fellow Victorians Chris Halesworth, Carly Walsh, Alex Thomson, Geoff Cook, Ben Doukas, Steven Hateley, Adam Smith and Shaun Clapp.
The lone representative for New South Wales will be regular front-runner Jason Bates, who will be hoping to do his state proud, while South Australian Joel Heinrich, who has recently made the transition into road racing via the Supercars division, will be looking for a strong finish.
Another driver to make a cameo appearance aboard the Michael Pitcher-owned Wingless Sprint will be former South Australian Champion Jarman Dalitz, who will no doubt be hoping to reclaim the crown, while hard-chargers Mitchell Broome, Brett Ireland and Brent Fox will also be ones to watch.
A host of other South Australian drivers will all be vying for a pleasing result, including Jake Ashworth, Michael Spoljaric, Anthony Tapley, who will be driving for Andrew May, Darryl Sloan, Kirby Hillyer and many more. For a full list of nominations, click the follow link: https://awsr.com.au/event/557/.
The South Australian Title format will see drivers contest three rounds of heat races and preliminary feature race on the opening night of competition, followed by a final round of heat races, a C main, a B main and the South Australian Title-deciding feature race on Saturday night.
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.