WARREN THIRD AT SIMPSON SPEEDWAY BACK TO FRONT CHALLENGE
WINGLESS NEWS - 5 February, 2012
By Dean Thompson
A third place result sounds pretty good for most drivers in Speedway however when that third place result is achieved after starting from position fifteen that makes that third place even better. The thrills and the adrenalin at earning a third place from that far back in the field are however tempered somewhat when Warrnambool race driver Brad Warren’s plans for the Australian Championship in Sydney on the second weekend of February are thrown into chaos when engine issues caught the team out in the # 84 J & J chassis Wingless Sprintcar.
Luckily for Warren and the team car owner of the # 14 car Ken Wolf has handed over his spare race engine to allow the team to continue their planned trip to Sydney to try to win the national championship. “The situation isn’t ideal of course everybody prefers to use their own race engines and we are no different. However Ken & Cindy are just fantastic people and when they heard our dilemma Ken put his hand up and said come and get our spare engine. We are a top ten runner anywhere in the country and with eighty cars at Sydney this weekend we just had to be a part of it and race the calibre of drivers such as Gary Brazier a multiple Sprintcar Australian Champion, Daryl Clayden the current champion and everybody else involved.” Shared Paul Warren. (Brad’s father)
Before getting to the championship the team had one more run by entering the ‘Simpson Speedway’ Front Row Challenge where the top qualifiers can elect to start at the rear of the pack for the chance to win more cash with a dash from the back of the field.
With two third places in heat races it put Warren in the top qualifier bracket and at the back of the pack when top qualifier Paul Robilliard elected to start rear and drew a card that brought the next seven qualifiers with him to work from the back to the front.
The race produced plenty of action for fans with a number of stoppages including one as a result of a double rollover involving Peter Walters and Mick Parry. Robilliard motored on from last place to take the win in front of Sam Wren and Warren on five cylinders instead of the six he started the race with.
There wasn’t much time to bask in the thrill of having raced through a pack for a podium finish as the team headed to the Wolf’s, then for a sleep before waking and heading out to sponsor Richard Gloyne’s ‘Draintec’ business to put the engine into the car.
Brad talked about the engine concerns after the event to media. “It isn’t ideal. We won last week with our engine, finished third tonight with it and now we have to run somebody else’s. I’m just so thankful that as a result of Ken & Cindy’s (the Wolfs) generosity it means we won’t be watching the race which was looking the case. Thank you to all my crew also and my sponsors in particular Richard who enjoyed the night here at Simpson with us and has offered his business facilities for us to make the engine change over.”
Warren is one of a number of Victorian’s heading to Sydney to do Victoria proud before flying to Western Australia the week after to run in the Western Australian state championship. These are always important race meeting’s however this year very important to Brad as he is looking to step up to the Winged Sprintcars next season with championship victory under the belt.
Brad Warren Racing thanks all the teams’ partners.
Drain Tech
KFC Warrnambool
Coastal Tyres Warrnambool
Heath Bunting Racing
Coastal Car Rentals
Dave Langley Photography
Thomo’s Race Graphix
Victory Lane Racegear
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HALESWORTH RUNS TOP THREE AT AVALON SERIES ROUND
WINGLESS NEWS - 5 February, 2012
By Dean Thompson
Geelong racer Chris Halesworth continued his fine form kicking off 2012 with a couple of top three results, the latest being a third place in the ‘Parr Motorsport’ Wingless Series round six at Avalon Raceway.
Halesworth’s result draws him closer to the Dan Dubois and Dave McKay who were running first and second prior to the round as they both finished behind the # 90 race car whilst Halesworth is still in fourth position with a couple more rounds to go.
Halesworth competed in two heats beginning the first heat back in fourth place on the grid and propelling himself to second at the first turn. A race long battle between Mark Laity and Halesworth went the way of the Geelong driver when he assumed the lead close to the end of the heat race with Dayn Bentvelzan in third.
At this point of the evening happy with his car, Halesworth left the set up the same as the first heat to go into the second. In his second heat Halesworth began in fifth place and finished behind Brad Warren and Mark Laity earning himself a pole position for the twenty lap final with Laity alongside and Peter Green, Warren, Bentvelzan and Sam Wren amongst those close behind whilst Dubois and McKay were further back.
Some changes to tyre pressures were all that was really needed for the final along with a quick check of fuel to ensure enough to cover the laps and any caution roll around laps.
When the green flag dropped Halesworth led Green, Laity and Dayn Bentvalzen. With Halesworth holding the lead early a caution period allowed Laity to assume that position when the race restarted and he shot past.
From behind Warren made a high line pass to take second from Halesworth before he went on to pass Laity and win with Halesworth finishing in third place. Halesworth struggled to get driver out of the corners in the feature race and spoke after the race with media. “We went in with a slightly incorrect set up and just couldn’t get any drive out of the turns whilst people like Warren just blew around the outside of us all. However to take a podium place at our home track is great and to finish ahead of McKay, Dubois and James Wren makes it even better because these are the racers we need to beat right to the end the of the series to make a difference to our position in the standings.”
The result at Avalon was a nice follow up to a third place result at the Laang Speedway Gold Cup early in January were Halesworth also finished third however behind Damian Meade and Warren.
Halesworth will be on track again real soon with state championship events on in February.
Chris Halesworth Motorsport thanks its supporters:
Ben’s Bathroom Renovations
Parr Motorsports
Micallef Farm Services
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DUMESNY OUT-DICES LOUDOUN
SPRINTCAR NEWS - 5 February, 2012
By Dennis Newlyn
Mitchell Dumesny has claimed a thrilling victory in Saturday’s Sprintcar Track Championship pointscore round at Tyrepower Sydney Speedway. Dumesny came from behind to take the lead from tear-away, Ian Loudoun with only three laps remaining. Dumesny was superb on the rough and tumble surface that caught quite a few drivers out.
Ian Loudoun held on to place second after leading the majority of the race. He powered away at the late race restarts, however couldn’t keep first place when the leading duo hit lapped traffic. Loudoun was particularly good in the early stages passing Grant Tunks and then race leader Warren Ferguson.
Third across the finish line was Troy Little. Little who was scheduled to start towards the front was sent rear-of-field at the start after crew had worked on his car. Little worked his way through, lap after lap passing cars and by mid race distance was running ninth. This was a great effort by Little who has found form once again at Sydney Speedway.
Rounding out the top ten was Warren Ferguson, Grant Tunks, Clayton Hart, Darryl Campbell, Damian Abbott, Adrian Maher and Mark Blyton.
The only major incident of the race occurred eight laps from home when several cars including Queensland visitor Brett Thomas up-ended in turn two. All drivers walked away okay, albeit a little frustrated.
In the Speedcar division, Mark Brown and Matt Smith had a duel to be remembered fighting it out till the chequered flag. Brown eventually came out on top over Smith and Sprintcar convert, Sam Walsh placing third.
The AMCA Nationals went the way of Robert Chant over Laurence Chant and Terry Pankhurst.
Glenn Mitchell took the honours In the Street Stocks A-Main over Jay Davey and Shane Carlson.
The next meeting on the Tyrepower Sydney Speedway calendar is the Australian Wingless Sprints Championship, to be held next Friday & Saturday.
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MOULE BACK ON TOP
SPRINTCAR NEWS - 5 February, 2012
By Mandy Searle
Blue Ribbon Raceway put on some exciting racing for Round 7 of the Fire Service Plus Sprintcar All Star Series last night. The ACT26 Argus Racing QT Chassis driver Tony Moule showed why he is called ‘Mr Excitement’ as he took out the feature win. Leading the main from start to finish he took out a comfortable win over ACT15 Harley Bishop, with SA33 Mark Caruso, V4 Phil Lock and V97 Colin Brooks rounding out the top 5.
Moule and Noonan lining up on the front row for the start and Brooks and Caruso behind them any of these 4 could take out the win. Moule got the start and Brooks was up into 2 on the first lap. Brooks showed his nose to Moule in the early stages but had a moment in turn 2 which dropped him back to 8th. Bishop took advantage of this and up into second. The SA33 Caruso Team finally locked in a podium and hopefully took the monkey off their back for the rest of the season. “Farmer Phil” Lock in the V4 Cool moved forward cautiously and bought the car home in the top 5.
Youngster Jamie Hennessey in the V21 Hennessy Transport car had his second run in the 360 and showed his ability behind the wheel. Hennessy has run Formula 500’s in the past and will be one to watch next season when the team take on 360’s full time.
SA86 Brendan Guerin made the trip from Broken Hill and looked impressive in the early part of the night only to have mechanical problems that turned him hard right into the wall in turn 1, ending his night’s racing. Guerin recently won the Speedway Australia’s Rising Star Award.
“Unfortunately the track had audio issues and with limited phone service in the area we could not keep our Face Book and Twitter friends informed as well as we like to and apologise for that” Mandy Searle tells us.
“All drivers commented on what a great track the Horsham Club gave us. Again we had minimal damage on the night – with not 1 roll over on the night to bring out the reds. It’s awesome when this happens – I just love it, to get a night thru without any major car damage and to still have close racing it’s a credit to all the drivers.” says Searle.
Now the Series point challenge is really on with Harley Bishop taking the lead from Keke Falland by 11 points.
Top 5 Championship Points:
1684 - ACT15 Harley Bishop
1673 – SA78 Keke Falland
1581 – V66 Wayne Logue
1579 - V98 Mark Noonan
1526 - V4 Phil Lock
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BACK AT THE FRONT FOR BRAD WARREN RACING
WINGLESS NEWS - 3 February, 2012
By Dean Thompson
Brad Warren Racing is back on the winners list after a top drive at Avalon Raceway at Geelong when the soon to be 22 year old won round six of the ‘Parr Motorsports’ state Wingless Sprintcar series with a barnstorming win whilst bouncing back from the engine issues the team suffered recently at round five in Bairnsdale..
Earlier in the evening Warren competing in heat races finished fifth after starting in eighth place and then first starting from pole position to qualify himself out of position four for the eighteen car feature field.
The crew didn’t have a whole lot to do in the way of chasing set up for the night. With the race categories involved in the meeting not tearing up the track the conditions stayed pretty even through the night. With no mechanical issues the team stuck to a laid out plan and made minor adjustments to tyre pressures as the night rolled on.
Chris Halesworth qualified in pole position with Mark Laity outside of him then Peter Green with Dan Dubois and Dave McKay the point score front runners back in the pack along with Bairnsdale round winner Luke Cole and James Wren a series points contender.
When the green flag dropped Warren slipped back to fifth place whilst Halesworth led Green, Laity and Dayn Bentvalzen. A early race caution period allowed Warren in fifth position to work the top side of the track moving past Bentvalzen and then Green whilst Laity shot to the lead past Halesworth.
The crowd and track commentary were enjoying the show that Warren was putting on as he drove the high line passing Halesworth also. Once in second position Warren caught the tail end of Laity’s race car and put the pressure on by again moving up higher on the race track.
With another caution period interfering there would be an eight lap dash with Laity leading Warren. Warren put the # 84 J & J chassis up high and around Laity coming off turn two and bursting to the lead down the back straight before another stoppage with six laps to go.
At the restart Warren pulled away giving himself a great 22nd birthday present as he went on to win from Laity and Halesworth. Wren and Dubois rounded out the top five with Wren a star also having come through the B Main.
After the win Warren was delighted to talk to media. “We had been dealing with some engine issues at the wrong time of year for us. We took the car out to Redline recently and knew we had got things back on track whilst the race results didn’t show much there. So to come back out and win our second round of the ‘Parr Motorsports’ series has put everything back to where need to be in terms of engine condition. I would really like to thank my team and supporters for the encouragement and assistance as we sorted out the engine without you all this couldn’t be happening.”
Momentum for the team is now building for the national championships coming up in Sydney where Warren will campaign the # 84 DrainTech supported car before jetting off to Perth to run a Western Australian car in their state championship.
Brad Warren Racing thanks all the teams’ partners.
Drain Tech
KFC Warrnambool
Coastal Tyres Warrnambool
Heath Bunting Racing
Coastal Car Rentals
Dave Langley Photography
Thomo’s Race Graphix
Victory Lane Racegear
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HENNESSY DEBUTS SPRINTCARS WITH A PODIUM RESULT AT REDLINE RACEWAY
SPRINTCAR NEWS - 3 February, 2012
By Dean Thompson
Young Langwarrin racer James Hennessy made his Sprintcar debut at Ballarat’s Redline Raceway in the 360ci Sprintcar ‘Thunder on the Mount’ feature and came away with a magnificent third place behind regular winners Matthew Reed one of the best Sprintcar racers in Victoria if not the nation and Chris Solomon a regular 360ci Sprintcar feature race winner and the current series point score leader.
With two heat races to compete in before a twenty five lap final the rookie racer was reasonably calm about things before strapping himself into the V8 machine stepping up from his regular 600cc Formula 500 race car. “I’m quietly confident that I can handle the race car in race conditions. The track looks good and should have plenty of room to move around out there. I would be happy with finishing the feature in the top six tonight.” Is what Hennessy had to say before the racing begun.
Prior to the evenings events Hennessy who had sporadically run with the Formula 500s over a couple of seasons had a best result of qualifying pole at a state series round and a feature result of around sixth place as his best overall achievements in a competitive category with around thirty competitors each race meeting. Stepping into the Sprintcar was most certainly a challenge.
In the first heat on a track that dried out quickly due to the sun belting down on the clay track Hennessy finished in a respectable third place behind Paul Solomon and Wayne Logue around 5 seconds behind the race leader and a few car lengths behind second place.
In between heats the team kept an eye on changing track conditions and played with the set up shocks, springs and tyre pressures before heading onto the dirt for the second heat.
Over a ten lap distance the team got it right as much to the delight of mum, dad, family and friends Hennessy rocketed around the race track to take a four second win in front of the series point’s leader Chris Solomon and experienced racer Domain Ramsey in his second heat.
Watching from in the pit enclosure dad Leon couldn’t contain his excitement. “We all know James can drive, it’s just application and concentration that we all need on race night that we have to take care of. We will go and change the set up again because we are getting into the night air now and the moisture will start to come out of the race track for the final. We have probably put ourselves on the front two rows with qualifying. Our sixth place aim at the start of the night is looking like it is something we might even out do.”
In fact Hennessy more than beat their qualifying prediction, they smashed it by qualifying pole position in their first ever Sprintcar race meeting with Reed starting alongside and Ken Hutchins behind after all three who were equal on points were separated by lap times to determine positioning.
Early goings in the feature race had Hennessy and Reed take turns in the lead before Reed secured the position and Hennessy slipped back a little way down the field to fifth and sixth. Reed had Paul Solomon, Hutchins, Wayne Logue, Chris Solomon, Hennessy and Ramsey all in hot pursuit.
Hennessy began the recovery of positions as the race wore on getting back past Hutchins and Logue into fourth place and looking comfortable with others behind. Paul Solomon blew a tyre and moved out of the racing line letting Chris Solomon into second and Hennessy back into third place and that’s how the positions remained behind eventual race winner Matthew Reed.
After the race the laid back James Hennessy didn’t have much to say at all whilst his father Leon was keen to offer him another drive. “The way this deal works is I need James to work on the race car during the week. If he can do that then he can race, as simple as that. If he wants to go to Moama this coming weekend then we will do that if he chips in. His mother and I couldn’t be more proud of his racing than we are right now and we look forward to seeing the next chapter either at Moama or somewhere else real soon.”
James Hennessy is proudly supported by Hennessy Transport & Williams Graphix.
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KEN HUTCHINS FINISHES STRONG IN THE LEADING BUNCH AT REDLINE RACEWAY
SPRINTCAR NEWS - 3 February, 2012
By Dean Thompson
Ken Hutchins Motorsport recently ran at Ballarat’s Redline Raceway and pushed the top drivers in the field to pull out great performances as he monstered his little 327ci Chev powered Sprintcar up against the bigger 360ci race engines of those drivers around the banking of the Mount Buninyong circuit and came away with a fantastic fourth place finish behind one of Victoria’s & Australia’s best steerers Matthew Reed, in form driver Chris Solomon and rookie racer James Hennessy.
Hutchins had been keen to race close to home in front of sponsors, family and friends and support the venue he is a member of and being a driver in the Rolling Thunder Raceway & Redline Raceway combined series for Sprintcars running this summer he was looking forward to a good showing amongst a talented field, however finishing fourth was beyond his expectations given his lower horse powered engine compared to what the competition has at their disposal.
In his first heat Hutchins was running behind Chris Solomon when the championship leader spun out of contention and handed the heat victory to Hutchins in front of Domain Ramsay and Matt Reed. Delighted with a win the only adjustments the team looked to do was tyre pressures and cleaning of the car as Hutchins prides himself in having his sponsor signage clean each time the car hits the dirt.
In the second Hutchins Motorsports qualifying heat, the # 49 machine finished third behind Reed and Kristy Ellis to tie him on equal top points for the evening with Hennessy and Reed before fastest heat race lap times separated them into starting positions for the feature event.
With a third place start in the twenty five lap feature Hutchins initially ran second and third before slipping back into the clutches of firstly Paul Solomon and then brother Chris. Hutchins ran a good pace dicing with Wayne Logue, Hennessey and Ramsay for a while before Hennessy settled back in front of him.
With Reed out in front comfortably Hutchins moved from fifth to fourth when Paul Solomon dropped out of contention with a flat tyre and finished six seconds behind the race winner and five and a half seconds in front of fifth place Ramsay.
Result was Reed, Chris Solomon, Hennessy, Hutchins and Ramsay and Logue both fancied competitors.
After the race Ken was understandably stoked. “To be this competitive and place so strongly with an engine giving away 33 cubes I am wrapt. I couldn’t have done it without the support of my sponsors and Gary Bruce and my wife Benissa. I’m really glad they could be here tonight and be a part of a great result. Redline was great tonight and I can’t wait to come back later in the season. I have a 360ci engine however I might take some convincing to use it next time we come here. “
Ken Hutchins Motorsport is supported by:
QPL Lubricants
R & C Nibas Auto Engine Reconditioning
Air Design Custom Airbrushing
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BROOKE TATNELL & KMS, AUSTRALIAN SPRINTCAR CHAMPIONS
SPRINTCAR NEWS - 1 February, 2012
By Krikke Motorsport PR
Brooke Tatnell and the Krikke Motorsport Team have successfully defended their Australian Sprintcar Title with a spectacular victory in the 50th running of the Championship event at Adelaide’s Speedway City on Sunday 29 January 2012.
At the conclusion of Night One, Tatnell was tenth in points and confident going into what was scheduled to be the final night on Saturday 28 January 2012, but the night was rained out during the first round of heats, before the Krikke Motorsport machine had turned a racing lap.
With Night Two of the Championship event rescheduled for Sunday, Tatnell was in the first heat to hit the track, starting the 10-lap race from the outside of the front row. He got the jump at the start and powered his Toyota Genuine Parts Cool machine away from the field, opening up a quarter of a lap lead with seven to go. Brooke maintained his lead to take a dominant win – a sign of what was to come later in the night.
With the field inverted for the second heat, the Australian Sprintcar Champion started from ninth. With a diminished field of only seven cars, he charged into sixth off the start, then battled for fifth, swapping positions before making a move with seven to go. He quickly pulled an inside pass to take fourth, and ran his Australia #1 machine around the high line chasing down third, but was unable to make a pass, finishing fourth and earning valuable points for the Championship final.
The Krikke Motorsport pilot started the 40-lap A-Main from the outside of the third row – the same position as the year before. Brooke held sixth off the start, before charging the Black Deuce into fifth with 36 to go. He ran the high line, then moved down low to make an inside pass for fourth. The following lap saw Tatnell move to third, then back to fourth two laps later. An epic battle for position ensued, with Tatnell running side-by-side with his opponent. He pulled a masterful slide job to take third with 24 laps remaining, then encountered lapped traffic which saw him move to fourth. A caution period halted the charge near half-race distance, following which Brooke restarted in fourth, again running sideby-side in a battle for position. A red light stoppage followed, after which he restarted in third, and quickly stormed the Krikke Motorsport machine into second.
He ran side-by-side for the lead, taking first with 10 laps remaining. He soon found himself in lapped traffic, weaving through the slower cars and holding a commanding lead to take his fifth, and Krikke Motorsport’s seventh Australian Sprintcar Title.
“I’ve said it a million times, I drive for the best team, I’ve got the best crew chief out there, and I’ve got the best crew guys out there”, said an elated Tatnell.
“This was a team effort, but I am a firm believer that this was just one of those things where the stars aligned. We say there’s nights that it’s meant to be, and it’s this or it’s that, but I’ve got to say it’s special because my family was here, my mum was here, having Krikke’s here – I wish Ryan was here this year, he missed last year and he’s missed this year. But to do it under that grandstand [the George Tatnell Grandstand] with dad’s name on it, and Kym Bonython’s name on it, it doesn’t get any more special than this. To have five championships – dad’s number. I sit here and say right now five is great, until next year when I’ll say I want number six. I can’t say enough about these guys. We haven’t had the strongest of years results-wise, but we’ve had a strong year performancewise, and I’m just really, really proud of my guys and really proud that we got another one up there for Krikke Motorsport.”
“Winning the Australian Title tonight, it’s unbelievable”, said Krikke Motorsport Crew Chief Pete Caporn. “We have got the best driver in the country, and the team owners are the best in the country as well. There’s nothing here that we lack as a combination and it’s just unreal to win the Aussie Title. Hopefully we can keep this rolling and finish off the year strongly.”
“Well what more can you say – we just won the Australian Title!” exclaimed Krikke Motorsport Team Owner Shane Krikke. “It’s a fantastic feeling. We’ve had such a tough year; we’re on our fourth car, we’ve had a few engine ups and downs, and the guys have worked bloody hard. To come out and win the Australian Title again, go back to back, and that’s five for Brooke now, and seven for Krikke Motorsport, so we’re all very happy at the minute. Now we’ve got to go to the car wash and start working again. The guys have to hit the road tomorrow to get organised to go to Kalgoorlie, so not a lot of rest for the wicked. But it’s a fantastic feeling, all of sudden our year’s not that bad.”
Brooke Tatnell and the Krikke Motorsport Team now head across to Kalgoorlie for the resumption of World Series Sprintcars on Wednesday 1 February 2012.
Krikke MotorSport would like to thank their ongoing sponsorship partners:
Toyota Genuine Parts, AJC Professional Coating Services, Cool Chassis, Maxwill Race Engines, Mercure Hotel Parramatta, Mega Motors, PWR, BR Motorsports, A1 Digital Sign Shop, Valvoline, A.Lucas Spraypainters, GT Fabrication, Revolution Racegear, Pioneer, Alberts Car Stereo Bunbury, Vortex & Team BCM
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HOUSE STRIKES GOLD IN KALGOORLIE
F500 NEWS - 1 February, 2012
By Mark House
Mark House has won West Coast Series round 5 ahead of Shane Andersson and Cody Turrachio.
Competitors left the mild coastal weather to be greeted with hot and dry goldfields conditions, as they amassed in the afternoon at Kalgoorlie Speedway. 21 cars made the second night of the double-header, with Bill Richards withdrawing after engine damage in Esperance, and Travis Bell recovering with soreness after a wild ride in the feature race.
Some teams had used the generosity of Graham and Amanda Terry offering a F500 ‘service centre’ at their property in town to prepare vehicles for racing, whilst other competitors struggled in the heat to change cars set-up from Esperance – 365m on the curb, to Kalgoorlie – 450m in length.
Mercifully racing began after sundown, with heat wins going to Graham Terry, Aaron Fulgrabe, Adrian Fogliani, Aaron Higgins, Jason Pryde, Shane Andersson, Brock Nanovich and Mark House with two heat wins.
Two separate heat race incidents to the current series leader; David Sinagra and runner-up; Aaron Higgins would shape the championship. Sinagra had an electric water-pump failure, and without a spare was forced to completely change his fuel-system back over to carburettors. Higgins motor let go in the final heat of the night, unfortunately leaving the 22 in the pits for the feature race.
19 cars graced the start of the feature race, with Mark House on pole for the second night running, with Cody Turrachio outside on the front row, backing up from a strong feature race in Esperance with good results in the heats. Graham Terry and Shane Andersson filled the second row.
On the green and House took the lead with Turrachio looking inside out of two for a run down the back straight. Sinagra grabbed a heap of spots in the first lap after starting close to last and Andersson moved into third, as Jason Priolo pulled infield. House continued to lead with Adrian Fogliani swapping places with Graham Terry for fourth.
House started to get into traffic and as with Esperance the night before, with the track slick, and a one-lane groove, found it hard to keep the momentum and keep moving forward.
Drifting out to a wider line and Turrachio slipped under House into the main straight and took the lead. A lap or so later and Turrachio got a little off-groove in turn two, and House slipped back underneath to regain the front spot. Brett Janssen and Andrew Priolo were forced to retire and with a couple of laps to go, a skirmish in turn two with a couple of cars at the rear of the field caused House to check-up, and Turrachio climbed over the left-rear of House in slowing down as the yellows came on. The yellow couldn’t come fast enough to cool tyres down, and help tighten cars up for the remaining laps.
With a green-white-chequer finish it was House, Turrachio, Andersson and Terry. On the re-start, House got the jump and drove off; with Andersson taking Turrachio for second after the 85 of Turrachio suffered some damage in the contact with House, leaving his handling compromised.
House took the chequered flag, finishing the race with the fastest lap for the division on the night. Andersson’s second place made up for a disappointing DNF in the feature in Esperance, and Cody Turrachio finished a fantastic weekend for the debut of his new HRC, with his second podium for the weekend. Graham Terry’s 4th place gave the local driver his best result for the series, and plenty of support from the local crowd. In retrospect House was relieved to survive – putting his car in the trailer at night’s end with a flat left rear.
House bagged a twin tonne of 100 points per round to jump into second in the championship, 12 points behind Sinagra, with Higgins 52 point’s further back in third, followed by a few points by Pryde in 4th. With the WA State Title this weekend, round 6 of 8 follows immediately after at the ultra-fast Bunbury Speedway on the 11th of Feb.
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KINSER: "I'VE HAD ENOUGH TIME OFF. I'M READY TO GO RACE."
USA SPRINTCAR NEWS - 1 February, 2012
By World of Outlaws Sprint Car Series PR
It's that point of the year when the offseason is winding down; just not quickly enough.
Cars are being assembled and plans made. And the itch to get back in the seat is more vibrant than ever. For a guy like Steve Kinser, the King of the Outlaws and the winningest driver in sprint car history, it isn't any different.
"Right now all of the guys are trying to get these cars finished up and head to Volusia," he said. "I've had enough time off. I'm ready to go race."
The World of Outlaws opens the season on Feb. 17-18-19 at the 41st annual UNOH DIRTcar Nationals Presented by Summit Racing Equipment at Volusia Speedway Park in Barberville, Fla. It's an event that includes all three major World of Outlaws series competing Feb. 14-25.
Kinser won the first two races at the fast, half-mile oval last year, which started a season when he finished with nine victories. He also place third in the standings - his 28th season with a top-three result in the 34 years of the World of Outlaws.
"That's a bonus," Kinser said of starting the season with a win. "It's not that critical. There have been a lot of times when I've sort of struggled for three or four weeks and got going on later in the year."
The Bloomington, Ind., native, who holds the all-time record of World of Outlaws victories with 570 and championships with 20, has claimed a series-best four wins at Volusia Speedway Park along with Tony Stewart Racing teammate Donny Schatz.
Last year, Kinser qualified in the top 10 each night, finished second in his heat race each night, won the dash twice and finished no worse than second in a feature.
"I like running Volusia," he said. "It's a good, fast race track, even if it's slick. It's the kind of track we really like to run on."
While Kinser said he doesn't know whether three-time NASCAR Sprint Cup champion Tony Stewart will race any sprint car events - he will be in nearby Daytona in preparation for NASCAR's Daytona 500 - that adds to the great environment at Tony Stewart Racing.
"He's not afraid to jump in there," Kinser said. "Nobody really gives anyone advice. We just try to feed each other information."
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SPRINTCAR, SPEEDCAR AND SEDAN SPEEDFEST THIS SATURDAY @ NYORA RACEWAY
GENERAL NEWS - 1 February, 2012
By Brett Swanson
This Saturday night (February 4th) is a bonus night of speedway action for fans of Nyora Raceway with the rained out program from back on November 26th, being rescheduled to this weekend with nearly all of the original classes back on the schedule.
In a boon for open wheel fans the VSC Sprintcars, Speedcars (midgets), and Victorian Mini Sprints will headline the program with Standard Saloons, VSC Open Sedans and historic classes completing the action packed line-up.
The VSC Sprintcars are in the middle of a very competitive season with Shane Fisher, Rod Bowman and Warwick Taylor all scoring feature wins and no-one able to win more than once. Add to this the return of multiple Victorian Champion and last start Nyora feature winner Peter Logue and it could be anybody’s race.
Victorian Speedcars has become the domain of second generation racer Travis Mills of late with wins at Warrnanbool and last weekend at Avalon (Geelong), however the mighty midgets haven’t raced at the tight Grundy Avenue bowl for a few seasons so it could be open slather for the win.
The Victorian Mini Sprints too have been open with Matt Parsons taking the win last time at Nyora but rookie Simon Bent has had a couple of runner up positions and will be trying to go one better as will Amy Phillips who’s been on the podium both times at Nyora this season.
Standard Saloons always provide close fender to fender racing and Saturday should be no different while the Nyora Rocketz will add more sedan racing to the program.
The final category on the night will be some spirited demonstrations from some beautiful historic speedway vehicles. Whether you’re young or old you can still appreciate the beauty and quirkiness of some of these machines from yesteryear.
Racing action begins at 5:00
Nyora Raceway is located in Grundy Avenue, Nyora
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BACK TO BUSINESS FOR THE EUREKA SPRINTCAR SERIES
SPRINTCAR NEWS - 1 February, 2012
By Ian Vale
The Eureka Garages & Sheds Sprintcar Series returns to Heartland Raceway this Saturday night the 4th of February for round ten of the Series, with the Series now moving into the final few rounds the competition level is stepping up a notch with yet another class field of thirty six competitors representing four States. Three of the drivers in the field have tasted success as Eureka Series Champions, current Champion John Vogels will have Mike Van Bremen and Matthew Reed joining him, these drivers have over thirteen Series Championships between them and will be out to try and defeat current Eureka Series points leader Jamie Veal on the big open spaces of the Heartland Raceway.
Jamie Veal took the win in round three at this venue earlier in the season with a very impressive performance which has seen him hold the lead of the Series so far. On the last visit to this venue the racing was nothing short of sensational with two and three wide racing all night long. Domain Ramsay was one of the stars on that occasion defeating Stephen Bell in a heat race that had everyone on there toes and then Ramsay went on to put in his best drive of the season to date with a third place after starting out of position nine in the main event, the Essendon Ford driver is excited to be returning to the Echuca/Moama venue and is looking to continue the good runs he has had there.
Looking at the strength of the field this is once again going to be a tough affair just qualify into the A Main, With Matthew Reed joining in this weekend he may be the cat among the pigeons, Matthew is always fast at Heartland and has had some epic battles for the lead on a few occasion. Stephen Bell will be back again in the V88 Matt Eastham J&J to strut his stuff, Stephen entertained the crowd at the last round here with his skill using all the track and showing great speed. Darren Mollenoyux also has unfinished business at Heartland Raceway while running in third place when a caution light came on Mollenoyux had an altercation with a slowing car that saw him come to a stop which resulted in the Parr Motorsports V77 GF1 having to go to the rear of the field for the restart. Mollenoyux put in a sterling drive to finish the race in fifth place hot on John Vogels tail.
John Vogels and Tim Rankin will continue there battle once again that has seen the two driver’s trade third place in the standings on a few occasions. Joining New South Wales’s Eddie Lumbar who considers Heartland to be his home track will be Jeremy Cross, N39 and Glen Saville, N75 all three drivers had a run in the recent Australian Sprintcar Title with mixed results but will be on the pace for this weekends round of the Eureka Garages and Sheds Series.
South Australia have once again got two of there journey men in the field, Daniel Pestka and Glen Sutherland, Kurt Luttrell who will representing Tasmania is fresh and ready to go once again after a little break, Kurt did the early round here this season and his knowledge of the venue now will help him immensely.
Bendigo’s Darren Hickman is another driver that has put in impressive performances at Heartland Raceway and might be the sleeper in the pack.
Joining Darren will be a host of the Series regulars, Dennis Jones, the impressive rookie Brenten Farrer, Michael Phillips, Ryan Davis, Rod Matthews who has been showing good form more often than not also the quite boys from Warrnambool way Carl Ludeman, Jack Lee and the fast Tim Van Ginneken.
The Nephew and Uncle show of Nick Lacey and Kris Lacey will make there first appearance this season at Heartland as well while Adam King, Troy Wolley, Peter Milnes and a host of other drivers that make up the thirty six car field will be pushing for a shot at making the Eureka Garages and Sheds A Main.
At last weekends Australian Sprintcar Title Jamie Veal took the seat in the Dave Horrell Q83 car and was very impressive over three nights of racing to finish the Title race in fourth place, so the question now is can anyone track down and beat the inform Jamie Veal who will be back in his own machinery? Saturday at Heartland Raceway Echuca/ Moama is the place to be for that answer.
More information for this event can be found at www.heatlandraceway.com
Eureka Garages and Sheds Sprintcar Series Top Twenty:
KTM Top 10 - (350 EXC-F)
(End of Series random draw between 1st & 10th place)
1st – V35 Jamie Veal - 2803
2nd – V77 Darren Mollenoyux - 2666
3rd – V47 Tim Rankin - 2381
4th – V70 John Vogels - 2353
5th – V68 Brett Milburn - 2344
6th – V6 Mike Van Bremen - 2260
7th – V9 Rod Matthews - 1928
8th – V17 Dennis Jones - 1872
9th – V20 Domain Ramsay - 1747
10th – V14 Carl Ludeman - 1724
Essendon Ford – Trip to America
(End of Series random draw between 11th & 20th place)
11th – T45 Kurt Luttrell - 1709
12th – V57 Michael Phillips - 1706
13th – V26 Nick Lacey -1677
14th – N36 Eddie Lumbar - 1633
15th – S20 Glen Sutherland - 1544
16th – V74 Michael Cunningham - 1497
17th – V48 Adam King - 1462
18th – V86 Tim Van Ginneken - 1355
19th – V95 Ryan Davis - 1305
20th – V88 Stephen Bell - 1297
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SINAGRA SNEAKS VICTORY IN ESPERANCE
F500 NEWS - 1 February, 2012
By Mark House
David Sinagra has won West Coast Series round 4 ahead of Mark House and Cody Turrachio.
24 cars made the journey to Esperance as part of the first leg of a double header weekend for the F500’s WA WCS, with round 5 the following night in Kalgoorlie. The round trip from Perth is 1720kms, and the weekend proved to be a very tough test for drivers and crews alike.
The following race report has been taken from the Esperance Speedway website – www.esperancespeedway.com.au
Heat 1 was won by Adrian Fogliani with a flying Brock Nanovich in second with Shane Anderson in third – the fastest lap being 14.91seconds.
Heat 2 started with favourite contenders David Sinagra on pole alongside Mark House. Within ¼ of a lap House stormed to the lead taking the win from Sinagra with Andrew Priolo in third place. Fastest Lap 14.25 seconds.
Heat 3 Travis Bell got a great start from the front row alongside Aaron Higgins taking out the heat from Higgins with Jason Priolo in third. Esperance local Keith Miller retired to the infield with a broken chain and was joined by Kalgoorlie’s Graham Terry. Fastest Lap 14.64 seconds.
Heat 4 Once again the outside vehicle on the front row took out the win – driver being Grant Perry with Brent Lockwood second and Jason Priolo taking out his second third, the fastest lap being 14.78 seconds.
Heat 5 had Brett Jansen on pole accompanied by Andrew Priolo with Mark House alongside Aaron Higgins on the second row. Within 3 laps Mark House overtook Higgins after a great tussle. After a couple of minor incidents the race was declared before the last lap was completed with House and Higgins taking places – exactly where and who the other driver was escaped this correspondent’s notice.
Heat 6 commenced with Aaron Fullgrabe on pole alongside Adrian Fogliani with Brock Nanovich and Travis Bell on the second row. Bell pulled infield before the start with Nanovich taking second place on lap 2. Fogliani came in first followed by Nanovich with Cody Turrachio third. Fastest lap time was reduced to 14.18 seconds for the night.
Heat 7 Jason Pryde on pole with Grant Perry alongside, Mark House and Shane Anderson on the second row. Glen Carstairs turned it around in turn 4 part way through the race whilst Mark House who was having a great tussle for second place with Grant Perry made an outside move two laps from home coming in behind Jason Pryde relegating Perry to third placing. Fastest lap 14.29 seconds
Heat 8 Tristin Caley came out on pole with Aaron Fullgrabe alongside. Brock Nanovich and Aaron Higgins shared the second row. After five laps Nanovich took over the second position and stormed past Aaron Fullgrabe on the final lap to take the win. Caley ended up in third place. Fastest lap 14.60 seconds
Heat 9 the two Kalgoorlie contenders in Ben Robinson and Graham Terry shared the front row with Adrian Fogliani and David Sinagra on the second. Sinagra showed his tenacity for a win by taking the lead in turn 3 on the first lap. He was never headed taking the win from Terry and Robinson respectively. The fastest lap time for the heat of 14.18 seconds equalled the time set in heat 6.
FEATURE: Despite next to no incidents throughout the heats, the 30 lap feature with 20 starters was full of action. The front row was shared with Mark House on pole accompanied by Brock Nanovich with Graham Terry and Aaron Higgins on row 2, and David Sinagra with Adrian Fogliani on row 3.
After one car spun right on the start line a complete re-start was ordered but before one lap was completed after Brad Warwick ended up with a flat tyre.
Re-start number two ensured with Tristin Caley having pulled infield, however Brent Lockwood performed a double flip in turn 3 causing another full re-start.
The fourth attempt at a start was successful, but without Grant Perry and Shane Anderson bringing the vehicle count down to 15 cars. As was the case with all the other starts Mark House bolted away. Sinagra moved up into second place after 3 laps but then the race was stopped after another spectacular rollover between turns 3 and 4 involving Travis Bell who had to retire infield joining his Corrigin mate Tristin Caley.
At the re-start the positions were House, Sinagra, Nanovich, and Higgins in the top four positions. Jason Priolo retired after 10 laps and was joined by Aaron Higgins not long after. The front runners had changed positions to House, Sinagra, Turrachio and Nanovich with those positions remaining for the next 10 laps or so.
Mark House who had a significant lead found it rapidly being diminished as he was held up by slower traffic with a fast closing David Sinagra behind. With around 8 laps remaining Sinagra snatched the lead taking out the round from House with Turrachio and Nanovich rounding out the top four positions of Round 4 of the series.
No fastest lap time has been provided at the time of writing, however it is very clear that the fastest time in the heats of 14.18 seconds which represents almost a full second less than the previous record or 15.12 seconds on the longer track means that the old record would definitely have gone had the track not been shortened.
A great evening’s entertainment which as always is provided by the Formula 500 brigade.
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KAVANAGH DOUBLES UP WITH A WIN AT DROUIN
SDAV HOT ROD NEWS - 31 January, 2012
By Dean Thompson
Ten SDAV Rod’s made the trek to Drouin Speedway on a very hot Sunday for a hit out at the venue that will hold the Victorian Championship for the division in March with the current champion Jason Kavanagh (# 1 RaceTrans & Developments) leading home Allen Luckett and Phil Jenkins in difficult conditions.
With only two heats instead of the usual three due to the heat, dust and water shortage Phil Jenkins had a all the way win in heat one in the best of the track conditions for the day. Jenkins (# 3 P & S Automotive) who is known to like the small bull-ring type race tracks held off Eddie Ivermee and a hard charging Russ Hovey who began in eighth place to clinch the win with Kavanagh in fourth with Luckett, Ray Welsh, Jason May (# 9 Mega Auto Parts), Dean West, Kali Hovey and Shannon Meakins all finishing.
In tough conditions in heat two Russ Hovey (# 26 Ribeau Transport) beat his daughter Kali in the race to the turn one lead and held the lead for a brief period of time before pulling his race car infield with what he thought was a blown engine only to discover two spark plug leads had come off. Kavanagh from fifth place on the grid assumed the lead soon after and led Luckett (# 16 Intech Motorsport & Dyno), Ivermee, Welsh, West, Jenkins, May & Kali Hovey to the finish. Meakins damaged a front end and that was his afternoon over with whilst Ivermee started to have engine concerns despite finishing third in this heat.
In a shortened feature due to the heat and track conditions Kavanagh led all the way to win the final from Luckett, Jenkins, West (# 4 Ace Timber & Fencing), May, Welsh and Kali Hovey whilst Ivermee didn’t start.
Second placed driver Allen Luckett looked forward towards the Victorian Championship at the same venue in a month. “It's no secret I like it here. I have a win here and I’m one of the drivers who are comfortable at this venue. I look forward to being right amongst it when we come back for the state championship. Congrats to Jason and his team for today’s win and for everybody else who did so well in tough conditions.”
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CAR AND BIKE ACTION AT WANGARATTA SPEEDWAY
GENERAL NEWS - 31 January, 2012
By Peter Whitten
Motorsport fans will get double the enjoyment at this weekend’s Wangaratta Speedway meeting, with cars and motorbikes on the start list for a full night of racing.
Motorbikes, both solos and sidecars, are racing in Wangaratta for the first time this season, with competitors from the Broadford Motorcycle Club battling it out on the oval track.
With the recent hot weather the track should be in tip-top condition, with racing commencing at 4pm.
Four-wheeled fans will see the local GOS category cars for the first time this season, as well as GP Midgets, Standard Saloons and Juniors.
Vic Sports Sedan drivers will be fine-tuning their machines on the night, in preparation for their Victorian State Title to be held in Wangaratta on February 25.
Likewise, the Compact Speedcars and sidecar motorbikes will have their state titles on the same night, while the Standard Saloon drivers are gearing up for their state title on March 10 and 11.
Gates open for spectators at 12pm, with racing to start at 4pm and will continue until around 11.00pm.
All categories will race several times during the night, with finals at the end of the program to follow the preliminary heats.
Entry to the track is $20 for adults, $15 for pensioners, with children under 16 admitted free if accompanied by an adult. A full commentary, event program and catering facilities are offered, as well as access to the pits* for those interested in taking a closer look at the competing cars, and for a chance to meet the drivers.
For further information on the Wangaratta Motor Sports Club, visit their website (www.wangcityspeedway.org.au), or phone 0427 308 976.
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