With the arrival of World of Outlaws superstar Donny Schatz just two weeks away, round six of the East Coast Logistics Sprintcar Track Championship at Ausdeck Archerfield Speedway this Saturday night (December 14) is the final opportunity for teams to fine-tune their preparations under race conditions. As such, the entry list for this event offers considerable insight into just how the various teams feel with regard to their readiness to take on the world’s best Sprintcar driver. While some teams are seemingly very confident of their chances in the big shows scheduled for the weeks ahead and have opted to take the weekend off, the 25+ drivers who have nominated for Saturday night are not only looking to improve their overall position in the track championship standings, but also seeking to achieve a level of synchronicity between car, driver and the Archerfield track that will (hopefully) elevate them above their absent rivals and emerge as the biggest threats to Schatz and the other national and international stars who are coming to town during the Christmas/New Year period.
Also on the program this Saturday night will be round four of the Shock Absorber Therapy AMCA Nationals Track Championship, along with Compact Speedcars, RSA Sedans, Formula 500 Juniors and Ford vs Holden vs Sigma sedans.
Despite crashing out of the previous round, Kevin Titman continues to lead the ECL Track Championship ahead of Aaron Kelly, Ryan McNamara, Adam Butler and Brent Kratzmann. However, whilst his four nearest rivals are in the field this weekend, Titman is stepping out of the cockpit for the night, entrusting his JTR #59 to former Australian 360ci Sprintcar champion Chad Ely. In Titman’s absence, the South Australia-based Ely is tasked with consolidating, or expanding, the 25-point advantage that the Titman team currently enjoys in the championship chase. Of the chasers, Kelly, McNamara, Kratzmann and 6th-placed Callum Walker have all featured on the podium at various rounds thus far, while Butler has been a model of consistency whose mighty drive through the field in the previous round saw him climb to fourth, only to incur a post-race penalty for a restart infringement.
Also in the mix will be Mitchell Gee, Bryan Mann, Allan Woods, Brett Minett, Mitch Gowland and Randy Morgan. Gee is a former Queensland champ and was a winner here in round four, Mann is a former track champion and Woods is a proven feature race winner at Archerfield, while Minett has produced plenty of pace on several occasions so far this season but has been dogged by misfortune and bad luck. Meanwhile, Morgan and Gowland occupy eighth and ninth respectively in the standings and will be desperate to improve their position, as will crowd favourite Kristy Bonsey, who sits just three points outside the top ten. Meanwhile, after an inauspicious start to his stint as the replacement for Peter Lack in the Erhart Motorsport operation that saw him take a wild ride through turn four before finishing atop the concrete wall, Cody Maroske will be looking to deliver the team a much more resplendent result.
With most of the drivers who missed the previous round of the AMCA Nationals Track Championship back in action, a solid 20-car field will take to the track for round four, with Nathan Durston and category newcomer Troy Price heading into the event on the back of recent feature race wins at Bundaberg and Lismore respectively. Of course, this event poses a far greater challenge for the pair as they face off against Australian champion Matt Hardy and a collective of highly credentialed local aces such as Steve Potts, Thomas Vickery, Lee McKinnell, Russ Hardy and Nathan Tomkins, along with interstate challengers in the form of Terry Pankhurst, Lewis Gamble and Spano Gutierrez.
RSA Sedans will see a continuation of a rivalry that has revved up this season involving Wayne Kirkman, Michael Taylor and Daniel Taylor, while the three-pronged Dack attack of Dallas, Maverick and Kim will provide action aplenty as they face off against Bernie Wright and the rest of their Ford vs Holden vs Sigma rivals.
Robbie Stewart and Trent Usher are expected to set the pace in the Compact Speedcar events, while the Formula 500 Juniors numbers continue to grow as the next generation stars showcase their talents.
Gates open at 4.00pm, with early from 4.45pm. Sprintcar time trial qualifying is scheduled for 5.00pm, with the main program to kick off from 6.00pm.
East Coast Logistics Sprintcar Track Championship round six nominations: Aaron Kelly, Adam Butler, Allan Woods, Andrew Baumber, Andrew Corbet, Brent Kratzmann, Brett Minett, Bryan Mann, Callum Walker, Chad Ely, Cody Maroske, Cody Reynolds, David Kenway, Erin Vanderreyden, Geoff Davey, Kristy Bonsey, Libby Ellis, Luke Dougherty, Mark Pholi, Mitch Gowland, Mitchell Gee, Randy Morgan, Ron Hendrickson, Ryan McNamara, Scott Genrich, Tim Farrell
Shock Absorber Therapy AMCA Nationals Track Championship round four nominations: Ben Anderson, Brett Robotham, Bruce Marshall, Darren Miller, Graeme Holland, Jay Allen, Kevin Stow, Lee McKinnell, Lewis Gamble, Matt Hardy, Michael Denning, Nathan Durston, Nathan Tomkins, Robert Kynaston, Russ Hardy, Scott Hitchcock, Spano Gutierrez, Steve Potts, Terry Pankhurst, Thomas Vickery, Troy Price
RSA Sedan nominations: Aaron Buchanan, Adrian Browne, Daniel Taylor, Glen Lesslie, Greg Trezise, Jose Nichols, Michael Laver, Michael Taylor, Peter Van Lissum, Robert Donnelly, Russell Davis, Scott Taylor, Shannon Knight, Wayne Kirkman
Compact Speedcar nominations: Chris Podgeon, Connor McCullough, Dave Collins, David Everitt, Kirsty Kelly, Mark Maczek, Richard Rooke, Robbie Stewart, Trent Usher
Formula 500 Junior nominations: Boyd Chaffey, Jared Boys, Jy Corbet, Kacy Lee Black, Khiana Gay, Kyle Price, Ryan Newton, Taylor Morgan
Ford vs Holden vs Sigma nominations: Bernie Wright, Dallas Dack, Daniel Hillhouse, Daniel Wright, Jack Besgrove, Kim Dack, Maverick Dack, Terry Russell
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