There’s more than one reason for Lightning Sprint drivers to look forward to Easter Sunday, with Toowoomba’s Hi-Tec Oils Speedway hosting their annual Silver Cup, presented by Blatch’s Mechanical Repairs, which boasts not one, but two feature races.
Attracting the biggest field the club has seen so far this season with 18 drivers locked in for battle, this season’s Silver Cup is no doubt going to produce some extremely competitive racing, with each racer striving for nothing but their best as they attempt to claim top honours.
Proving in last season’s running of the event that home track advantage definitely counts for something, defending Silver Cup Champion and Toowoomba local Keith Blatch will be looking to repeat history this time around to claim back to back wins, but it’s not going to be easy for him.
Also no strangers to the Toowoomba venue, the three-strong Iacono clan, which consists of former Queensland Title holders Sean and Wayne Iacono, the latter of which is Sean’s uncle, along with Wayne’s son Jayden Iacono, will be tough to beat when they take to home soil in search of Silver Cup glory.
Reaching new heights this season by taking out the biggest win of his career during the Queensland Title at Kingaroy Speedway back in December, Jason Rae will have many eyes on him as he attempts to add more silverware to his collection, while former Australian Champion Kurt Wilson from Lismore in NSW has previously proven that he has what it takes to win the event, doing so in the 2016-17 season.
Following what was an impressive outing during the Queensland Title which saw him place third, rookie driver Tyler Stralow will be hoping to continue the pleasing momentum he has so far experienced in his debut season, while another newcomer in Scott Jukes will look to do the same.
NSW-based driver Pete Styles will be expected to fare well when he takes to the track, as will regular front-runners Andrew Sparks, Michael Gollagher and David Van Vegchel.
Completing the nominations will be Darren Baldwin, Adam Norton, Rob Holmes, Derek Wells, Jim Henchcraft and James Elliot, each of whom will be hoping to achieve a strong result.
The unique Silver Cup format will see each driver compete in one heat race each before the first of two feature races. The first, over 15 laps will see drivers line up, fastest to the front, based on lap times from the heat races. The second feature race, over an increased distance of 20 laps, will be a full inversion of the opening feature race.
The winner of the Silver Cup will be the driver who has banked the most points at the completion of the event, winning $500 for their efforts.
The QLSRA would like to thank Blatch’s Mechanical Repairs for their support of the Silver Cup. Toowoomba’s first and only environmentally conscious workshop, Blatch’s Mechanical Repairs offer regular or once off servicing to ensure your vehicle is operating at its full capacity. Contact them on 07 4638 3533 to find out more or visit their website at www.blatchsmechanicalrepairs.com.au.
To find out more about the QLSRA, visit their website www.queenslandlightningsprints.com or FOLLOW them on Facebook by searching Queensland Lightning Sprints.
Blatch’s Mechanical Silver Cup Nominations (18):
Q1 Jason Rae
Q3 Michael Gollagher
Q7 Adam Norton
Q16 Kurt Wilson
Q18 Rob Holmes
Q20 Wayne Iacono
Q21 Sean Iacono
Q22 Jayden Iacono
Q33 Darren Baldwin
Q34 Scott Jukes
N45 Pete Styles
Q48 David Van Vegchel
Q51 Tyler Stralow
Q55 Derek Wells
Q73 Jim Henchcraft
Q77 Keith Blatch
Q88 James Elliot
Q94 Andrew Sparks
