After a somewhat extended mid-season break in competition, racing resumes at Archerfield Speedway this Saturday night (March 25) with a big field of Sprintcars to contest round seven of the East Coast Logistics Track Championship. After this weekend, just four more nights of racing remain for Sprintcar teams before the final ever season of racing at Archerfield comes to a close with The Last Race, two huge nights of competition on June 2 and 3 that will culminate with a $15 000-to-win feature race. As such, it is hardly surprising to see 30+ nominations for this weekend, with time running out for those yet to secure their place in the history books by racing their way into victory lane.
Also on the program this week is round six of the Shock Absorber Therapy AMCA Nationals Track Championship, along with Formula 500s and Modlites.
Despite missing the last round due to commitments interstate, Luke Oldfield still sits atop the Track Championship leader board, such was his domination through the first six rounds with podium finishes on each occasion, including three wins. However, whilst his points advantage has obviously been lessened as a result of his absence, he still remains more than 51 points clear of second-placed Kevin Titman and brings winning form into the fixture with a feature race success in Lismore recently. Given that current form is the best measure by which we can predict the likely contenders for any given event, it might just be that Ryan Newton has earned the right to equal favouritism this weekend on the back of two impressive wins at home and away. After taking out round seven of the ECL Track Championship last month, Newton headed to Sydney’s Eastern Creek Speedway last weekend and spanked the locals to score an impressive feature race win, setting the scene for an epic showdown with Oldfield, with another 30+ competitors doing everything they can to ensure that neither of them emerge victorious….again.
Whilst his current position in the championship standings suggests Titman should be somewhere in the mix when the chequer falls on the 30-lap feature (which could be 35 laps if the pole qualifier is prepared to accept the BK Trading Challenge), it is perhaps Jy Corbet who looms as the biggest threat amongst the ECL series regulars. Corbet has been blisteringly fast at times this season and has featured on the podium, but he is yet to find his way into victory lane, an anomaly he will be desperate to rectify before the opportunity to do so disappears forever. Newton and Corbet currently sit third and fourth respectively behind Titman in the championship, the trio separated by less than eight points, with Trent Vardy currently sitting fifth overall, just four points clear of Brent Kratzmann. In a field brimming with graduates from other categories, Harry Stewart has been the pick of this bunch in his rookie season and he currently sits seventh in the standings, with Adam Butler, Brad Ayers and Mitch Gowland rounding out the top ten ahead of Aaron Kelly, all of whom are amongst the nominations for Saturday night. However, a very big threat comes in the form of recently deposed Australian titleholder Marcus Dumesny, whose national championship success came at Archerfield last season and who also picked up another feature race win here earlier this season in the opening round of the QLD/NSW States Series. With Dumesny in the mix, along with the likes of Randy Morgan, Taylor Prosser, five-time Australian Dirt Modified champion Kevin Britten and a returning Darren Jensen in his first appearance for the season, the scene is set for some spectacular action.
AMCA Nationals have consistently delivered great racing so far this season in the Shock Absorber Therapy Track Championship and this week should be no exception even in the absence of a couple of our usual frontrunners. No matter who is in the field though, Steve Potts is always at the pointy end of proceedings and his form coming into this round is particularly strong, having scored a runner-up result in Lismore followed by a feature race win in Kingaroy last weekend. Having won the previous track championship round, Lee McKinnell will most certainly take the challenge to Potts, and with Nathan Tomkins having outpaced McKinnell to score a runner-up result in Kingaroy, he is also expected to push Potts in what looms as a three-way fight. The likes of Brett Robotham and Nash Granger, who finished inside the top five last weekend, certainly cannot be overlooked as contenders, while NSW’s Paul Reeves would love nothing better than to steal a win from the locals.
Formula 500 competitors may need to work together in a bid to find a way of denying Liam Williams another feature race win, with former state titleholder James Kennedy perhaps the man most likely to corral the four-time national champ, while Modlite teams might have any even bigger challenge on their hands as they face the distinctly difficult proposition of preventing Terry Leerentveld and Klinton Hancey from continuing their domination of the results. Dan Lewis, Sam Gollschewsky, Sean Rose and Nathan Politch are all proven race winners, but they will need to be at their very best if their victory aspirations are to be realised.
Gates open at 3.00pm for online ticket holders, with general admission from 4.00pm and early racing on track from 5.00pm. The main program, which features round seven of the ECL Sprintcar Track Championship plus AMCA Nationals, Formula 500s and Modlites, gets underway from 6.00pm
East Coast Logistics Sprintcar Track Championship round seven nominations: Aaron Kelly, Adam Butler, Brad Ayers, Brent Kratzmann, Cody O’Connell, Dan Murray, Daniel Bridge, Daniel Helmore, Darren Jensen, Dave Fanning, Harry Stewart, James Matthews, Jayden Peacock, Jy Corbet, Kaydon Iverson, Kevin Britten, Kevin Titman, Kinser Claridge, Kye Jensen, Luke Oldfield, Marcus Dumesny, Mark Pholi, Mitch Gowland, Nash Morris, Nathan McFarlane, Randy Morgan, Richard Morgan, Ron Hendrickson, Ryan Newton, Tarhlea Apelt, Taylor Prosser, Tony Bridge, Trent Vardy, Tyler Stralow
Shock Absorber Therapy AMCA Nationals Track Championship round six nominations: Brett Robotham, Graeme Holland, Jai Jones, Lee McKinnell, Mark Taylor, Maverick Dack, Michael Denning, Nash Granger, Nathan Tomkins, Paul Reeves, Peter Greer, Robert Turner, Russ Hardy, Scott Hitchcock, Shane Stacey, Steve Potts, Troy Price
Formula 500 nominations: Amanda Chaffey, Brady Argles, Brodie Davis, Bryce McGregor, Brock Thornton, Boyd Chaffey, Cohen Archer, James Kennedy, Kacy Black, Liam Williams, Mark Farmer, Nathan Reeks, Noah Ball, Wayne Jukes
Modlites nominations: Beau Laverty, Brendan Tucker, Corey Stein, Cruise McVie, Dan Lewis, Dylan Richter, Fergus Coutts, Jake McRae, Klinton Hancey, Kyle Honour, Luke Harrison, Mark Troth, Mark Webster, Nathan Politch, Russell Martin, Sam Gollschewsky, Scott Lehfeldt, Sean Rose, Steve Collins, Terry Leerentveld, Trent McLean
For further information and event updates, please stay tuned to Facebook or the track website at www.brisbanespeedway.com.au
