HUGE FIELDS FOR EASTER OPEN WHEEL EXTRAVAGANZA

Michael Saller is one of 40+ drivers Sprintcar drivers competing on Saturday night.

  Photo by: Chris Metcalf

 This Saturday night, April 16, the largest gathering of competitors seen at Brisbane’s Archerfield Speedway this season will hit the track, with more than 150 nominations across six racing categories. 

Headed by a 40-strong field contesting round 13 of the East Coast Logistics Sprintcar Track Championship, which also doubles as round two of the Easter Tri-Series, stacked fields of Midgets, Wingless Sprints, Formula 500s and Lightning Sprints have also been secured, with interstate entries aplenty across all divisions. 

It is hardly a surprise to see so many Sprintcar competitors taking part given that this meeting will be the final outing at Archerfield before the Titan Garages Australian Championship is decided on April 30/May 1, while the level of competitor support across all other categories is exceptional and sets the scene for a massive night of open wheel action.

With last Saturday night falling victim to inclement weather, current ECL series leader Luke Oldfield is yet to secure an opportunity to bounce back from his disappointing result in round 12 and will certainly need to be at his very best if he hopes to upstage a field the includes drivers from four states, all of whom are seeking the perfect preparation for their Australian Championship campaign. 

Despite the presence of former national titleholder Robbie Farr, two-time Grand Annual Classic winner Steven Lines, Tasmanian top gun Jock Goodyer and third-generation racer Matthew Dumesny, along with the posse of precocious young talents that have really stepped up in recent weeks. 

Oldfield has earned the right to pre-race favouritism through his domination of the ECL track championship series thus far with five wins and ten top-five finishes from 12 starts, in fact, Goodyer, Lines and one of the aforementioned young guns in Ryan Newton are the only other drivers in the field who have visited victory lane in ECL competition this season, leaving a lot of drivers with a lot of work to do in finding the kind of form that might make them a contender in the national title. 

Of the 35 others, only Farr, Aaron Kelly, Jy Corbet, Taylor Prosser, Tim Farrell, Kevin Titman and South Australia’s Brock Hallett have finished on the podium this season, while the likes of Bryan Mann, Ryan McNamara, Allan Woods, Adam Butler, Darren Jensen, Randy Morgan, Karl Hoffmans and Brent Kratzmann have all featured inside the top five on one or more occasions in ECL feature race action. 

Having spent the season so far competing interstate with some success, Callum Walker was a feature winner at Archerfield last season and his return adds another genuine contender into the fold, while the NSW-based duo of Michael Saller and Jessie Attard are no strangers to the Brisbane track and will certainly be in the thick of the action.

 After a very bizarre, and somewhat embarrassing, display at the previous round, the Midget brigade will be looking to make amends in round nine of the TFH Series and the quality of the field should certainly help in ensuring a return to the high quality competition that the Midgets typically deliver, with New South Wales pitching their top competitors into battle against the series regulars.

Australian champion Matt Smith returns to the scene of his national title triumph earlier in the season and, with current Queensland titleholder Nathan Smee and newly-crowned Victorian champ Matt Jackson also trekking north, the locals face a formidable threat. 

Of the series regulars, Michael Kendall has been the standout with three TFH feature race wins and should be very confident that he, along with the likes of Charlie Brown, Rusty Whittaker, Scott Farmer, Casey O’Connell, Dylan Menz and Darren Vine, will have sufficient firepower to send the southerners home empty-handed.

 Drivers from as far afield as north Queensland, South Australia and all points in between are amongst the entries for round two of the Formula 500 Easter Tri-Series.

In fact, the biggest field of the season will hit the track for the showdown as Kurt Wilson, Tomas Partington and Liam Williams – the only three drivers in the 28-car field to have won a feature race at Archerfield this season – lead the local line-up in defending their territory.

 Based in the far north of Queensland but competing in Brisbane regularly this season, Kaydon Iverson and Brodie Davis have both made multiple appearances on the podium and should again be a serious threat despite the addition of fellow northerners John Magro, Ash Ewing, Ryan Potts, Mitch Whitmore and Josh Pokarier, plus hotshoes from New South Wales (Blake Matthews, Jac Laynerie, Hayden Pascoe), Victoria (Max Owen, Declan Robinson, Angus Hollis) and South Australia (Jordan Mansell).

 As has been the case at every appearance so far this season, the Wingless Sprint events will exude a State of Origin vibe with eleven drivers from New South Wales amongst the 34 entries.

The fact that drivers from south of the border have won five of the eight feature races contested at Archerfield this season should certainly have the locals fired up and ready to restore local pride and, whilst Robert Mazzer, Liam Atkinson, Lachlan Robertson and Jayden O’Toole are expected to lead the charge, the inclusion of South Australian ace Joel Chadwick in the field only serves to raise the stakes even further.

 Having struggled to gather more than 10-12 cars throughout the season until now, the Lightning Sprint fraternity have stepped up this weekend with more than 20 competitor nominations, including drivers from New South Wales and Victoria. Of the visitors, Jordan Binskin and Peter Styles loom as the duo most likely to upstage a local contingent headed by Andy Kimm, who has enjoyed a very successful season thus far, including four feature race wins at Archerfield.   

 Gates open at 3.00pm for online ticketholders, with general admission ticket sales from 4.00pm. Early racing commences at 4.30pm and the main program, which will also feature the future stars of the Formula 500 Juniors, gets underway from 6.00pm.

 East Coast Logistics Sprintcar Track Championship round 14 nominations:

Aaron Kelly, Adam Butler, Allan Woods, Andrew Baumber, Brent Kratzmann, Brock Hallet, Bryan Mann, Callum Walker, Dan Murray, Darren Jensen, James Matthews, Jared Desmares, Jason King, Jessie Attard, Jock Goodyer, Jy Corbet, Karl Hoffmans, Kevin Titman, Kristy Bonsey, Lachlan Caunt, Libby Ellis, Luke Oldfield, Luke Thomas, Mark Pholi, Matthew Dumesny, Michael Saller, Mitch Gowland, Nicholas Whell, Peter Campbell, Randy Morgan, Richard Morgan, Robbie Farr, Ryan McNamara, Ryan Newton, Sam Bylsma, Steven Lines, Tarhlea Apelt, Taylor Prosser, Tim Farrell, Trent Vardy, Warren Ferguson.

 TFH Midget Series round nine nominations: 

Barry Gibbs, Bernie Clarke, Brad Dawson, Casey O’Connell, Charlie Brown, Chris Moor, Darren Vine, DJ Raw, Dylan Menz, Gary Rooke, Gavin McDowell, Jesse Harris, Kody Stothard, Lachlan Paulger, Matt Jackson, Matt Smith, Michael Kendall, Nathan Mathers, Nathan Smee, Rob Stewart, Rusty Whittaker, Scott Doyle, Scott Jeynes, Scott Farmer, Tony Stephen

 Formula 500 Easter Tri-Series round two nominations:

Amanda Chaffey, Angus Hollis, Ash Ewing, Blake Matthews, Brady Argles, Boyd Chaffey, Brock Thornton, Brodie Davis, Bryce McGregor, Declan Robinson, Hayden Pascoe, Jac Laynerie, Jake Hooper, Jarred Boys, John Magro, Jordan Mansell, Josh Pokarier, Kaydon Iverson, Kinser Claridge, Kurt Wilson, Liam Williams, Max Owen, Mitch Whitmore, Mitchell Whittaker, Nathan Reeks, Noah Ball, Ryan Potts, Tom Partington 

 Wingless Sprint Easter Trail round two nominations:

Adam Hotchkis, Andrew Robinson, Anthony Joyce, Ashleigh Jack, Brett Hehir, Brody Thomsen, Chris Catchpole, Corey O’Toole, Dave Sansby, Ian Milnes, Ian O’Toole, Jacob Jolley, Jacqui Salmon, James Grady, Jamie Usher, Jarvis Menzies, Jason Bates, Jayden O’Toole, Joel Chadwick, Josh Bartlett, Kevin Willis, Kyle Ionn, Lance Dawson, Lachlan Robertson, Lance Dawson, Liam Atkinson, Mason Cattell, Ray Eggins, Robert Ionn, Robert Mazzer, Ross Guy, Ryan Harris, Scott Thomsen, Stephen Pocock, Stuart Jefferies

 Lightning Sprint Easter Trail round two nominations:

 Aaron Seller, Ally Moore, Andy Kimm, Darren Baldwin, Harley Graham, James Elliott, Jarrod Iacono, Jim Kennedy, Jordan Binskin, Maureen Sell, Michael Gollagher, Peter Styles, Rohnan Wells, Sam Graham, Scott Genrich, Scott Jukes, Sean Iacono, Tyler Stralow, Tyron Herbert, Wayne Iacono, Wayne Jukes

 Formula 500 Junior nominations: 

Axel Rudolph, Bailey Leeson, Brock Hughes, Brooke Wilson, Chay Corbet, Daisy Smith, Jai Bateman, Riley Ohlback, Sean Rae

 For further information and event updates, please stay tuned to Facebook or the track website at www.brisbanespeedway.com.au