MARCUS DUMESNY WINS 2022 AUSTRALIAN SPRINTCAR CHAMPIONSHIP

Official release: Sprintcars Australia

May 2, 2022

Marcus Dumesny is the 2022 Titan Garages and Sheds SCCA Australian Sprintcar Champion.
It had been 20 years since his famous father Max won his final Aussie title at Parramatta and now the 22 year old third generation racer has his first.

In a dramatic 40-lap A-Main where some of the biggest names in the game traded some spectacular passes and passing attempts, Dumesny emerged triumphant in the #47 Valvoline Maxim at a packed Archerfield Speedway, Brisbane.

Despite rain earlier in the day that persisted into later afternoon the sunshine came out and so did the fans to fill the Colebard St clayway for one of the most memorable Australian titles in recent memory.

Dumesny started the title from position ten and steadily worked his way through towards the lead as title favourites in front of him went to war with some monumental slide jobs and bold passing attempts.

He passed pole-sitter and leader Lockie McHugh with three laps remaining using a deft slide job in turn two but the red lights came on one lap later after as McHugh flipped heavily in the heat of battle with defending champion Jamie Veal and Tassie livewire Jock Goodyer began to close.

“That red light wasn’t ideal at all,” Dumesny later smiled, “because I had about five minutes to think about it. That wasn’t a dream result. I thought about those three laps about twenty thousand times. I knew I just had to stay cool.”

His moves from the fifth row of the grid were methodical and measured.
“I started picking them off one by one and then we all got strung out for about fifteen or so laps, we all had a steady pace and I thought surely this isn’t the way it’s going to end. 

I know that Jock and Vealy started to catch Locky and they threw some bombs and I thought ‘there’s something happening here.’ I don’t know what happened but there was a little bit of a gap there and I took it. Next thing you know I’m in second. Locky was a straightaway in front so I just chomped at that, next thing I’m like I’m going for it. I backed it in, made it stick. I still can’t believe it.” Lockie McHugh was certainly the car to beat all weekend.

The Gold Coast throttle stomper had won both his heats the night before and set quickest time in his group, plus finished fourth in the A-Main to give him high points coming into Night Two.

Placing fifth in his final heat for the weekend he began the Championship final from pole alongside defending champion Jamie Veal.

The ECP Racing Leigh-Smith Yachts #7 Cool led for almost the entire race before Dumesny’s pass on lap thirty-seven.

Veal and Goodyer tried several times to relieve him of the lead spot as the front runners ran inches from the wall on the cushion at both ends of the track.

His eventual flip was a jarring wreck and a disappointing end to what had been a businesslike title assault. McHugh was not the only casualty on that lap.

Aaron Kelly tagged the turn four cushion which subsequently turned the #Q7 hard into the turn four wall spinning and landing on his side before the hapless Brock Hallett slammed into him flipping Kelly hard on to the infield.

Hallett would restart and finish ninth as the last car running – his result not a true reflection of his potential and speed in the GW Racing #13. Jamie Veal was in the hunt the entire weekend.

The defending champion ran second in the preliminary A-Main on Night One and began the 40-lap final alongside McHugh.

Veal was placed second for much of the race before being slid by Jock Goodyer but later in the race making his play for the #1 spot as the SWI Engineering entry came on fast. Matt Dumesny was dead set unlucky.

In the mix all weekend the driver of the Valvoline #57 had the right rear wheel hub shatter and send him into the wall at the same time as McHugh flipped ending what had been a speedy weekend that promised plenty.

Jock Goodyer was a hot title prospect all weekend – the decision by the team to base themselves out of Brisbane for the last two years reaping rewards in terms of Goodyer’s growing speed and fan base.

He tried a big move on McHugh in turn four and all but flipped the T22 as he wheel stood perilously close to the wall which bound up and he and Veal and allowed McHugh to open up a handy gap. It also allowed Marcus Dumesny to get a run on Veal and Goodyer and move up to second in less than half a lap.

Luke Oldfield was fast on night one, winning the preliminary A-Main and coming into the points on Night Two in second place behind McHugh.

The weekend turned sour in his final heat race however when he rode the right wheel of Nick Whell and flipped the Q17.

He returned to start the A-Main from position seven but tagged the wall near the pit gate and damaged his right rear tyre around half race distance and it began deflating rapidly during a red light stoppage when Matt Egel and Robbie Farr came together down the back straight on lap twenty four.

It was the second time for the weekend that the pair got tangled up in an incident on the back straight.
They had both advanced from the B-Main to be battling for a top ten result in the A-Main before their incident near the pit gate out of turn two.

Oldfield limped to the infield in a disappointing end to a weekend that had promised so much.
Jordyn Brazier spun on lap thirteen and Nicholas Whell joined the party to bring on the cautions.

The first stoppage of the main came on lap three when Taylor Prosser and Dave Fanning made contact and Fanning spun shortly after in turn four.

Ian Madsen flew under the radar for entire weekend in the DTM Motorsport #4 and was in top five territory throughout – his eventual fourth place finish was consistent but not what the hard charging Sydneysider wanted before his return to the USA to drive the Guy Forbrook entry.

Tate Frost certainly made an impact on his Archerfield debut finishing fifth and throwing some monster sliders late in the big dance after starting a credible ninth.
Tasmanian Jamie Bricknell pulled off a last lap transfer to snag an A-Main start on the final lap of the B and then made an admirable run to sixth in the Championship final in the T55.

Nicholas Whell was the first and only Queenslander home in eighth with the ultra-consistent Daniel Pestka home in seventh as the best placed South Aussie.

Steven Lines will have to wait another year for a shot at title glory with a disappointing DNF in the immaculate Horrell Motorsport #83 after starting on the outside front row but retiring with a broken shock tower on lap thirteen.

Final results Titan Garages and Sheds 2022 SCCA Australian Sprintcar Championship A-Main:

1. Marcus Dumesny  2. Jamie Veal  3. Jock Goodyer  4. Ian Madsen  5. Tate Frost
   6. Jamie Bricknell  7. Daniel Pestka  8. Nicholas Whell  9. Brock Hallett

B-Main results:

1. Robbie Farr  2. Matt Egel  3. Taylor Prosser  4. Jamie Bricknell  5. Luke Stirton
   6. Randy Morgan  7. Peter Doukas  8. Richard Morgan  9. Bryan Mann  10. Brenton Farrer
   11. Darren Jensen  12. Tim Farrell.

C-Main results:

1. Chris McInerney  2. Brenton Farrer  3. Will Carroll  4. Mitch Gowland
5. Libby Ellis  6. Jason King  7. James Matthews