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Kicking Up The Dirt - SuperCheap Auto Track Championship–Round12
Joanne White posted Sunday February 28, 2016.

Sprintcar Rookie Lachlan McHugh last night broke through for his maiden round win after taking second in the first of the Twin 20-lap feature events and backing it up with a win in the second. Having secured his first Sprintcar podium just a fortnight ago, McHugh was keen to climb a little higher on the podium and despite being only a rookie in the division, showed a level of skill and determination that should have his rivals more than a little worried. Luke Oldfield took the win in the first of the 20-lap feature events, with Lachlan McHugh in second and Mitchell Gee third. Brent Kratzmann and Paul Morris rounded out the top five finishers. The second 20-lap A-Main, where the top eight starters had been inverted by Oldfield after winning the first feature, was won by Lachlan McHugh, with Mitchell Gee in second and Luke Oldfield rounding out the podium. David Whell and Bryan Mann completed the top five. Lachlan McHugh took out the round win, with Luke Oldfield officially second and Mitchell Gee third. David Whell and Brad Ayers completed the top five for the weekend.

Luke Oldfield started the night in flying form, securing quick time in qualifying when he stopped the clock at a quick 11.644 seconds. Bryan Mann was some 0.177 seconds slower, his 11.821 enough to secure second quickest ahead of Andrew Scheuerle's 11.907 second lap. Scheuerle was third fastest while Lachlan McHugh, with an 11.912 was just five thousandths of a second slower than Scheuerle and the only other car to make it into the 11-second bracket. Paul Morris rounded out the fastest five, with a 12.007, only narrowly beating Brent Kratzmann who stopped the clock at 12.008 seconds. Deep in the field Rob Hamilton beat Dylan Menz by just 0.001 seconds, while the top 22 cars were separated by just 0.940 seconds. Unfortunately for Richard Morgan mechanical problems on board the Q54 racer during hot laps and qualifying saw his night end very prematurely.

Heat one started with Wayne Iacono and Scott Doyle from the front row, with hard chargers Brandon Rawlings and Mark Pholi right behind. The first start was aborted with officials deeming Doyle to have jumped the start. Doyle was relegated to the second row for the restart, gifting a front row start to Pholi. Iacono got the jump on the start and lead the field for the first lap before handing the lead to Pholi. Mid-field Kevin Titman slipped underneath Brandon Rawlings as the raced through turn four for the first time, and while Titman quickly caught the tail of Doyle, Rawlings was left to fend off the advances of Luke Oldfield and Brent Kratzmann. Oldfield was all over the back of Rawlings, searching the high side for a way past, while Titman was relentless in his efforts to find a way past Doyle, working the bottom and never letting up. Mark Pholi went on to take the win ahead of Scott Doyle and Kevin Titman, while Luke Oldfield and Brandon Rawlings raced side-by-side past the chequered flag. Oldfield managed to secure fourth by just 0.022 seconds, with Rawlings in fifth ahead of Brent Kratzmann, Wayne Iacono, Nelson Reddacliff and Rob Hamilton.

Dylan Menz and Brad Ayers shared the front row for the start of heat two, with Andrew Liebke and Anthony Lambert out of row two. Ayers got the jump on the start and quickly secured the race lead, while Lambert raced around Menz to steal second as Mitchell Gee raced underneath Liebke, and then Menz, to make his way into third by the end of the second corner. Gee then slid under Lambert as they navigated turn four, to make his way into second by the end of the first lap, and before long was challenging Ayers for the lead. Gee had a big look on the inside of Ayers as they raced through turn two just a few laps into the race, but Ayers was not going to surrender the lead without a fight and within half a lap had not only managed to maintain his lead, but generate a small margin over Gee. Andrew Liebke slipped under Dylan Menz, while Bryan Mann preferred the high line before switching to the low side as he too made his way past Menz a few laps later. Mann spent a couple of patient laps searching the high line for a way past Liebke, before racing around the outside of Liebke in turn two. Brad Ayers went on to take the win ahead of Mitchell Gee, Bryan Mann, Anthony Lambert and Andrew Liebke, with Paul Morris in sixth ahead of Dylan Menz, Simon Jupe and Darren Silcock.

Heat three hit the track, with Dave Fanning from pole and Dale Shilleto alongside. Once again the first start was aborted, officials this time relegating Shilleto to the second row and elevating Steven White, in his first race in two years, now from the front row. Fanning got the jump on the start and quickly settled into the race lead, with White in second ahead of Shilleto and Dan Murray. Shilleto raced beautifully underneath White as they rounded turn four at the end of the first lap, and while White tried to fight back on the low line a lap later, he wasn’t quite close enough to pull off a pass. Lachlan McHugh was on a mission had a great run on the high line to race around Dan Murray, before turning his attention to White and challenging White for position. McHugh was relentless, fast and determined, but smart and patient, searching for the right opportunity. The race was quickly brought under caution though when James Grady spun the Q40 racer on the inside edge of turn four. Dave Fanning lead the restart with six laps still to run, with Shilleto, White and McHugh behind him. When the lights went green once more McHugh wasted no time at all and immediately took to the high line to race around White and set his sights on Shilleto, making his way into second just one lap into the restart and turning his focus to Fanning and the race lead. Mid-field, White was doing his best to hold off Andrew Scheuerle, but after just a couple of laps Scheuerle raced underneath White and they headed down the back straight, and while White tried to fight back, he was soon forced on the defensive as Dan Murray began putting the pressure on. Meanwhile, at the front of the field Lachlan McHugh had relieved Dave Fanning of the race lead and began opening a sizable margin over his rivals. McHugh, having initially started from position seven on the starting grid, went on to take the win, about a quarter of a lap ahead of Dave Fanning in second and Dale Shilleto in third. Andrew Scheuerle was fourth across the line and led Steven White, David Whell, Callum Walker, Dan Murray and James Grady across the line.

Heat four started with Wayne Iacono from pole position and Andrew Liebke alongside and Dave Fanning and Anthony Lambert right behind. Iacono got the jump on the start and led the field into turn one, with Fanning in second and Liebke having a massive drive around the outside of both Fanning and Iacono to challenge for the lead by the time they exited turn two. Iacono fought back hard on the low side, the pair nearly coming to disaster as they raced down the back straight, but Iacono was able to hang on to maintain the race lead, leaving Liebke in second, while Fanning stepped up the pace and began challenging Liebke for position. The race was soon brought under caution though as Lachlan McHugh, battling with Brent Kratzmann mid-field as they searched for a way past Dave Whell, spun the NQ23 racer to a stop in the middle of the track between turns three and four. McHugh restarted at the rear of the field while Iacono, Liebke and Fanning led the restart. Dave Whell put pressure on Fanning, while Liebke searched for a way past Iacono, only to find Fanning on his tail just a couple laps later. Fanning had a big look up the inside of Liebke, with Liebke then having a massive look around the outside of Iacono, only for Fanning to slide underneath Liebke and steal second when he opened the door for a fraction in turn two. McHugh was quickly weaving his way through the field, desperately trying to make up lost ground and making impressive progress past some more experienced rivals. Brent Kratzmann had a strong run in the beautifully presented Q4 racer, quickly closing in on Liebke as the laps wore on, really putting up a challenge but unable to make it stick, with McHugh closing in on the battle in the closing stages of the race. Wayne Iacono went on to take a hard-fought and very well deserved win, with Dave Fanning in second ahead of Brent Kratzmann, who had slipped underneath Andrew Liebke just a few laps from home. Andrew Liebke finished fourth and led Lachlan McHugh, Dave Whell, Anthony Lambert, Paul Morris and Rob Hamilton across the line.

Heat five started with Dylan Menz from pole position and Dale Shilleto alongside. Menz got the jump on the start and settled into the race lead, but Shilleto took to the high line and found some extra momentum coming out of turn two to race around the outside of Menz and steal the lead as they headed towards turn three. Menz fought back hard, while Callum Walker had a look on the inside of the pair and Mitchell Gee worked the high line looking for way through, all the while under pressure from Kevin Titman. Gee got past Walker and Menz, while Titman and Walker exchanged positions several times before Walker secured the advantage and began challenging Menz, while Gee put all kinds of pressure on Shilleto before eventually stealing the lead. Further back in the field Luke Oldfield was trying to make his way forward after starting from position eight, chasing down Kevin Titman and Dylan Menz and closing in on Callum Walker. Titman and Oldfield both weaved their way through the field, but simply ran out of laps before they could catch race leader Mitchell Gee. The race was brought under caution just a couple of laps from the chequered flag, for the spun car of Dylan Menz in turn two. Mitchell Gee went on to take the win ahead of Kevin Titman and Luke Oldfield, with Dale Shilleto, Callum Walker, Darren Silcock and Dylan Menz rounding out the finishers. Brad Ayers, who had spun to the infield just a few laps into the race, was the only driver who did not finish the event.

The sixth and final heat of the night started with Dan Murray and Brandon Rawlings from the front row, with Steven White and Nelson Reddacliff right behind and hard chargers Andrew Scheuerle and Bryan Mann coming from the rear of the field. Murray got the initial jump on the start, but he and Rawlings raced side-by-side into turn one, while Scheuerle began passing cars and was challenging White, and Mark Pholi, for fourth by the time they hit turn four. With barely a lap completed the race was brought under caution for the spun car of James Grady in turn four. Rawlings led the restart from Murray, Reddacliff, White, Pholi and Scheuerle. Bryan Mann began working his way closer to the front of the field while Scheuerle raced underneath Pholi and set his sights on White. Bryan Mann was making impressive progress through the field, racing underneath White before going around Reddacliff just a couple of laps later. Brandon Rawlings went on to take the win ahead of Andrew Scheuerle, Dan Murray and Bryan Mann, with Nelson Reddacliff officially fifth ahead of Steven White, Mark Pholi and Simon Jupe. James Grady did not finish the event.

Thirteen cars lined up for the start of the 15-lap B-main event, with just the top four to transfer to the back of the first A-Main. Nelson Reddacliff and Anthony Lambert shared the front row, with Steven White and Andrew Liebke right behind. The first start saw Reddacliff get the jump and lead the field into the first corner, but Andrew Liebke was magnificent on the high line and raced around the outside of White, Lambert and Reddacliff to steal the lead by the time the race was just half a lap old. However, the race was brought under caution before a lap was completed for the spinning car of Brad Ayers in turns three and four. After a brief delay while Steven White was allowed to change a flat left rear tyre, the race was restarted, with White at the rear of the field and Reddacliff and Lambert to again lead the field away. Reddacliff again got a great start from the front row, but Liebke once again took to the high line and, together with Reddacliff and Lambert, went three wide through turn two. Liebke emerged in the race lead, with Lambert second ahead of Reddacliff. After barely a lap the race was again brought under caution, this time for Dale Shilleto and Rob Hamilton who had both spun to a stop in turn four. Liebke led the restart from Lambert and Reddacliff, while deep in the field Wayne Iacono completed two 360 degree spins in turn four, on consecutive laps, but somehow managed to keep the car moving. Unfortunately for Dale Shilleto he was unable to avoid the spinning car the second time around and came to a stop next to the turn four wall bringing the race under caution once more. Liebke, Lambert and Reddacliff continued to lead when the race resumed with Darren Silcock holding on to the final transfer position. Brad Ayers made his way past both Scott Doyle and Dan Murray, while Steven White was making impressive progress through the field, edging ever closer to a transfer position, and Nelson Reddacliff pulled out of the event with just five laps left to run with mechanical problems on board the Q85 racer. Andrew Liebke went on to take the win, with a margin of close to half a lap over second placed Anthony Lambert. Darren Silcock and Brad Ayers both scored transfers to the twin A-Mains, with Steven White and Dan Murray, who finished fifth and sixth respectively in the B-Main event, to act as the first two reserves for the second of the twin feature events should anyone from the first not make it trackside for the second.

The first feature race started with Luke Oldfield and Andrew Scheuerle from the front row, with Bryan Mann and Lachlan McHugh out of row two. Scheuerle got the jump on the start and settled into the race lead, with Oldfield in second ahead of Lachlan McHugh, while mid-field Kevin Titman and Brent Kratzmann argued over track position. Unfortunately contact between Callum Walker and Brandon Rawlings on lap two brought the race to a stop as Walker flipped into turn three. Mark Pholi and Anthony Lambert were also involved, both having been left with nowhere to go, and while all four drivers were able to walk away from the incident, none were able to restart the race. Walker and Pholi would make it back out for the second feature event, but unfortunately for Lambert and Rawlings their nights were over. Andrew Scheuerle led the restart from Luke Oldfield, Bryan Mann and Lachlan McHugh. McHugh had a big look at trying to get in front of Mann while Dave Fanning, Brad Ayers and Andrew Liebke had a great battle for mid-field positions. The race was soon brought under caution again just a couple of laps later as race leader Andrew Scheuerle had lost a muffler in turn three and officials had to remove the debris from the racing surface. Scheuerle was relegated to the infield in a devastating blow for a team who has shown such consistency and almost always finishes races inside the top five. Luke Oldfield inherited the race lead, with Bryan Mann in second and Lachlan McHugh in third. Kevin Titman made his way past Lachlan McHugh, while Brent Kratzmann tried to find his way past Paul Morris. McHugh set about trying to steal his position back from Titman, putting all kinds of pressure on Titman, but the race was soon brought under caution once more for an incident coming out of turn four. Race leader Luke Oldfield had been putting Simon Jupe a lap down when the pair came together coming out of turn four. Jupe slowed as he tried to avoid the turn four wall, while Bryan Mann was simply in the wrong place at the wrong time. There was nothing more Mann could do, and the following contact with Jupe lifted the Q16 racer of Mann into the air. Mann ended up on his side, unhurt but out of the race. Dave Fanning pulled out of the race with a flat right rear tyre, while Oldfield again led the restart from Titman, McHugh and Mitchell Gee. When the lights when green McHugh quickly made his way in front of Titman with a beautiful slide job in turn four, but just one lap later when Mitchell Gee tried the same thing on Titman contact between the pair ended with Titman up-side-down and out of not only the race, but the rest of the program. Luke Oldfield led the restart with six laps left to run and went on to take the win ahead of Lachlan McHugh and Mitchell Gee. Brent Kratzmann and Paul Morris had a breath-taking battle over the minor places, exchanging places several times, but Kratzmann managed to cross the line in fourth ahead of Morris in fifth. Brad Ayers, Andrew Liebke, David Whell, Darren Silcock and Simon Jupe rounded out the finishers in an action packed feature event. Kevin Titman, Dave Fanning, Bryan Mann, Andrew Scheuerle, Callum Walker, Mark Pholi, Brandon Rawlings and Anthony Lambert all failed to finish the event.

As winner of the first feature event Luke Oldfield drew a random marble that would invert the top six, eight or ten starters for the second 20-lap A-Main event. As Oldfield drew the eight marble, Dave Whell and Andrew Liebke would share the front row for the start of the second feature event. With Brandon Rawlings, Anthony Lambert and Kevin Titman not making it back trackside for the second feature event, reserves Steven White and Dan Murray both got a start at the rear of the field. When the lights went green it was Whell who secured the race lead ahead of Liebke and Brad Ayers, while Lachlan McHugh began his climb towards the front, making use of the almost deserted low line on the opening lap. Steven White began working his way forward, as did Andrew Scheuerle, desperate to make amends for his earlier DNF. Scheuerle seemingly effortlessly raced between Bryan Mann and Mark Pholi through turn one, only for Pholi to fight back hard on the low in turn three. Brent Kratzmann tagged the wall coming out of turn four, while in a very close battle with several cars, and spun onto the infield in turn one. Steven White and Dave Fanning spent a couple of laps side-by-side, neither willing to concede the advantage, with White eventually making his way in front. Mitchell Gee and Lachlan McHugh both soon found their way past Andrew Liebke, but the race was brought under caution shortly after for the spun car of Andrew Scheuerle in turn four. David Whell led the restart from Mitchell Gee, Lachlan McHugh and Andrew Liebke. As soon as the race resumed McHugh wasted no time challenging Gee for second, before moving on to Dave Whell and stealing the lead. A little further back in the field Luke Oldfield was trying to run the high line around Brad Ayers, as Andrew Scheuerle began to claw his way back through the field. Bryan Mann continued his climb towards the front, making his way in front of Liebke as they raced through turn four, while back at the front of the field Luke Oldfield dove underneath Mitchell Gee in lapped traffic to steal second, only for Gee to come back hard on the low line a lap later to regain second, the pair trying to find their way past trio of Dan Murray, Steven White and Dave Fanning, who were themselves embroiled in an intense battle for the minor places. Lachlan McHugh went on to take the win, his first in Sprintcars but almost certainly not the last, with Mitchell Gee and Luke Oldfield filling the podium. Dave Whell finished fourth ahead of Bryan Mann, Andrew Liebke, Brad Ayers, Paul Morris, Andrew Scheuerle, Simon Jupe, Darren Silcock, Mark Pholi, Steven White, Dan Murray and Dave Fanning. Brent Kratzmann did not finish the event.

Once the points from both feature events were combined, Lachlan McHugh was announced as the official winner of Round 12 of the SuperCheap Auto Sprintcar Track Championship, with Luke Oldfield officially second and Mitchell Gee in third. David Whell finished fourth for the weekend, with Brad Ayers having a great run to end up fifth overall. Paul Morris was officially sixth ahead of Andrew Liebke, Bryan Mann, Brent Kratzmann, Darren Silcock, Simon Jupe, Andrew Scheuerle, Dave Fanning, Mark Pholi, Kevin Titman, Steven White, Dan Murray, Callum Walker, Brandon Rawlings and Anthony Lambert.

Sprintcars Queensland will take a break for a couple of weeks, before returning to AusDeck Patios Archerfield Speedway on Saturday 19 March 2016, for the final round of the SuperCheap Auto Sprintcar Track Championship. With young guns like Lachlan McHugh and Mitchell Gee really starting to step up their game, with Luke Oldfield getting his first win of the season just a couple of weeks ago and looking in great form at the moment, with Andrew Scheuerle desperate to put last night behind him and secure another win, and a whole host of immensely talented locals set to put on a show, you will not want to miss this one. Come on out to AusDeck Patios Archerfield Speedway and see all the racing action for your self.

 

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