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Kicking Up the Dirt - ECL Track Championship - Round Five
Joanne White posted Sunday December 11, 2016.

Sprintcars Queensland returned to AusDeck Patios Archerfield Speedway last night for Round Five of the East Coast Logistics Sprintcar Track Championship, with Luke Oldfield once again dominating proceedings and walking away with yet another victory under his belt. Oldfield has been virtually unstoppable the past couple of months with multiple wins to his name, in both Brisbane and Toowoomba, and is in truly magnificent form heading into the busy Christmas period. Kevin Titman finally managed to ditch the bad luck that has plagued him for most of the season and despite initially qualifying outside the top ten, and having some unfortunate luck in the second round of heats, rebounded strongly to win the dash and then lead almost two-thirds of the main event. Titman had a brilliant run during the A-Main event but Oldfield closed in as they navigated lapped traffic and, eventually stole the lead. Titman ran a strong race and while Andrew Scheuerle had a look for a way through, Titman remained focussed and refused to surrender the position. Titman crossed the line in second while Peter Lack slipped under Andrew Scheuerle to steal third with just a couple of laps left to run. Andrew Scheuerle finished fourth with Mitchell Gee rounding out the top five.

Qualifying got underway on a very wet track, with a group of mostly new drivers up first. Track conditions proved very difficult but it was Cody Maroske, in his first night of Sprintcar competition, who topped the leader board at the conclusion of the first group of qualifying. Maroske would eventually fade back to twenty-seventh, in a field of thirty-two, as each subsequent group took to the track for qualifying. Fellow rookie Jayden Peacock, who was in the last group to qualify, managed to secure Quick Time, stopping the clock at 12.204 seconds and toppling Luke Oldfield from the top spot by just 0.021 seconds. Oldfield was left as second quickest in the qualifying sessions, with Dave Whell, Andrew Scheuerle and Mitchell Gee completing the fastest five. The top six cars (Peacock, Oldfield, Whell, Scheuerle, Gee and Bryan Mann) were separated by less than one tenth of second, with the top twenty separated by less than one second. With Mother Nature finally on our side we were set for a thrilling night of Sprintcar racing action.

Heat one started with Mark Pholi, back after missing a number of meetings, from pole position with Scott Doyle alongside, while Kristy Bonsey and Ben Hilder shared the second row. Pholi got a tremendous start and easily secured the lead as he raced into turn one, already starting to open a small but comfortable lead over Doyle in second. Hilder settled into third while Peter Lack took to the high line to race around Bonsey. Behind them Callum Walker and Jayden Peacock were racing wheel-to-wheel, with Walker on the bottom and Peacock running the high line. Walker managed to slip under Bonsey in turn two, while Peacock soon switched to the bottom and tried to find his way through also. Peter Lack closed in on Ben Hilder, who was catching the tail of Scott Doyle, all the while Callum Walker was edging ever closer to the tail of Lack. Walker put enormous pressure on Lack, having a couple of big looks on the inside of the Q5 racer but could not quite secure the advantage. Lack, while defending his position from Walker, was also trying to find a way past Hilder, while further back in the field Bryan Mann was all over tail tank of Peacock as the pair argued over track position. Lack eventually raced under Doyle as they rounded turn two with Callum Walker following a little over a lap later. Mark Pholi went on to take the win, never challenged for his position, with Ben Hilder in second a little over four and half seconds behind Pholi. Peter Lack finished third ahead of Callum Walker, Scott Doyle, Jayden Peacock, Bryan Mann, Andrew Liebke, Neil Howard and Mitch Gowland. Kristy Bonsey had been having a great run mid-field but an incident on the final lap saw her make heavy contact with the wall in turn three, significantly shortening the tail tank on the Q42 racer, and saw her unable to finish the last half lap of the race. Unfortunately for Kristy it also meant the end of her night of competition.

Heat two started with Brock Dean and James Grady from the front row with Dean getting the better start and quickly securing the race lead. Grady settled into second while behind him Kevin Titman was quick on the bottom and raced up the inside of Clem Hoffmans as they raced into the first corner before getting under Kevin Britten as they rounded turn two. Luke Oldfield took to the high side, with Mitchell Gee on the bottom, as they tried to run either side of Richard Morgan in turn two, with Oldfield coming out in front and setting his sights on Hoffmans and Britten. Oldfield ducked under Hoffmans in turn three, then raced around outside of Britten a lap later and turned his attention to Grady, while Gee raced his way under Morgan and past Hoffmans in less than half a lap. Oldfield spent several laps trying to find a way past Grady, while Gee hunted down and found a way past Britten, but all eyes were now at the front of the field and the battle between race leader Brock Dean and a very determined and hard charging Kevin Titman. Dean got caught behind a pair of lapped cars, giving Titman the opportunity to close the gap. Once the gap was closed Titman set about finding a way into the race lead and worked the top-side beautifully to not only steal the lead from Dean but almost immediately open a sizable margin over the rest of the field. Within just a couple of laps Oldfield had closed in on Dean, and slipped almost effortlessly underneath the Q8 racer as they raced through turns three and four. Before long Oldfield had caught Titman and with lapped traffic again coming into play, Oldfield made one last charge to the lead as the pair crossed the line side-by-side. Kevin Titman took the win, just 0.061 seconds ahead of second placed Luke Oldfield, with Mitchell Gee home in third. Brock Dean crossed the line in fourth and led James Grady, Richard Morgan, Clem Hoffmans, Andrew Corbet, Scott Genrich and Tim Ford across the line. Kevin Britten pulled out of the event after completing just seven laps.

Chris Harrison and Steven Johnson shared the front row for the start of heat three, with Brent Kratzmann and Brett Minett right behind them. Johnson got a great start and quickly shot to the race lead, with Minett quick to follow on the high line. Kratzmann took to the high side in an effort to get around Harrison, but lost ground when Harrison got sideways in front of him in turn two, and allowing Paul Rooks to slip into third. Smoke began billowing from the engine on the Q27 racer of Johnson in the second corner of the race, and while he persisted for a lap and a half, he started to slow as he began to pull off the race track. Unfortunately for Johnson he was tagged from behind by Minett, which saw him spin the Brisbane Yamaha racer in the middle of the front straight. While he was lucky everyone else was able to avoid contact, flames soon erupted on the #27 car. Johnson was unhurt in the incident but his night of competition was over. Brett Minett led the restart from Paul Rooks and Brent Kratzmann, with Chris Harrsion and Andrew Scheuerle next in line. It took Scheuerle just three quarters of a lap to make his way under Harrison and begin closing the gap to Kratzmann, who in turn was inching closer to Rooks. Scheuerle had a couple of big looks on the inside of Kratzmann but Kratzmann maintained the advantage. The race was brought under caution when Dave Whell lost his left front wheel in turn two, with Minett, Rooks and Kratzmann to lead the field to the green for a three lap dash to the chequered flag. Kratzmann was all over the back of Rooks, all the while Scheuerle was looking for a way through, while mid-field Dan Murray and Chris Harrsion had a great battle over the minor places. Brett Minett went on to take win, his first in the Sprintcar division, with Paul Rooks crossing the line in second ahead of Brent Kratzmann and Andrew Scheuerle. Dan Murray came home in fifth and led Jason Bottin, Cody Maroske and Chris Harrison across the line. Dave Whell and Steven Johnson both failed to finish the heat.

Heat four saw Andrew Liebke start from pole position, with James Grady alongside and Scott Doyle and Dave Whell out of the second row. Liebke got a brilliant start when the lights went green and quickly secured the race lead, while Grady held down second. Brett Minett had a brilliant drive on the bottom, racing under Doyle just as Whell went around the outside. Grady got a little too sideways entering turn two, spinning the Q40 racer and lifting the front wheels high off the ground, right in front of the three-wide trio of Minett, Doyle and Whell. Minett and Whell managed to some how get through unscathed, but Doyle had nowhere to go. The front end of the Q40 of Grady tore the main wing from the Q43 of Doyle, leaving Doyle to be collected by Kevin Titman and Paul Rooks, while Grady himself flipped wildly into turn two. All drivers were unscathed in the incident, but Grady, Rooks and Doyle were all unable to restart the event. Titman did restart at the rear of the field, but simply circulated slowly at the rear of the field in order to try and finish the race and earn some valuable points. A full restart followed with Liebke still from pole position but with Dave Whell now alongside. Liebke and Whell raced wheel-to-wheel into the first corner but it was Whell on the topside who managed to secure the race lead. Liebke held down second but Oldfield was on the move and after making his way past Minett as they rounded the first corner, Oldfield set his sights on Liebke and started searching high and low for a way past. As they navigated turn three and four Liebke and Oldfield left the bottom open and Minett timed his move perfectly, catching both of his rivals unaware as the slid beautifully underneath the pair of them in one breath-taking move. Oldfield raced under Liebke as they made their way through the next corner and turned his attention to Minett and challenging him for position. Minett drove exceptionally well and managed to hold off Oldfield for a number of laps before Oldfield made his way through when Minett ran a fraction too wide in turn three and four. It took the rest of the race but Oldfield closed in on Whell, running out of time to really make a move before the conclusion of the race. Dave Whell took a very popular win, ahead of Luke Oldfield, Brett Minett, Andrew Liebke, Neil Howard and Kevin Titman. Tim Ford, James Grady, Scott Doyle and Paul Rooks all failed to finish the event.

Kevin Britten and Brock Dean started alongside each other on the front row for the start of heat five, with Mark Pholi and Callum Walker on the second row. Dean got a brilliant start and had secured the lead before the field hit turn one, with Walker trying to go with him on the high side. Britten however fought back to secure second coming out turn two, but Walker raced back underneath as they raced through turns three and four. The race was brought under caution with barely a lap complete, with Andrew Corbet having come to a stop in turns three and four. Dean led the restart from Walker and Britten with nine laps still to run, with Britten searching for a way past Walker, and, deeper in the field, Bryan Mann looking for a way underneath Mark Pholi. Peter Lack raced under Dan Murray in turn two and set out after Mann and Pholi, leaving Murray to defend his position from Jayden Peacock, while at the rear of the field Andrew Corbet ran around the outside of Scott Genrich as the pair battled over the minor places. The mid-field battle between Pholi, Mann and Lack was really starting to heat up, as each driver held nothing back and put on a spectacular race for the fans. Mann and Lack were relentless, battling each other as they each searched for a way forward, while Dan Murray closed in behind and Pholi ran a very solid race, only loosing his position to Mann on the final corner of the race. Brock Dean went on to take the win ahead of Callum Walker and Kevin Britten, with Bryan Mann, Mark Pholi, Peter Lack, Dan Murray, Jayden Peacock, Scott Genrich and Andrew Corbet rounding out the field.

The sixth and final heat of the night saw Jason Bottin and Chris Harrison share the front row for the start, with Clem Hoffmans and Brent Kratzmann from the second row as the field took the green. Harrison got the better start and quickly secured the advantage, with Kratzmann quick to follow on the high side as he raced around Bottin to steal second. Kratzmann immediately began challenging Harrison for the race lead, relentlessly searching high and low for a way through. It was breath-taking to watch and while Harrison did a marvellous job in holding Kratzmann off, Kratzmann did eventually manage to race through on the bottom as they rounded turn two a few laps into the race. Meanwhile, Andrew Scheuerle was climbing his way through the field, racing around Ben Hilder on the start and then Clem Hoffman in turn two, with Richard Morgan next in line. Morgan and Scheuerle raced around the outside of Bottin, with Mitchell Gee also making impressive progress towards the front of the field. Morgan and Scheuerle put on an incredible show as they raced two-abreast for several laps, negotiating over the minor places, and quickly closed in on the tail of Harrison. Scheuerle managed to secure the advantage over Morgan but still needed to find a way past Harrison, while Ben Hilder raced boldly around the outside of Jason Bottin. Scheuerle was all over the back of Harrison, but soon came under enormous pressure from Gee, who had slid beautifully underneath Morgan just one lap earlier, with both Scheuerle and Gee getting through when Harrison ran too wide in turn two. Unfortunately contact between Harrison and Morgan just a couple of laps later would see Morgan invert the immaculately presented Q54 racer in turn two. Morgan was thankfully able to walk away from the wreck but would take no further part in the evenings race meeting. Kratzmann led the restart from Scheuerle, Gee and Hilder with just two laps left to run. As soon as the lights went green Kratzmann opened a small lead over Scheuerle, and while Gee tried to challenge Scheuerle for second, he could not quite get the job done. Brent Kratzmann went on to take the win ahead of Andrew Scheuerle and Mitchell Gee, with Ben Hidler crossing the line in fourth. Jason Bottin finished a very respectable fifth and led Cody Maroske, Clem Hoffmans, Mitch Gowland and Chris Harrison home. Richard Morgan did not finish the event.

The top eight qualifiers took to the track for the Dash event, with the starting positions determined by a random draw before the event got underway. Kevin Titman and Mitchell Gee lined up alongside each other on the front row for the start of the six-lap affair, with Andrew Scheuerle and Peter Lack close behind. Titman got an impressive start, quickly securing the race lead with Gee settling into second ahead of Scheuerle. Oldfield, from the rear of the field, took to the high line to get past Bryan Mann, and was looking for a way around Jayden Peacock when Peacock dove underneath Dave Whell. Oldfield ended up caught behind Whell, allowing Mann to slip back through, with Mann getting back past Whell and Oldfield trying to follow him through. At the front of the field things were really starting to heat up, with Titman leading, but with Scheuerle racing beautifully underneath Gee to steal second. Gee fought back valiantly on the topside, but the diff in the Q36 racer broke in turn two as Gee was attempting a spectacular outside pass on Scheuerle. Gee slowed to a stop high on the track in turn three, his crew soon dragging the car backwards and into the pits. Titman led the restart from Scheuerle and Lack while Oldfield set about making his way past Mann, racing underneath the Q16 racer as they sped down the back straight. Dave Whell raced through underneath Mann in turn four a few laps later, but there was no stopping Kevin Titman as he went on to take the win and earn pole position for the A-Main event. Andrew Scheuerle crossed the line in second ahead of Peter Lack, Jayden Peacock, Luke Oldfield, Dave Whell and Bryan Mann. Mitchell Gee did not finish the race.

Fifteen cars rolled out for the fifteen-lap B-Main event, with Brock Dean and Mark Pholi from the front row. Dean and Pholi drag raced side-by-side down the main straight and into turn one when the green flag flew, the pair remaining two abreast until Dean managed to secure the advantage coming out of turn two. Clem Hoffmans held third ahead of Kevin Britten, while Andrew Liebke sat in fifth and started chasing down Britten and the final transfer to the A-Main. Liebke soon found Jason Bottin on his tail, along with Cody Maroske, who didn’t take long at all to settle into the Sprintcar on his debut night in the division. Maroske had committed to the high line and was trying to find a way around both Bottin and Liebke when the race was brought under caution when Tim Ford spun the Q70 racer to a stop in turn four. Dean led the restart from Pholi and Hoffmans, with Britten sitting in the final transfer position, but coming under ever increasing pressure from behind. When the race resumed all eyes were on Britten, Liebke and Maroske as they argued over the final transfer position, with Liebke having a brief look on the top side of Britten before switching to the low side and making his way in front of Britten as they came out of turn two. Maroske was right on the tail tank of Liebke and quickly raced up the inside of Britten as the trio sped down the main straight, before turning his attention to finding a way past Liebke. Maroske started to make his move on the low side of Liebke as they raced into turn three, with the pair racing side by side for over a lap before Maroske eventually managed to pull ahead. Another yellow light stoppage for the spun car of Tim Ford, which ended his night of racing, almost spelt disaster for race leader Dean, but quick reflexes saw him avoid disaster. Dean led the restart from Hoffmans, Maroske and Liebke, with Britten now just outside of the top four transfer positions with eight laps left to run. Britten took to the high line trying to find a way around Liebke but it was Maroske who was stealing the show as he took to the high line and raced around Clem Hoffmans. Maroske started closing in on Dean in the race lead, impressing everyone with how quickly he seems to have settled into the division and adding to the already long list of upcoming stars contesting their rookie year. Neil Howard and Mitch Gowland came to a stop in turn one and brought the race under caution while Chris Harrison spun to a stop in turn four at the same time. With six laps left to run it was Brock Dean who again led the field to the green, with Maroske, Hoffmans and Liebke all close behind. Britten took to the high line to try and find a way around Liebke, while Jason Bottin tried to make his way under Britten and used the bottom to try and gain the advantage. Andrew Corbet came to a stop in turn two and brought the race back under caution with five laps to run. The order remained unchanged for the restart, with Dean still leading and the battle between Liebke, Britten and Bottin resuming right where they let off. Liebke managed to find a way underneath Hoffmans, with Britten quick to follow and Bottin getting the job done half a lap later. Brock Dean went on to take the win ahead of a very impressive Cody Maroske, with Andrew Liebke and Kevin Britten also securing transfers to the A-Main. Chris Harrison finished fifth and led Jason Bottin, Scott Genrich, Neil Howard, Mitch Gowland and Clem Hoffmans across the line. Andrew Corbet, Tim Ford, Mark Pholi, Scott Doyle and James Grady all failed to finish the event.

An eighteen-car field of quality and talented drivers, rolled out for the A-Main race, with Kevin Titman and Andrew Scheuerle to lead them to the green. When the green flag flew it was Titman who got the better start and immediately settled into the race lead, leaving Scheuerle in second ahead of Peter Lack and Luke Oldfield. Mitchell Gee lost ground on the top side and faded back a few positions as Brett Minett took full advantage of the space in front of him. Gee set about chasing after Minett, while battling with Brent Kratzmann, Callum Walker and Ben Hilder. Kratzmann ran the top to get around Hilder before switching to the bottom to try and slide under Walker, while at the same time Gee was working the top. With Kratzmann on the bottom, Gee on the topside and Walker sandwiched between them, the trio rounded turn four three abreast, with Gee and Kratzmann surging ahead of Walker and setting out after Minett. Gee stayed high while Kratzmann was able to make his way through on the bottom, only for Walker to rejoin the battle with a truly beautiful run into turn three, slipping underneath Gee and having a look on the inside of Minett. Walker and Minett had a great battle for a couple of laps before Minett spun the Q94 racer in turn four and brought the race under caution. Unfortunately with a very busy race track Minett had left Paul Rooks and Kevin Britten with nowhere to, and all three cars came to a stop. All three cars were able to restart the event at the rear of the field with twenty-seven laps left to run.

Kevin Titman led the restart from Andrew Scheuerle and Luke Oldfield but it was further back in the field that had the crowd captivated. It was hard to know where to look though, with so many thrilling battles unfolding right through the field, with Dave Whell and Jayden Peacock closer the front, Brent Kratzmann, Mitchell Gee, Callum Walker and Ben Hilder in the middle of the field, Cody Maroske showing no fear has he ran the high line from towards the back of the field. Maroske took to the high line as he searched for a way past Andrew Liebke and Brock Dean, while back at the front of the field Luke Oldfield slid under Andrew Scheuerle as they raced through turn two. Titman, Oldfield, Scheuerle and Lack had already opened a sizable margin on the rest of the field, with Oldfield wasting little time in making his move on Titman for the race lead. Fortunately for Titman though Brett Minett had a spin in turn four, right in front of the leaders, and while he managed to keep the Q94 car moving officials had already brought the race under caution and Minett was relegated to the infield for the restart.

Kevin Titman led the restart once more, a lap not completed since Luke Oldfield stole the lead, with Oldfield back in second ahead of Andrew Scheuerle and Peter Lack. Bryan Mann took to the high line trying to find a way past Dave Whell, while Brent Kratzmann tried to defend his position from a hard charging Mitchell Gee. Cody Maroske had switched to the low side in his efforts to find a way past Andrew Liebke and Brock Dean, and seemed to be making progress, able to put the Q22 racer wherever he wanted. Gee found his way past Kratzmann and Mann, leaving Mann to try and hold off the advances of Kratzmann, while Gee focussed on catching Whell and finding his way in front. Meanwhile the leaders had again entered lapped traffic and while Titman was still in control of the race, Oldfield was all over the back of the Q59 racer. Lapped traffic again played a significant role in proceedings and when Titman got momentarily caught behind a lapped car on the bottom, Oldfield was already committed to the top side and raced spectacularly around the outside of both Titman and the lapped car to steal the lead with twelve laps to run. Scheuerle had a quick look on the inside of Titman, but Titman quickly managed to open a small margin on Scheuerle, leaving Scheuerle to contend with a hard-charging Peter Lack who was timing his run to the chequered flag perfectly. Jayden Peacock and Mitchell Gee had a thrilling battle for the last spot in the top five, the pair exchanging positions a number of times as they fought over track position. Kratzmann put all kinds of pressure on the back of Whell, while, with just two laps left to run, Lack raced under Scheuerle to steal third. Luke Oldfield went on to take the win with Kevin Titman finally having a little luck on his side and getting in a full night of racing to claim a very impressive second. Peter Lack crossed the line in third leaving Andrew Scheuerle in fourth with Mitchell Gee rounding out the top five. Jayden Peacock crossed the line in sixth and led Bryan Mann, Dave Whell, Brent Kratzmann, Ben Hilder, Callum Walker, Dan Murray, Brock Dean, Cody Maroske, Paul Rooks, Andrew Liebke and Kevin Britten across the line. Brett Minett did not finish the event.

Sprintcars Queensland will now take a short break, to spend some time with family and friends for the Christmas season, before returning to the track for the busy post-Christmas racing schedule. Things will kick off on Boxing Night at AusDeck Patios Archerfield Speedway with the first Round of USA Sprintcars. From there we will race at Archerfield Speedway on Friday 30 December 2016, and Sunday 01 January 2017, before venturing back to Hi-Tec Oils Toowoomba Speedway on Tuesday 03 January 2017 for Round 10 of World Series Sprintcars (incorporating Round 5 of the Queensland USC Sprintcar Series). After that we head back to Brisbane and Archerfield Speedway for more World Series Sprintcars on Wednesday 04 January, Friday 06 January and Saturday 07 January 2017. It will be a massive couple of weeks of Sprintcar racing and we hope you can come and join us at some (or all) the shows. It is the best time of year for Sprintcar racing in South East Queensland, so have yourself a wonderful and safe Christmas and we hope to see you all trackside at AusDeck Patios Archerfield Speedway on Boxing Day Night!

 

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