After an impromptu Brisbane lockdown over the past weekend due to COVID-19 caused the postponement of racing on Friday and Saturday, Sprintcars were back at Archerfield Speedway last night for a very special, but no less entertaining, night of racing for Round Four of the Sprintcar State’s Series QLD/NSW: Super Sevens Series. Kevin Titman had a phenomenal start to the main race and after initially dropping back to third behind Lachlan McHugh and Luke Oldfield, managed to make his way back past Oldfield before relieving McHugh of the race lead in heavy lapped traffic. Unfortunately for Titman though that is also right about the moment his luck ran out once again, the Q59 racer tangling with a lapped car just ten laps into the race, prematurely ending his race. While McHugh and Oldfield had traded places a couple of times right before the caution, it was McHugh who led them away and proved to be unstoppable. McHugh got the win, his eleventh of the season, while Luke Oldfield secured his eighth second place result of the 2020-2021 race season. But it was the battle for third that truly captivated the crowd, with Ryan McNamara and Nicholas Whell trading places back and forth several times over the course of the race, exiting the final corner wheel-to-wheel and racing side-by-side across the line as everyone turned to the time board to see who would get the final podium position. Both were exceptional on the track but it was Nicholas Whell who managed to secure the final podium position, his first podium result in Sprintcars, beating Ryan McNamara to the line by just 0.047 of a second. McNamara was forced to settle for fourth with Dave Fanning completing the top five.

Luke Oldfield topped the qualifying order after the completion of time trials, with Oldfield stopping the clock at 11.422 seconds early in the qualifying run and proving too quick for the rest. Dave Fanning was second quickest of the lot after recording a 11.609 second lap, with Ryan McNamara (11.633), Tim Farrell (11.748) and Lachlan McHugh (11.793) completing the fastest five. Darren Jensen missed a top five result by just one thousandth of a second, while less than one second separated the top twenty-four cars. Peter Campbell had mechanical woes during his run still but managed to record a time at the end of the qualifying session, while Randy Morgan suffered his own mechanical dramas that prevented him from qualifying and would sadly spell a very premature end to his night of competition. Libby Ellis did not record a qualifying time after contact with the fence during her hot lapping session.

Heat one started with Brock Dean and Adam Butler from the front row with Butler getting the jump when the green flag flew and quickly settling into the race lead. Dean settled into second while Kevin Titman got the better of Dan Murray to sit in third and began searching for a way past Dean. Deep in the field Luke Oldfield made his way around Darren Jensen before slipping underneath Cody Maroske and Brad Ayers in quick succession, then turned his attention to Murray, getting underneath the Q44 racer before completing the first lap of the race. Dean surrendered second to a hard-charging Titman, and while Titman set out after Butler, Dean was left to try and defend third from Oldfield. Murray fought back, racing boldly back underneath Oldfield half a lap later, with Oldfield quickly returning serve and slipping back underneath Murray soon after. Ayers, Maroske and Jensen had a thrilling battle for mid-field positions while Titman methodically closed in on Butler and the race lead. Titman had a look underneath Butler on the final corner but could not quite get the job done, with Adam Butler taking the win ahead of Kevin Titman and Brock Dean. Luke Oldfield finished fourth and led Dan Murray, Cody Maroske, Darren Jensen, Brad Ayers and Sean Rose across the line.

Kevin Britten and Andrew Baumber led the field to green light conditions in heat two, with Britten quickly taking control of the race ahead of Baumber, with Baumber fading back to fifth after getting a little wide in turn two. Dylan Menz and Taylor Prosser negotiated over second, until Prosser spun the Q91 racer in turn two, leaving Baumber with nowhere to go. Baumber tipped the NQ2 racer on its side but was able to restart the race, while Prosser was unable to continue. Britten led the restart from Menz and Allan Woods with nine laps still to run and while Britten quickly opened a comfortable margin, the battle for second began heating up as Woods challenged Menz, and Lachlan McHugh closed in fast behind them. Dave Fanning made it look easy as he slipped underneath McHugh to steal fourth before setting out after Woods, while Callum Walker started challenging McHugh for fifth. McHugh eventually found a way back past Fanning with only a couple of laps to run but it was Kevin Britten who got the win ahead of Dylan Menz and Allan Woods. Lachlan McHugh finished fourth and led Dave Fanning, Callum Walker, Michael Rowell and Andrew Baumber across the line. Taylor Prosser did not finish the event.

Heat three saw Paul Rooks and Brent Kratzmann share the front row and lead the field to the green flag. Kratzmann got a brilliant start on the high side and quickly took control of the race lead, while Jayden Peacock from position four followed Kratzmann on the high side and briefly moved into second before getting far too sideways in turn two. Somehow the rest of the oncoming field managed to avoid the Q55 racer, and while Peacock lost half a dozen or so positions, the race continued without a stoppage. Nicholas Whell closed in on Aaron Kelly and began searching for a way into third, as Marcus Dumesny closed in behind, while Ryan McNamara and Tim Farrell battled over mid field positions. Brent Kratzmann went on to take the win ahead of Paul Rooks and Aaron Kelly, with Nicholas Whell fourth ahead of Marcus Dumesny, Ryan McNamara, Jayden Peacock, Tim Farrell, Libby Ellis and Peter Campbell.

Andrew Baumber started heat four from pole position with Paul Rooks alongside. Baumber was quick off the mark when the green flag flew, quickly securing the race lead ahead of Rooks and Kevin Britten, while deeper in the field the battle was only just beginning between Marcus Dumesny, Darren Jensen, Cody Maroske and Luke Oldfield. Oldfield and Maroske raced two abreast for a couple of laps before Oldfield was able to make his way ahead of both Maroske and Jensen before setting out after Dumesny as Dumesny closed on Dylan Menz. Oldfield had a massive but unsuccessful look underneath Dumesny, while Britten slowly began to close in on the back race leader Baumber. While Britten had several looks underneath Baumber, behind them Menz was under enormous pressure from a relentless Dumesny as they negotiated over the minor positions. Andrew Baumber got the win ahead of Kevin Britten with Paul Rooks home in third ahead of Dylan Menz, Marcus Dumesny, Luke Oldfield, Darren Jensen, Cody Maroske and Michael Rowell.

Pole sitter Taylor Prosser jumped the start first time around for the start of heat five, with Brad Ayers elevated to pole position for the restart alongside Jayden Peacock. Peacock got a brilliant start when the lights went green and quickly raced into the lead while Ayers and Adam Butler negotiated over second. Butler raced underneath Ayers as they headed down the back straight for the first time, while behind them Kevin Titman and Nicholas Whell raced either side of Taylor Prosser. Titman then set his sights on Ayers, spending a lap or two chasing down the Q4 racer before racing underneath Ayers as they approached turn three. Dave Fanning and Tim Farrell battled deep in the field until contact between the pair saw Fanning loop the Q89 racer and lose some ground on his rival. Titman slowly closed in on the back of Butler and the battle for second really started to heat up, with Titman timing his run to absolute perfection, taking to the high line with half a lap to run and racing around Butler as they neared the chequered flag. Jayden Peacock got the win ahead of Kevin Titman and Adam Butler, with Brad Ayers fourth across the line in advance of Nicholas Whell, Taylor Prosser, Tim Farrell, Dave Fanning and Sean Rose.

The final heat of the night saw Brock Dean start from pole position with Dan Murray sharing the front row. When the green flag flew it was Dean who was able to secure the race lead, with Brent Kratzmann from position three quickly racing underneath Murray to secure second. Kratzmann set out after Dean and had a bold but unsuccessful look underneath the Q8 racer, while Murray surrendered a position to a determined Allan Woods, leaving Murray with both Aaron Kelly and Lachlan McHugh on his tail. McHugh managed to get around Kelly and turned his attention to Murray, while Callum Walker challenged Kelly from behind. McHugh got a fraction sideways in turn four and contact with Kelly, who had nowhere to go, soon followed, with the Q7 of Kelly spinning to a stop and bringing the race under caution. Kelly restarted at the rear but soon pulled infield, after receiving the mechanical defect flag, with front-end damage. Dean led the restart ahead of Kratzmann and Woods and while Woods put pressure on Kratzmann, behind them Murray was under fire from a hard-charging McHugh. Brock Dean got the win ahead of Brent Kratzmann and Allan Woods, with Lachlan McHugh eventually getting the better of Murray to secure fourth. Dan Murray finished fifth and led Ryan McNamara, Callum Walker, Peter Campbell and Libby Ellis across the line. Aaron Kelly completed just four laps.

The Bronze Shootout was next on track with Kevin Titman, Allan Woods, Nicholas Whell and Tim Farrell first to hit the track. Kevin Titman was the quickest of the quartet, stopping the clock at 13.031 seconds, with Allan Woods (13.055) second quickest and securing his spot, along with Titman, in the Silver Shootout. Nicholas Whell (13.218) and Tim Farrell (13.248) were eliminated from the Shootout events.

Dave Fanning and Ryan McNamara joined Kevin Titman and Allan Woods on track for the Silver Shootout, with Kevin Titman again topping the leader board at the end of the event. Titman stopped the clock at 12.995 and would advance to the Gold Shootout, with Ryan McNamara to join him after locking in a 13.122 second lap. Dave Fanning (13.301) and Allan Woods (13.351) rounded out the Silver Shootout but would not advance to the Gold.

Luke Oldfield and Lachlan McHugh joined Kevin Titman and Ryan McNamara for the Gold Shootout to determine who would start the main race from pole position. This time around it was Lachlan McHugh who locked in the fastest time, a quick 12.661 second lap, and secured pole position for the feature event, with Kevin Titman securing his spot alongside McHugh, locking in second quickest (12.970) in the Gold Shootout. Luke Oldfield (13.043) and Ryan McNamara (13.152) completed the Gold Shootout contenders.

Twelve cars lined up for the fifteen-lap B-Main event, with Dylan Menz and Brad Ayers to lead them to green light conditions. Menz got the jump on the start but just as Brock Dean from position three was challenging for the lead as they rounded turn two, the race was brought under caution as Andrew Baumber spun, with both Taylor Prosser and Sean Rose unable to avoid the incident. A full restart followed with Menz again securing the advantage while Dean raced up the inside of Ayers, the pair negotiating over second briefly before Dean moved ahead and set out after Menz. Ayers began working the top side, searching for a way around Dean, while Aaron Kelly closed in behind, soon joining the battle for the minor positions. Ayers eventually made his way around Dean as they rounded turn four, leaving Dean with Kelly on his tail. Kelly favoured the bottom and while it took a few laps for him to find the right way through, Kelly soon raced underneath Dean. Dean tried to fight back on the top side but without any success, while deeper in the field Taylor Prosser and Michael Rowell had a thrilling battle for mid-field positions. Kelly was on a mission to get to the front though and was not content to settle for any transfer position, he clearly wanted to get to the front. Kelly was fast and determined, but smart about his racing and soon put Ayers behind him before closing in on Menz and the race lead as they approached lapped traffic. Again Kelly was smooth, choosing his line making it look effortless as he raced underneath Menz and into the lead a few laps from home. Brock Dean sat in fourth but was under enormous pressure from Paul Rooks, the pair trading places back and forth all the way to the line. Aaron Kelly got the win ahead of Dylan Menz and Brad Ayers, with Brock Dean just managing to beat Paul Rooks to the line in fourth, getting around the Q43 racer in lapped traffic with half a lap to run, the racing two abreast across the line. Paul Rooks finished fifth and would miss out on a start in the main race, with Taylor Prosser, Dan Murray, Michael Rowell, Andrew Baumber, Libby Ellis and Sean Rose rounding out the finishers. Peter Campbell did not finish the race.

Twenty drivers rolled onto the track for the thirty-five-lap feature event, with Lachlan McHugh and Kevin Titman to lead them to the green flag. McHugh quickly secured the race lead ahead of Titman and Luke Oldfield while a little further back Nicholas Whell had a phenomenal run on the bottom, racing past Tim Farrell, Dave Fanning, Allan Woods and Ryan McNamara before the race was even half a lap old. Cody Maroske and Marcus Dumesny nearly came together deep in the field, while Callum Walker and Brent Kratzmann negotiated over positions further back, the pair trading places back and forth several times as they searched for, and eventually found, a way past Cody Maroske. Maroske of course fought back, joining Walker and Kratzmann in a close but thrilling battle mid-field, while Dumesny lost ground and faded in the running order when he looped the N47 racer coming out of turn four. Maroske got back in front of Walker and Kratzmann, leaving the pair to their own battle while he set about challenging Allan Woods, while Nicholas Whell and Ryan McNamara battled each other whilst trying to make their way forward, with Darren Jensen soon becoming part of the battle. Meanwhile at the front of the field Kevin Titman was in absolutely magnificent form and had managed to displace Oldfield from second. Titman had his sights set firmly on race leader McHugh and was beginning to close in. Once lapped traffic really came into play though Titman weaved his way past the back markers and made it look easy, rapidly closing in on McHugh and while both were in very heavy lapped traffic, Titman slipped through on the bottom, racing ahead of McHugh and taking control of the race. McHugh initially fought back on the bottom before Titman pulled a little more ahead and put a lapped car or two between them, leaving McHugh to try to defend his position from a determined Oldfield. Oldfield had a massive look on the inside of McHugh as they rounded turn four, the pair almost coming together, with Oldfield slipping into second moments later as they raced towards turn one. Unfortunately that was right about the moment Kevin Titman ran out of luck once more, the Q59 racer getting caught up with a couple of lapped cars in turn two. Titman did all he could to avoid stopping but to no avail. Sadly he was unable to restart the race, the car fork-lifted from the track.

Lachlan McHugh inherited the lead for the restart, having still been in front of Luke Oldfield on the last completed lap, with Dave Fanning sitting in third ahead of Nicholas Whell and Ryan McNamara with twenty-five laps still to run. McHugh quickly opened a sizable margin on the rest while Fanning was sensational in the Q89 racer as he put all kinds of pressure on Luke Oldfield. Behind them a very entertaining battle between Nicholas Whell and Ryan McNamara was just beginning to heat up, but it was duo that would keep the crowd captivated for most of the rest of the race. McNamara got past Whell, only for Whell to return serve half a lap later, while Aaron Kelly started advancing from the rear of the field after transferring from the B-Main. Whell and McNamara continued to negotiate over the minor positions, with Tim Farrell behind them occasionally sticking his nose in and searching for a way past. Whell was determined and unrelenting, searching patiently for a way past Fanning and into third, with both Whell and McNamara soon making their way past Fanning. McNamara got the best of Whell and started to pull slightly ahead and make himself comfortable in third, while out in front McHugh had built a healthy lead and was weaving his way through lapped traffic. While the back markers raced two abreast McHugh found a line mid track and raced straight between them, while Oldfield ran a very comfortable, and familiar, second. Whell again gained on McNamara, his sights firmly set on a podium result as he raced back underneath McNamara and into third, and while there were several intense battles unfolding through the field, it was hard to take your eyes from Whell and McNamara for any great length of time. McNamara got back in front of Whell, the pair trading places back and forth several times as they neared the end of the race. With the white flag in the air it was a thrilling battle right to the end, both drivers showing each other plenty of respect and clearly having a lot of fun. McNamara led them into the second last corner, with Whell challenging on the bottom as they headed into the final turn. It was close, could have so easily ended in disaster for both, but they exited that final corner side-by-side and it was a drag race to the chequered flag. There was just 0.047 of a second between them as they crossed the line. Lachlan McHugh got his eleventh win of the season, Luke Oldfield crossed the line for his eighth second place result, while all eyes turned to the time board to see who would join them on the podium. Nicholas Whell managed to secure third and get his first podium result in Sprintcars, with Ryan McNamara forced to settle for fourth. Dave Fanning finished fifth to compete the top five, with Tim Farrell sixth ahead of Brent Kratzmann and Cody Maroske, while Aaron Kelly had an impressive run to cross the line in 9th after winning the B-Main. Callum Walker rounded out the top ten ahead of Adam Butler, Marcus Dumesny, Allan Woods, Jayden Peacock, Brock Dean, Dylan Menz, Darren Jensen, Kevin Britten and Brad Ayers. Kevin Titman was the only driver who failed to finish the thirty-five-lap affair, that had just the one stoppage, a testament to just how hectic the feature event was.

Sprintcars Queensland get only a couple of days rest before returning to the track, with Sprintcars heading back to Hi-Tec Oils Toowoomba Speedway this Saturday night, 16 January 2021. Come and join us trackside or tune in live, for a small fee, at speedwayaustralia.tv and see all the action LIVE as it unfolds. See you trackside race fans!