NZ Midget Champ For Brisbane Open Wheel Double Header

From JAK Media

Newly crowned New Zealand Midget Champion Michael Pickens will add a spice of international flavour to the program when Titan Garages Brisbane International Speedway (BIS) hosts a Sprintcar and Midget open wheel double header this Saturday night March 20.

Pickens, who won the NZ National Midget Car Championship last weekend, will fly into Brisbane later this week to team up with car owner Jack Berry on Saturday night and will undoubtedly start as one of the favourites in the twenty lap Midget Feature. Berry’s Ipswich-based Polar Ice team have been on a roll since early this year, having won a Round of the National Midget Series in Adelaide last month with Kiwi Brad Mosen and backing it up with victory in the Danny Davidson Memorial event with Grant Draney in the driver’s seat.

Saturday will be Pickens’ first outing with the team and Brisbane Midget fans will see him in action again in May when he returns for the annual fifty lap event along with Mosen, Australian Champion Nathan Smee and a host of Qld and interstate drivers.

The season-long Qld Speedway Spares Series (QSSS) continues this week and it’s another solid line-up of over thirty Sprintcar drivers who will be chasing victory in the Feature event of the night. Pete Thorley regained the Series point lead from Toowoomba’s Peter Lack when the Sprintcars last raced at Archerfield and although there’s five Rounds remaining in the 2009/10 instalment of the Series, it’s quickly becoming a race for the Title between those two and Richard Morgan who splits them on the points ladder.

Bryan Mann, the winner of Round 4 back in November, returns to BIS after an arduous racing tour of the west during February and he will be seeking his second Series victory of the season as will Todd Wanless who will chasing his first win at Archerfield since Round 5 in December. Last start winner David Muir will be eyeing off consecutive wins while Andrew Scheuerle, Cameron Gessner and Sprintcars Qld Club Championship point leader Allan Woods will be chasing their first QSSS Feature win this year.

Saturday night’s program at Archerfield also includes Compact Speedcars, Stock Cars and Track Championship races for Ford v Holden Sedans and Brisbane Sedans. General admission gates open from 4:00pm, racing from 6:00pm.

Qld Speedway Spares – Round 8 Nominations:

Adrian O’Connell, Allan Woods, Andrew Scheuerle, Brent Kratzmann, Brett Thomas, Brock Dean, Bryan Mann, Cameron Gessner, Craig Stevenson, Dan Murray, David Muir, Des Collier, Jason Bottin, Kevin Titman, Luke Rowell, Mark Pholi, Matthew Butler, Melissa Boyes, Murray Gibson, Niall Chandler, Paul Morris, Paul Rooks, Peter Lack, Peter Thorley, Richard Morgan, Scott Baker, Steven Johnson, Steven White, Tim Garrett, Todd Wanless, Tony Wynne, Troy Coomber.

Midgets – Nominations:

Adam Wallis, Anthony Chaffey, Brad Sloan, Brett Foreman, Brock Dean, Chris Singleton, Darren Vine, Grant Draney, Jeremy Hassell, John Davidson, John MacLaughlan, Mark George, Michael Pickens, Mike Meudell, Scott Jeynes, Steve Swingler, Troy Ware, Vaughn Bryce.

Event Information:

Date: Saturday March 20, 2010

Venue: Titan Garages Brisbane International Speedway (BIS)

Location: 63 Colebard Street West, Archerfield, Queensland

Adults: $23.00

Students & Pensioners (with Photo ID): $18.00

Teens: 13 – 15 yrs: $13.00, Children: 5 – 12 yrs: $6.00 Family Passes: $50.00 (2 adults + 2 children 12yrs or under)

Pit gates open 3:00pm; main gates 4:00pm.

Early racing from approx. 4:45pm, main program from 6:00pm.

Parking is available at the track for $3.00. Racing finishes by 10.30pm.

Programmed events include: Sprintcars, Midgets, Compact Speedcars, Stock Cars, Ford v Holden, Brisbane Sedans.

Event general admission and pit gate tickets for the event are only available at the Speedway on race day. Race day information, including track weather updates, is available by calling the Speedway Infoline on (07) 3277 7745.