From WSS, James Baker Photo
World of Outlaws champion Donny Schatz waltzed to a hat trick of Australian Sprintcar Open wins during round 9 of the Performance Wholesale World Series Sprintcars Championship at the Titan Garages Brisbane International Speedway.
Schatz powered into the lead over fellow front row starter and preliminary feature winner Cameron Gessner. Max Dumesny drove into third from Brooke Tatnell, James McFadden, Danny Smith, David Murcott and Kerry Madsen.
Darrell Hodges was fortunate to make the main event following the disqualification of Grant Anderson from the B-Main. The Albury bullet made contact with Pete Thorley on the final lap while trying to secure the final transfer position, with Thorley flipping out of the event.
American Bud Kaeding won the inaugural Capalaba Wreckers Sprintcar Cup on Wednesday night however on this occasion he was forced out of the B-Main with a broken steering arm, setting up the desperate two lap sprint to the finish.
Bud’s father Brent went on to win the 20-lap B-Main from Garry Brazier, Ryan Farrell, Danny Reidy and Robbie Farr with Anderson crossing the line in sixth and Hodges seventh.
After being granted an A-Main start Hodges only completed one lap when he tangled with Kaeding and was forced out of the marathon 50-lap feature event. On lap four McFadden dropped from fifth to seventh while trying out the highline with most cars forming a freight train along the bottom groove.
Around the half way mark Dumesny slid underneath Gessner for second and Smith passed Tatnell for fourth. The lhigh line was working well for Tatnell and he repassed the American seven laps later and then took Gessner for third not long after.
Madsen and Brazier had been chasing the high line for the entire race distance and it started to come to them when Todd Wanless damaged his front end during an altercation with Jason Johnson on the back straight.
Schatz led the restart with Tatnell passing Dumesny for second followed by Gessner, Madsen, Smith, Brazier, Murcott, McFadden and Andrew Scheuerle just inside the top ten.
Madsen continued his charge to the front passing Gessner for fourth while Schatz dictated the pace at the front putting in his fastest lap on his forty-first circuit. The rest of the top ten recorded their fastest lap in the first half of the race.
Four laps later Kaeding stopped with a broken throttle linkage while Madsen’s amazing run came to an end when his muffler became loose and popped a tyre, dropping through the field before pulling infield.
Tatnell brushed the wall and thought he might have broken the Jacobs Ladder so he switched from the top of the race track to the bottom. On both restarts Tatnell poked his nose under Schatz through turn one however he could not find the drive coming out of two and Schatz held the lead. The champion American later admitted that if Tatnell had passed him, he had nothing left as he had driven the wheels of his Garry Rush Motorsport Pick N Payless Shaver powered J&J and could not go low.
Meanwhile Brazier showed why he was Australian Champion coming from the B-Main to pass Dumesny for third just two laps from home. Gessner dropped to seventh behind Smith and Murcott while Robbie Farr just sneaked into tenth after a difficult weekend.
Although Tatnell missed out of the $20,000 winner purse he can take solace in the fact he extended his championship lead with Brazier taking vital points away from Dumesny and Farr crashing out of his first heat, missing out on the Preliminary A-Main on Friday and having to qualify through the B-Main by finishing fifth on Saturday. The only good news for Farr was that he stayed ahead of Farrell who finished eleventh.
The racing continues in Queensland on Sunday night with round 10 of the championship at the Charlton Raceway, Toowoomba.
A-Main Results
1. USA2 Donny Schatz
2. W2 Brooke Tatnell
3. A1 Garry Brazier
4. V5 Max Dumesny
5. USA4 Danny Smith
6. Q29 David Murcott
7. Q68 Cameron Gessner
8. W25 James McFadden
9. Q25 Andrew Scheuerle
10. Q7 Robbie Farr
QSS Quicktime – Danny Smith
Revolution Racegear Highest Heat Points –
Darryl Hodges
Vortex Top 8 Shootout –
Cameron Gessner
Hoosier Hard Charger –
Garry Brazier
DMI Lucky 11th –
Ryan Farrell
Pro Shocks Award – Max Dumesny
Points
1. Brooke Tatnell 1333
2. Max Dumesny 1284
3. Robbie Farr 1273
4. Ryan Farrell 1252
5. David Murcott 1176
6. James McFadden 1176
7. Bryan Mann 1172
8. Cameron Gessner 1164
9. Jason Johnson 1149
10. Andrew Scheuerle 1145