Perth, AU — Shaun Bradford was fast all night and claimed the Sprintcar feature race at the Perth Motorplex on Saturday night from Jamie Maiolo and Ryan Farrell.
The race was declared seven laps from home after an incident-packed night took its toll and the curfew loomed.
“I can’t thank Daryl Clayden and Allan Woods enough for this Quick Time chassis, it is awesome,” Bradford said.
“That was good fun when you get up the top there..it was a real good race.”
Maiolo said it wall happening, “on the low line and the high line”.
He is looking in good shape for victory with two rounds left in the Watsons Express Transport track championship.
“We are definitely out in front and this definitely won’t hurt the points with two rounds to go…but it ain’t over until it’s over.”
Farrell said he was just happy to finish after his power steering failed, saying he was going good until then.
Polesitter Ben Ellement was the early bolter and into lapped traffic with three laps down, circulating in 13.5 seconds.
Adyme Harvey had a big smash in turn two four laps into the race.
Then Ellement came unstuck when he went in too hard in pits bend six laps down and collecting Nathan Brady.
Kerry Madsen spun around and tagged the wall trying to avoid and cut a left rear tyre.
In the open red session Madsen and Ellement were able to repair and start from the rear.
With 17 laps remaining Ken Sartori flipped hard in pits bend after contact with Scott Reilly with the latter being disqualified.
The race was declared when Luch Monte and Sheldon Brady crashed hard in pits bend just before the ultimate 11pm deadline.
“It was a bit better than in time trials,” Darren Mewett said after winning the first heat from Karpenko and Kye Scroop.
He admitted to struggling a bit with a few stitches in his hand, but did well to hold off the pack of 410ci cars with a 372ci motor in the #55 machine.
Trevor Reynolds won the second heat from Sheldon Brady and Cark Dowling.
“The car is working really good,” Reynolds said.
“We struggled a bit with this chassis early on in the season.”
Harvey won heat three from Sheldon Brady and Ford.
“I am glad to have had that,” Harvey said.
“That was great to be running that fast for a few laps.
“It feels like if I make a mistake we will be taking it home in a box trailer.”
Nathan Brady won the final heat from Bradford and Monte.
“It’s been a long-time coming,” Brady said.
“The feeling at the moment – sensational.”
Kye Scroop’s night ended in this heat when his steering failed at high speed at the end of the main straight, slamming the #89 into the fence hard.
Moments later Mewett went over in turn four, also heavily damaging his car.
LEE Nash was the top man in the Wingless Sprints on the night, rounding out with two wins after a second in the first race for 299 points.
Second overall was Lee Redmond on 295 who enjoyed a fourth and two seconds while Ben Migro was third on 289 after starting the night with a win, followed by a ninth and a fourth.
“It was an awesome track… it was a lot of fun,” Nash said.
He said the traffic was pretty hectic and he had to pick his time and not want to make a mistake in the final race.
Redmond said it was a lot harder than getting to the front than in his bike days.
Migro said it was a big week in the workshop after he and Marshall McDiarmid reverted back to their original cars after swapping machines for a few rounds.
He won the first race from a fast-finishing Nash and Phil Moylan.
“This is awesome…that is my first ever win at the Motorplex.
Brendon Condren rode out a big crash in pits bend in the second race after contact with Dylan Buswell.
Nash won the second race from Redmond and McDiarmid and said he was “having a ball.”
He said the team was trying different stuff on the car before heading to Brisbane to contest the national title in June.
Nash also hinted he may be stepping up to sprintcar racing next season.
AFTER threatening all year to win a feature race Steve Crabbe was able to break through for a win in the combined feature race between Limited and 360 Sprintcars.
He said they had endured a tough season with engine dramas, being upside down or just “plain chicken”.
Crabbe also said it was scary running the high line in traffic as he carried a lot of car speed through.
Sarah Zemunik was second overall.
“It was a good night, the car was good in the heats and time trials going into the feature race until a car put me into the wall on the main straight,” Zemunik said.
She completed the race with broken shock absorbers and bars.
Damian Joyce was out early in the combined feature race, hitting the wall.
On the next restart Phil Johnson and Garry Miller came together in pits bend, putting them both out as well.
410 Sprint Cars
Qualifying: Ben Ellement 14.465, Luch Monte 14.510, Jamie Maiolo 14.548, Kerry Madsen 14.670, Jason Kendrick 14.774, Mark Wells 14.939, Ryan Farrell 14.984, Steven Lines 15.023, David Priolo 15.076, Shaun Bradford 15.117, Ken Sartori 15.143, Carl Dowling 15.163, Chase Karpenko 15.171, Brad Maiolo 15.183, Callum Williamson 15.223, Trevor Reynolds 15.287, Kye Scroop 15.300, Scott Reilly 15.342, Steven Ford 15.477, Sheldon Brady 15.516, Darren Mewett 15.946, Nathan Brady 15.970, Adyme Harvey 16.744.
Heat 1: 1st Darren Mewett, 2nd Chace Karpenko, 3rd Kye Scroop, 4th Steven Ford, 5th Callum Williamson, 6th Ryan Farrell, 7th David Priolo, 8th Ken Sartori, 9th Adyme Harvey, 10th Ben Ellement, 11th Jamie Maiolo. DNF: Jason Kendrick.
Heat 2: 1st Trevor Reynolds, 2nd Sheldon Brady, 3rd Carl Dowling, 4th Steven Lines, 5th Kerry Madsen, 6th Nathan Brady, 7th Shaun Bradford, 8th Scott Reilly, 9th Bradley Maiolo, 10th Mark Wells, 11th Luch Monte.
Heat 3: 1st Adyme Harvey, 2nd Sheldon Brady, 3rd Steven Ford, 4th Trevor Reynolds, 5th Jamie Maiolo, 6th Steven Lines, 7th Carl Dowling, 8th Ryan Farrell, 9th Kerry Madsen, 10th Callum Williamson. DNF: Ken Sartori.
Heat 4: 1st Nathan Brady, 2nd Shaun Bradford, 3rd Luch Monte, 4th Ben Ellement, 5th Chase Karpenko, 6th Bradley Maiolo, 7th Mark Wells, 8th David Priolo. DNF: Darren Mewett, Scott Reilly, Kye Scroop and Jason Kendrick.
Feature: 1st Shaun Bradford, 2nd Jamie Maiolo, 3rd Ryan Farrell, 4th Steven Lines, 5th Mark Wells, 6th Chase Karpenko, 7th Carl Dowling, 8th Jason Kendrick, 9th Callum Williamson, 10th Trevor Reynolds, 11th David Priolo, 12th Kerry Madsen, 13th Bradley Maiolo, 14th Steven Ford, 15th Darren Mewett. DNF: Luch Monte, Sheldon Brady, Ken Sartori, Ben Ellement, Nathan Brady, Adyme Harvey and Scott Reilly.
360 Sprintcars:
Qualifying: Garry Miller 16.282, Phil Johnson 16.723, Rob Willis 16.833, Stephen Adley 17.003, Tim Gardner 17.080, Ray Fitzsimmons 17.207, Phil Blackman 17.399, Wade Randall 18.046.
Race 1: 1st Phil Blackman, 2nd Wade Randall, 3rd Phil Johnson, 4th Garry Miller, 5th Ray Fitzsimmons, 6th Stephen Adley, 7th Rob Willis. DNF: Tim Gardner.
Race 2: 1st Wade Randall, 2nd Phil Blackman, 3rd Phil Johnson, 4th Garry Miller, 5th Stephen Adley, 6th Ray Fitzsimmons, 7th Rob Willis. DNS: Tim Gardner.
Combined final: 1st Steve Crabbe, 2nd Sarah Zemunik, 3rd Shane Maskell, 4th Robbie Stephens, 5th Wade Randall, 6th Annette Crabbe, 7th Phil Blackman, 8th Ray Fitzsimmons, 9th Tony Bilman, 10th Rob Willis. DNF: Aaron Ishiguchi, Stephen Adley, Anthony Guadio, Damien Joyce, Phil Johnson and Garry Miller.
Wingless Sprints
Race 1: 1st Ben Migro, 2nd Lee Nash, 3rd Phil Moylan, 4th Lee Redmond, 5th Dylan Buswell, 6th Ryan Condren, 7th Adrian La Macchia, 8th Phil Taylor, 9th Brendan Condren, 10th Scott Elst, 11th Daniel Keen, 12th Ashley Hounsfield, 13th Chad Gordon. DNF: Darryl Spalding, Ryan Starling and Marshall McDiarmid.
Race 2: 1st Lee Nash, 2nd Lee Redmond, 3rd Marshall McDiarmid, 4th Ryan Condren, 5th Phil Taylor, 6th Adrian La Macchia, 7th Phil Moylan, 8th Darryl Spalding, 9th Ben Migro, 10th Chad Gordon, 11th Scott Elst, 12th Ashley Hounsfield, 13th Daniel Keen. DNF: Brendon Condren, Dylan Buswell and Ryan Starling.
Final: 1st Lee Nash, 2nd Lee Redmond, 3rd Marshall McDiarmid, 4th Ben Migro, 5th Adrian La Macchia, 6th Phil Taylor, 7th Scott Elst, 8th Brendon Condren, 9th Ryan Condren, 10th Chad Gordon, 11th Darryl Spalding, 12th Phil Moylan, 13th Ashley Hounsfield. DNF: Daniel Keen, Dylan Buswell, Ryan Starling.
Points: Lee Nash 299, Lee Redmond 295, Ben Migro 289, Adrian La Macchia 285, Phil Taylor 284, Phil Moylan 281, Marshall McDiarmid 275, Scott Elst 275, Chad Gordon 270, Ashley Hounsfield 266, Brendon Condren 264, Darryl Spalding 262, Daniel Keen 257, Dylan Buswell 254, Ryan Starling 237.