(Nov 27, 2011) — The crowd had to wait an extra 24hrs to get it, but the wait to see Round One of the 2011/2012 Hi-Tec Oils World Series Sprintcars after the previous night’s rain out was worth every second as the WSS big guns put on a show to remember in the 30 lap A-Main.
History will show that the feature race had drama, carnage, frayed tempers and some of the best wheel-to-wheel competition seen in the series for many years as eventual winner James McFadden, Jason Johnson and Robbie Farr staged a three-way war for supremacy.
The lead swapped on numerous occasions between McFadden and Johnson in particular but unfortunately with only four laps remaining the race ended with Johnson’s #47 car in the wall with an upside down David Murcott alongside, bringing on the yellow lights.
Johnson squeezed past McFadden on the back straight but as they duo entered turn three they coincidentally came up on the lapped car of David Murcott. Conditions became crowded and the American came out second best with a damaged car and a DNF a disappointing result.
“It wasn’t a smart move,” Johnson frowned, “he came up on the infield to pass me and left me with nowhere to go. I ain’t happy.”
“I don’t think I touched him,” explained McFadden, “if I did I’m sorry but I honestly don’t think I caused that situation. We were racing hard, and we’re racing for a World Series Sprintcars main event win. None of us hold back out there.”
The win is the second consecutive main event success for the 21 year old at Supercheap Autos Archerfield Speedway and his career first for WSS competition.
“It’s taken long enough hasn’t it,” McFadden grinned.
Robbie Farr was a strong second place in Hi-Tec Oils #7 and happy to be so.
“I was watching those two guys (Johnson and McFadden) getting pretty serious up in front and for a second there I thought they’d take each other out and I might drive by for the win. Nah, I wouldn’t want that, it was an awesome race with the three of us, it’s a shame it had to end that way.”
Third home was the sensational David “Blingy” Muir in the P&M Motor Body Repairs #18 after a courageous run around the outside of celebrated WSS veterans Trevor Green and Max Dumesny to come from fifth to third in four laps and score a huge cheer from the local fans.
“I had to look twice to check that I’d really passed Max and Trevor on the outside,” grinned Muir, “the track was awesome tonight and you could do that kind of passing all night.”
Max Dumesny squeezed his Valvoline / GKR Transport entry passed the #4 NATRAD car of Trevor Green in the last four laps, edging himself into the top four and putting the unlucky South Aussie back to fifth.
Hard luck stories of the night included 8 times WSS Champion Brooke Tatnell who rolled over early in the night and never really recovered to narrowly miss the transfer in the B-Main in his battle ravaged #A1 Toyota Genuine Parts Cool Chassis.
“The car is junk,” frowned crew chief Peter Caporn, “we’ll have to build a new car in time for Dubbo.”
Titan Racing youngster Shaun Dobson also suffered a similar fate, binning the once pristine #36 Titan Garages Maxim after a power meeting with the concrete wall in his opening heat race.
Dobson received a bruised knee in the incident and the team is, like Krikke Motorsport, building a new car for Dubbo next weekend.
Todd Wanless was fast all night in his Action Metal Recycling #2 but he was caught up in an incident in turn two of the third lap in the A-Main and suffered terminal front-end damage.
In a separate incident not far from the same place Wanless crashed (on a different lap) Steven Lines also took a big ride in the Monster Energy #7 J&J when he caught the right rear of another car on the back straight and drilled the wall before rolling over.
Second in last year’s series David Murcott was innocently involved in a back straight incident that bent his car and tore off the right side driver’s panel. The hard charging Victorian was all at sea recovering after that and struggled to regain track position before being caught up with Jason Johnson while being lapped and then rolling over.
Talented youngster Luke Oldfield’s night was going well until he got caught up in the turn two melee and that ended his A-Main prematurely.
In one of the best A-Main events seen in WSS competition for some time, the final results were:
James McFadden
Robbie Farr
David Muir
Max Dumesny
Trevor Green
Andrew Scheuerle
Ian Madsen
Bryan Mann
Grant Anderson
Cameron Gessner
Danny Reidy
Kevin Titman
Richard Morgan
Jeremy Cross
Glen Saville
DNF – Jason Johnson
DNF – David Murcott
DNF – Steven Lines
DNF – Todd Wanless
DNF – Luke Oldfield