WSS 2016/17 Calendar
(from Brett Swanson)
USC
The weekend before last it was off to Premier Speedway, Warrnambool, on our South-west coast for a round of the Ultimate Sprintcar Championship (USC). Being on the coast if fine most of the time but if the weather is a bit dodgy, not so.
Anyway a class field of drivers were on hand and things were progressing well on an extremely windy and cold night.
The USC format changes depending on car numbers and this night featured two B-Mains.
After these had been run our junior sedans (1200cc sedans for kids 10-16 years of age) had their feature followed by a four car late model demonstration to promote the Australian Late Model Championship later in the season.
Considering how cold it was, it was therefore a crime that as the Late Models exited the track, there was not a single Sprintcar ready to come onto the track for the Main event.
Eventually the cars assembled on the track and as racing was about to get underway a light mist of rain fell that just made the track slightly slippery. Anyway, the race got underway but spins and wrecks and more very light rain kept messing things up. Then under one stoppage an open red was allowed and further delays occurred allowing more light rain to foul things up some more. It was at this point I thought to myself, if the Chief Steward had of been outside in the wind and cold, the feature would have started as soon as the late models finished, and we would have been finished before any rain came. Also he wouldn’t have allowed the open red to further delay things and make it more susceptible to rain.
James McFadden, in the Monte Motorsport Milwaukee Power Tools #17 raced in previous summers by Californian Kyle Hirst was looking good for his second straight feature only to spin of his own accord 3 laps shy of the win allowing Steven Lines to take the cash from local hero Jamie Veal who’d spun out while in the top three and had stormed back to be runner up ahead of Grant Anderson.
FINISH
1. Steven Lines W3
2. Jamie Veal V35
3. Grant Anderson V37
4. James McFadden W17
5. Brooke Tatnell W2
6. Ben Atkinson ACT2
7. Ian Loudoun V3
8. James Thompson N22
9. Sam Walsh N92
10. Corey McCullagh V90
11. Darren Mollenoyux V52
12. Ryan Jones S63
13. Jordyn Brazier NQ21
14. Jacob Smith V72
15. Jake Tranter S45
SRA
A week later our state domestic series, the Eureka Garages and Sheds series, was back at Avalon Raceway for round three (round two will be later in the season thanks to a late scheduling change).
The final was a beauty with multiple car battles for the lead.
The start however was not that good with the outside pole sitter Jye O’Keeffe jumping early and pole sitter Tim Van Ginneken slowing in turn 1-2 expecting a restart and losing some positions. The restart never occurred and TVG had to get the elbows up.
Meanwhile, O’Keeffe was looking good leading the first 20 laps despite huge pressure and some side by side racing from with pursuers. The track had been a little dry and one lane and slightly rough but for former junior sedan racer Peter Doukas it didn’t matter as he went to the wall and found a line that worked for him and he blasted to the front and on to his first ever Sprintcar feature win in the family owned car. O’Keeffe held on for second with Van Ginneken eventually getting back to third place.
FINIISH
1. Peter Doukas V98
2. Jye Okeeffe V42
3. Tim Van Ginneken V36
4. Tim Rankin Act66
5. Shaun Dobson ACT21
6. John Vogels V70
7. Glen Sutherland S20
8. Corey McCullagh V90
9. Jacob Smith V72
10. Adam King V48
11. Terry Kelly S37
12. Jordyn Charge V60
13. Brayden Parr V77
14. James Gardiner V23
15. Ian Loudoun V3
16. Brad Warren V91
17. Dennis Jones V17
18. David Aldersley V64
WSS
Our once premier national touring series a-la World of Outlaws, the World Series Sprintcars, had their opening round at Murray Bridge in South Australia, Sadly for them the event was rained out after the completion of the heats.
In its 30th year, this series appears to be in a bit of trouble at the moment as only six teams contracted to do the entire schedule - Similar to the WoO of recent years where their road gang diminished from 15 to 12 to ?? No disrespect to those six teams but some of the contracted teams are not of the standard to actually draw fans through the gates. The series has also expanded its schedule from early November to end of February making it very difficult to get American drivers to commit to the entire championship. This alone was the main reason Kyle Hirst was replaced by James McFadden in the Monte Motorsport entry and it has also made Brooke Tatnell a bit angry because he now has to spend even more time away from his wife and children back home in the USA although I think quietly he doesn’t mind being away from the North American winter for a bit longer.
Speaking of World Series they have a strange rule that if you are not contracted, but you still win the series, you are not eligible for the first place championship prize money. Contracted drivers also get a guaranteed amount of tow money. A few years back James McFadden and his Scott Milling owned team did not contract to the series but made such a good start to it that they ended up chasing the complete tournament and winning it, twice. Each time they did not receive the $20,000 first place money. The owners of the series, do not like it when a non-contracted driver wins it. In my opinion, if you are good enough to win it you should get the money. After all, you never got the bonus tow money along the way so why shouldn’t you get the cash?