MEDIA RELEASE: The last time World Series Sprintcars visited Ausdeck Patios Archerfield Speedway in November, the contracted stars were handed a hiding by local ace Luke Oldfield.
When the series returns to Brisbane this Wednesday night (January 4), those chasing the WSS championship are going to be faced with any even tougher proposition.
Oldfield will be joined by no less than World of Outlaws champion Donny Schatz, Australian champ Kerry Madsen and three more American stars in Logan Schuchart, Lucas Wolfe and Carson Macedo, along with 20 more locals determined to emulate Oldfield, who remains the only non-contracted Australian driver to win a round of the championship so far this season.
Since the November event, Oldfield has continued a run of success that culminated with a stunning win over Schatz here on Sunday evening despite a crash earlier in the night.
In addition to the highly-credentialed American quartet, Wednesday night’s action will see Oldfield take on drivers from five states and territories in his bid for repeat WSS wins.
Current WSS points leader James McFadden returns to Archerfield on the back of some red hot form during the Speedweek portion of the WSS championship and, having finished second here in November, he will be looking to expand his advantage over his championship adversaries with another strong result.
For defending champion Jamie Veal, the only man now likely to deny McFadden a third WSS crown, Archerfield has not been the scene of much success and he really needs to find his way to victory lane to give his championship defence a timely boost.
Of the other WSS teams hauling to Brisbane for the event, Brooke Tatnell is obviously the most successful with nine WSS championship wins to his name, but WA’s Daniel Harding performed very strongly here at his last appearance with a third-place finish behind Oldfield and McFadden.
However, the inclusion of Madsen in the field brings an extra dimension to the event and sets up a fantastic stoush between the Australian champion and the man widely acknowledged as the best in the world.
A Madsen versus Schatz showdown is a mouth-watering proposition and Archerfield Speedway is the only place where such a clash will take place in Australia this season.
Although beaten on Monday night, Schatz was at his sublime best and he will rise to the challenge of taking on Australia’s most accomplished drivers.
In fact, given the history of success that the other Americans bring to the event, an international clean sweep of the podium is a distinct possibility.
Drivers from every Australian state are nominated, including two-time national champion David Murcott and fellow Victorian Jack Lee, South Australian Glen Sutherland, Northern Territory’s Chris Harrison, Tasmanian youngster Callum Zizek, West Australia’s Jason Pryde and the NSW-based duo of Andrew Wright and Brayden Willmington.
Needless to say, the local line-up that awaits them includes our very best Sprintcar exponents, with Andrew Scheuerle, Lachlan McHugh, Mitchell Gee, Peter Lack, Bryan Mann, Brent Kratzmann and Darren Jensen in the field and determined to etch their name into the WSS history books.
In addition to the stellar Sprintcar line-up, the mighty Midgets are also out in force for the latest round of their Polar Ice Track Championship, with three-time national champion Adam Clarke taking on New Zealand hotshoe Chris Gwilliam and another 18 drivers.
The field includes Queensland championship winners Rusty Whittaker, Mark George and Michael Harders, who is fresh from a win in Toowoomba on New Year’s Eve, plus Darren Vine, Troy Ware, Charlie Brown, Brendan Palmer, Brock Dean and Adam Wallis in what is the strongest field for a Polar Ice round so far this season.
Compact Speedcars have also produced a strong entry list for their events, with Vine doing double duty once again. Wayne Corbett, Robbie Stewart, Mark Maczek and Jayden Mathers loom as the most likely to challenge Vine for feature race honours, but the category is the most competitive it has been for quite a while with several new drivers emerging as potential race winners.
Gates open at 4.00pm (3.30pm for online ticketholders) and early racing gets underway from 4.45pm.
World Series Sprintcar time trials will kick off at 5.30pm and the main program roars into action from 6.00pm. For more information, follow Archerfield Speedway on Facebook or head to the track website at www.brisbanespeedway.com.au to purchase online tickets and secure early entry.
World Series Sprintcars round 11 nominations: Andrew Corbet, Andrew Liebke, Andrew Scheuerle, Andrew Wright, Braydan Willmington, Brent Kratzmann, Brett Minett, Brooke Tatnell, Bryan Mann, Callum Zizek, Carson Macedo, Chris Harrison, Daniel Harding, Darren Jensen, David Murcott, Donny Schatz, Dylan Menz, Glen Sutherland, Jack Lee, James McFadden, Jamie Veal, Jason Pryde, Kerry Madsen, Lachlan McHugh, Logan Schuchart, Lucas Wolfe, Luke Oldfield, Mitchell Gee, Paul Rooks, Peter Lack
