(Archerfield Speedway PR)
In a masterful performance at Ausdeck Patios Archerfield Speedway on Saturday night (November 26), Luke Oldfield blitzed round three of the 2016/2017 World Series Sprintcar Championship presented by Performance Wholesale. Taking on the WSS contracted competitors and another 20 drivers from Queensland and interstate, Oldfield dominated from the outset and scorched through the 30-lap feature race to score a resounding win over James McFadden and Daniel Harding to become only the fourth Queensland driver to win a round of the WSS championship.
In a typically torrid Archerfield feature race, Andrew Scheuerle surged late to finish fourth ahead of series leader and defending champion Jamie Veal. Mitchell Gee was very solid in sixth, with Kevin Titman, Darren Jensen, Jake Tranter and Peter Lack rounding out the top ten in a highly entertaining race in which the only major incident saw Brooke Tatnell crash out whilst running in second spot.
Oldfield signalled his intentions in qualifying when he stopped the clock at 11.755 seconds to secure Revolution Racegear Fast Time. It was locals who filled the top of the timesheets, with Scheuerle (11.795), Titman (11.800) and Bryan Mann (11.852) and Paul Rooks (11.952) filling five of the top six spots. McFadden with a fifth-fastest 11.864 was the best of the contracted drivers and it was Harding, Tatnell, Gee and Andrew Wright who were the only others to clock under 12 seconds.
James Grady jumped away from pole position to win the opening heat from Jason Pryde and Richard Morgan, with Oldfield storming from the back to finish fourth.
South Australian Jake Tranter took out heat two over Clem Hoffmans and Ben Hilder, before Kristy Bonsey elicited a roar of appreciation from the parochial local crowd when she triumphed in heat three in advance of Simon Jupe and Jayden Peacock, only to find her effort largely in vain due a penalty incurred as a result of her late arrival the pre-race drivers briefing.
Hoffmans also earned a rousing reception when he held on to score a narrow win in heat four over Oldfield, who again surged from the back row of the grid, with Richard Morgan annexing third again.
Jupe downed Callum Walker and Allan Woods in heat five before Tranter doubled up to take the final preliminary ahead of Hilder and McFadden.
In the Pole Shootout, Tatnell advanced from the Bronze Dash to ultimately emerge with pole position for the feature event. After initially downing Gee, Titman and Darren Jensen in the first round, he subsequently disposed of Scheuerle, McFadden, Oldfield and Harding, who would start on the outside front row.
Wright rounded up Allan Woods to win the B Main, while Peacock, Mann (who also incurred a 25-point penalty), Lack and Jason Pryde joined them in advancing into the feature race.
Tatnell won the sprint into turn one to lead Harding through the opening lap but there was always a sense of inevitability about Oldfield advancing to the front of the field and it was lap 10 that saw him demote Tatnell and take control of the race. Tatnell remained second until he happened upon a stricken Jupe in turn three on lap 19 and made an unceremonious exit. McFadden inherited second spot for the restart but the two-time national champ and WSS titleholder was unable to make much impression as Oldfield rode the cushion to his maiden WSS win. Harding capped a solid night with his third placing ahead of the advancing Scheurele and Veal, with Gee, Titman, Jensen Tranter and Lack next best. Hilder, Peacock, Walker, Morgan, Pryde and Woods completed the finishers, with Wright and Mann joining Tatnell and Jupe on the infield.