Sam Walsh won Saturday's USC event at Valvoline Raceway (Valvoline Raceway PR)
(Valvoline Raceway PR)
Sam Walsh and Adam Clarke were the big winners in the USC Sprintcar and Speedcar Super Series main events at Valvoline Raceway tonight in the GT Challenge Double Duty night.
Clarke repeated his win from the same event last year in the Speedcar Super Series whilst Walsh went back to back in USC main events after scoring victory two weeks ago.
“I actually started to get nervous with a few laps to go, I had to stop hanging on so hard to the steering wheel. I started to think about what it would be like to get back to back wins,” Walsh admitted, “I had to focus on keeping the car straight because I knew the fast guys would be right there if I slipped up.”
With over 100 cars in the pits from the two classes alone and a massive 70 plus Sprintcar line-up anyone who scored a main event win would have certainly earned the privilege.
“I’m thrilled to win this race again this year that honours such a great champion and someone who did so much for the sport,” beamed Clarke from his #29 Jack Berry Racing entry after the 30-lap A-Main.
For Sam Walsh it was a case of being patient with lapped traffic but taking his chances when they came as he and Jamie Veal stole through the gaps as they presented themselves.
“We didn’t really have a lot of options and Sammy never really put a wheel wrong,” explained Veal, “so we did what we could and we’ll regroup again for next Saturday night at home.”
Veal set Quick Time in qualifying, won his heat race from position four and then won the Dash to start on the front row alongside Walsh.
Ian Loudoun started the Essendon Ford #3 on the second row and was looking extremely quick all night but had a couple of costly moments where he ran wide off the track and had to fight from a long way back to an eventual tenth.
Brooke Tatnell pedaled the KMS #2 from the seventh row of the grid to an eventual third place finish in a barnstorming run to grab the final podium position and get a hug from his Mum Val.
“We started too far back,” Tatnell lamented, “you can give guys like this that much head start and run them down.”
James McFadden came from the fourth row of the grid to place fourth behind Tatnell ahead of Max Dumesny in fifth, Robbie Farr sixth, Warren Ferguson seventh, Shaun Dobson eighth, Toby Bellbowen ninth and Ian Loudoun rounding out the top ten.
James Thompson sped from sixteenth to eleventh ahead of B-Main transferee Max Johnston who sizzled from the last row of the grid to a fine twelfth place finish ahead of Mitchell Dumesny, Troy Little (who started on the third row) Matt Dumesny, Ben Aktinson, Ian Madsen, Andrew Wright, Jackson Delamont, Grant Tunks, Daniel Harding, Chace Karpenko, Danny Reidy and Jeremy Cross as the final recorded order.
A-Main Results:
1. Sam Walsh started 2nd
2. Jamie Veal started 1st
3. Brooke Tatnell started 14th
4. James McFadden started 8th
5. Max Dumesny started 10th
6. Robbie Farr started 4th
7. Warren Ferguson started 17th
8. Shaun Dobson started 6th
9. Toby Bellbowen started 11th
10. Ian Loudoun started 3rd
11. James Thompson started 16th
12. Max Johnston started 23rd
13. Mitchell Dumesny started 7th
14. Troy Little started 5th
15. Matt Dumesny started 12th
16. Ben Atkinson started 15th
17. Ian Madsen started 22nd
18. Andrew Wright started 13th
19. Jackson Delamont started 24th
20. Grant Tunks started 18th
21. Daniel Harding started 20th
22. Chace Karpenko started 19th
23. Danny Reidy started 21st
24. Jeremy Cross started 9th
An amazing 67 cars timed in during qualifying with Veal’s 11.785 being the best of the bunch.
Top Ten in qualifying were:
Jamie Veal 11.785
Andrew Wright 11.803
James McFadden 11.982
Shaun Dobson 12.018
Warren Ferguson 12.121
Robbie Farr 12.140
Jeremy Cross 12.147
Brooke Tatnell 12.154
Max Dumesny 12.178
Ian Loudoun 12.225
Heat winners included Veal, Sam Walsh, Ian Loudoun and Troy Little.
The C-Main win went to Michael Matchett over Brendan Rallings in second, Brendan Scorgie in third.
The twin B-Mains saw victories for Ian Madsen over Jackson Delamont (making the A-Main transfers in B-Main two) and Danny Reidy and Max Johnston in B-Main One.
Adam Clarke was simply too good for his rivals in the Speedcar Super Series third round with a drive in the final that was rarely really challenged in the Jack Berry entry.
West Aussie Dane Kingshott was guesting in the Mark Cooper Spike house car and was spectacular throughout the feature running the highline when most chose to run the bottom.
Unfortunately when he ran over the lip in turn one and two he dropped several spots and was unable to come back in the time remaining but his drive before then was entertaining to say the least.
Nathan Smee, who guested in the Scott and Jade Wilson BOSS Stanton that Brooke Tatnell was originally going to drive and Smee was also a hot prospect on the highline before the power steering issues he had eventually became too much to handle.
Whilst Adam Clarke appeared to be on cruise mode in front the battle behind him was frenetic to say the least as Matt Jackson, Kingshott, Smee, Darren Jenkins, Jaimie McKinlay, Troy Jenkins, Michael Stewart and Kaidon Brown to name a few haggled over the podium spots.
Troy Jenkins and Michael Stewart unfortunately got together for the second time in two weeks with Jenkins immaculate BOC Gases #78 winding up with front end damage and having to retire after looking like a definite podium prospect.
The race was marred by a frightening wreck however when Jaimie McKinlay completely destroyed his #42 Eagle in a violent series of rollovers on the back straight.
The crowd held its breath as the gutsy racer emerged from the destruction and walk away with assistance.
Matt Jackson’s stellar season continued with his fine second place in the Diamond Air Conditioning #97 to lead home third placed Michael Stewart in the Mainline Dyno #51 CP3.
Teenage rookie Kaidon Brown was again a revelation running a strong fourth place and earning the P1 Australia George Tatnell Award for exhibiting GT like qualities on the night as judged by the lovely Val Tatnell.
Aidan Corish was stout for fifth in the new look IGA Plus Liquor #87 over evergreen Bob Jackson in sixth, Adam Wallis seventh, Reid Mackay a solid eighth, Darren Jenkins ninth after coming back from the rear after the McKinlay crash and veteran Alan Day tenth in one of his best finishes.
Newcomer Jamie Hall was impressive for eleventh ahead of Jordan Mackay in twelfth and the #24S of Clint Liebhart thirteenth and Victorian Travis Mills fourteenth.
DNF’s were Nathan Smee, Jamie McKinlay, Dayne Kingshott, Gary Rooke, Troy Jenkins, Jeremy Evans, Michael Jordan, Anthony Chaffy, Matt Hunter and Paul Murphy.