Post by cards on Jan 29, 2009 7:31:41 GMT 12
The track surface looked really good last night during warm-ups, but, sure enough the Sprintcars managed to take the top off it and build a slight berm halfway up the track.
However it did hold up and there were none of the craters we've seen earlier in the season.
The first heat had Shane Allach and Carl Worboys off the front and Dave Darland off grid 12.
Darland had the surface sussed and rode the pole to nip up the inside and within a few laps was sitting behind Worboys in 4th.
He eventually got by into third, but couldn't catch Allach and Standring.
Heat two and mayhem ! Pickens tangled with Andrew Stewart and did a 360 but kept going ... Jerry Coons in the 3us got to the front real quick from grid 8. But the real drama was Brad Mosen sliding into the 19 year-old yank Henry Clarke and launching him into a wild ride into the fence.
The impact tore the engine from it's plate and the team will have a job on their hands to repair it for Saturday night.
Clarke was shaken but was able to walk to the ambulance.
Then drama for Pickens on the restart as his front left tyre went flat and his engine died .. he coasted across the line in seventh place.
The winner Coons from Mosen, Brad Kuhn and Michael Kendall.
Heat three and Scott Buckley got a good early lead and won by at least 200 metres from Standring, Tony Fabish and Shaun Insley.
Heat four; Darland started on pole and ran away and hid from them. Phillipa Melrose in the 21c had a good race and was in the mix till picked off by Wayne Green, Pickens and Brad Kuhn.
Heat five; More drama at the start with the 3us of Jerry Coons nearly turned around by Lance Beale .. then the ever improving Nick James managed to get a wheel up on the 87 and launched himself into the fence.
Sadly the 79 may be history.
Mosen hung on in a close finish from Beale, Coons and Insley.
In the test race the Kiwis won 35 points to 20 .. Mosen started from pole and won while behind him the two Wendy's cars battled out the minors with Coons getting the runner up spot ahead of Standring.
There was a B Main where Phillipa Melrose took the early lead but was eventually beaten into second by Chris McCutcheon. The two other qualifiers for the feature were Dave Gick and Andrew Stewart.
So to the final and what a cracker raced over 25 laps.
Mosen was off pole with Pickens off 8 and Darland 13.
At the completion of lap one Kendall spun taking out Melrose, McCutcheon and Darland. Only McCutcheon was able to restart.
As the race setlled there were a series of battles .. at the front Mosen and Coons .. Insley and Standring and Allach versus Kuhn.
Stewart spun and brought out the first yellow and off the restart Coons passed Mosen then it was 33, 1nz, 11, 54, 43us and 88us Davey Ray.
11 and 47us Kruseman went to the infield with mechanicals and then Ray stopped on the track bringing out yet another yellow.
With 10 to go it was, Coons, Mosen, Standring, Insley, Kuhn, Pickens and Green.
There was one more yellow, as on the restart Coons was slow away and in the domino effect as they jammed up, the 21a of Worboys got biffed on to the infield. He did however get a restart.
3 laps to go and Coons inexplicably spun to the infield in turn two kept the engine running and rejoined in third. Mosen raced to the lead not to be headed.
The 21 year old from Buckland's Beach winning the 25 lapper from Insley, Coons, Standring, Pickens, Kuhn, Buckley, Angus McLeod, Worboys, Green, Fabish, Gick, McCutcheon and Stewart.
A great nights racing. Picken's run of feature wins stays at nine.
Cards
However it did hold up and there were none of the craters we've seen earlier in the season.
The first heat had Shane Allach and Carl Worboys off the front and Dave Darland off grid 12.
Darland had the surface sussed and rode the pole to nip up the inside and within a few laps was sitting behind Worboys in 4th.
He eventually got by into third, but couldn't catch Allach and Standring.
Heat two and mayhem ! Pickens tangled with Andrew Stewart and did a 360 but kept going ... Jerry Coons in the 3us got to the front real quick from grid 8. But the real drama was Brad Mosen sliding into the 19 year-old yank Henry Clarke and launching him into a wild ride into the fence.
The impact tore the engine from it's plate and the team will have a job on their hands to repair it for Saturday night.
Clarke was shaken but was able to walk to the ambulance.
Then drama for Pickens on the restart as his front left tyre went flat and his engine died .. he coasted across the line in seventh place.
The winner Coons from Mosen, Brad Kuhn and Michael Kendall.
Heat three and Scott Buckley got a good early lead and won by at least 200 metres from Standring, Tony Fabish and Shaun Insley.
Heat four; Darland started on pole and ran away and hid from them. Phillipa Melrose in the 21c had a good race and was in the mix till picked off by Wayne Green, Pickens and Brad Kuhn.
Heat five; More drama at the start with the 3us of Jerry Coons nearly turned around by Lance Beale .. then the ever improving Nick James managed to get a wheel up on the 87 and launched himself into the fence.
Sadly the 79 may be history.
Mosen hung on in a close finish from Beale, Coons and Insley.
In the test race the Kiwis won 35 points to 20 .. Mosen started from pole and won while behind him the two Wendy's cars battled out the minors with Coons getting the runner up spot ahead of Standring.
There was a B Main where Phillipa Melrose took the early lead but was eventually beaten into second by Chris McCutcheon. The two other qualifiers for the feature were Dave Gick and Andrew Stewart.
So to the final and what a cracker raced over 25 laps.
Mosen was off pole with Pickens off 8 and Darland 13.
At the completion of lap one Kendall spun taking out Melrose, McCutcheon and Darland. Only McCutcheon was able to restart.
As the race setlled there were a series of battles .. at the front Mosen and Coons .. Insley and Standring and Allach versus Kuhn.
Stewart spun and brought out the first yellow and off the restart Coons passed Mosen then it was 33, 1nz, 11, 54, 43us and 88us Davey Ray.
11 and 47us Kruseman went to the infield with mechanicals and then Ray stopped on the track bringing out yet another yellow.
With 10 to go it was, Coons, Mosen, Standring, Insley, Kuhn, Pickens and Green.
There was one more yellow, as on the restart Coons was slow away and in the domino effect as they jammed up, the 21a of Worboys got biffed on to the infield. He did however get a restart.
3 laps to go and Coons inexplicably spun to the infield in turn two kept the engine running and rejoined in third. Mosen raced to the lead not to be headed.
The 21 year old from Buckland's Beach winning the 25 lapper from Insley, Coons, Standring, Pickens, Kuhn, Buckley, Angus McLeod, Worboys, Green, Fabish, Gick, McCutcheon and Stewart.
A great nights racing. Picken's run of feature wins stays at nine.
Cards
