The Australian Speedcar Championship trophy goes overseas for the second successive year following Rico Abreu’s dominance this weekend at Brisbane’s Archerfield Speedway.

Rarely headed in races on this tour Abreu went into the final night with high points after the heats on Friday night. Beaten to the checker only once on the final night and that was in the heats by Queensland’s Anthony Chaffey. The seasoned 25 year old USAC professional started the Championship Feature from that magic position P1 with Kiwi Hayden Williams out of P2 and defending Champion Michael Pickens in P3.

It was no surprise that Abreu raced into the early  lead with Williams running a steady pace to keep the Californian in check. By lap 12 Abreu was still maintaining a Championship winning lead but the defending Champion Pickens still had the bit between his teeth and closed then passed Williams for second on lap 12 .Pickens dream of a second A1 Plate was gone four laps later when he experienced engines problems and returned to the infield.

Abreu appeared untroubled in the lead but it was Brady Bacon who was starting to bring the crowd alive as he forced his way through the field and by lap 20 was in second and looking the only danger to Abreu.Bacon started to close the gap to Abreu but the two times Chili Bowl Champion had this race well under control , as brilliant as Bacon was Abreu and his Spike /Toyota had the challenge covered.

Passing the checker it was Rico Abreu the new Australian Speedcar Champion from the fast finishing Brady Bacon and Nathan Smee the first of the Australians across the stripe. Of the four New Zealanders in the field only Chris Gwilliams finished the race, Pickens, Williams and Mosen all were DNF..Alex Bright,finished in 4th ZachDaum in 8th and Andrew Felker in 9th..

Abreu and Keith Kunz set such a high standard during this tour and the Australian Championship is just reward .The Bullet by Spike /Toyota they prepared for this tour down under was “Gem”. Speedway fans should also applaud Todd Wanless and his Raw Metals Corp for their support of Keith Kunz and his Team.

Well done Rico, as Australian Champion you will be wonderful ambassador for Australian Speedcars and Speedway.

Photo credits :Rampage Speedway Photos

https://www.facebook.com/rampage.robbie

Want the hairs on the back of your neck to stand up this week end then better get along to Brisbane’s Archerfield Speedway this week end for the Speedcar Championship of Australia. Get yourself down to the fence line where you will feel the sounds as the midgets get into the track and challenge the cushion. If you get clay in your hair and the smell of racing fuel in your lungs you will have had a get night no matter who wins.

For seventy five years this prestige Championship has attracted not only the best Midget Speedcar drivers in Australia but the very bravest and talented from New Zealand and the USA.South Australia and Tasmania are the only States not represented but other Teams have been arriving after long hauls up the highways and across Oceans.

The defending Champion is seven times New Zealand Champion Michael Pickens. Fellow Kiwis Brad Mosen, Hayden Williams and Chris Gwilliam make up the Kiwi challenge.The favorite for the Championship must be Two times Chili Bowl Champion and 2014 USAC Midget Champion Rico Abreu base on current Australian form. Abreu will be joined by Brady Bacon, Zach Daum, Andrew Felker and Alex Bright, all have major US Title to their names and plenty of experience on Australian track.

The Australian’s will be determined not to let another Title head overseas and they have plenty of fire power for the Kiwis and Yanks to get over first. Nathan Smee and Adam Clarke both former Champions desperately want another Title and Dayne Kingshott now with McAllen Motorsports will be out to improve on his strong second behind Abreu at the recent Lismore International Midget Show.

While it is hard to go past Abreu and Bacon I would not be surprised if Dayne Kingshott brings another Title home to Western Australia for the McAllan Stable.The two nights of racing starts with the preliminary night Friday February 3^rd and the Championship night Saturday February 4^th.

Let  the hairs dance on the back of your neck this weekend at Archerfield Speedway for the Kratzman Caravan’s Australian Midget Speedcar Championship

Australia one

Valvoline Raceway: Michael Pickens packs the A1plate into his luggage and heads back home across the ditch with the most valuable and sought after prize in Australian Speedcar season .The Australian Championship will reside uncomfortably for many Speedcar fans in Auckland.
Whatever your view is on the International drivers competing in our National Title event there can be no question as to who has been the most outstanding driver cross all the international events both here in Australian and New Zealand .
Six Americans and 3 of his fellow Kiwis and 45 of Australia’s best have not been able to take the legendary 6 Times New Zealand Champ down.
Never far from the top of time sheets Pickens set the standard for others to match .Make no mistake this 40 lap Championship race had plenty of challengers for Pickens to overcome.

Pickens Clarke and Manders

The defending Champion Adam Clarke returned to top form during the race and at times looked likely to get his hat trick of successive wins but tyre problems and the furious pace on the top by Felker and Pickens saw the Aussie No1 looking to get the best possible finish . .
The race was a stunner, no need for wings here but the determination and commitment at the front had the big crowd on their feet as the top four exchanged slides and traded positions.
For me the biggest surprise in the earlier Internationals and in the Championship Feature was the performance of Andrew Felker, he has been amazing.
The final laps of the race and it was impossible to predict the race winner and as it should be at all great Championships the winner emerged in the form of Pickens beating Felker by the smallest margin .With Clarke running the bottom trying to keep his tyres in shape Alex Bright drove around the outside to grab the final podium spot just ahead of the defending Champion.

Alex Bright and the Jones Contracting car

Michael Pickens a worthy Champion and another reason why the Australian/New Zealand battle for sporting rivalry will continue to divide our two Nations in a positive and friendly way.This coming Saturday night at Western Springs Speedway the New Zealand Speedcar Championship will be run. Michael Pickens having already said in a tweet he might run the A1 could have divided loyalty particularly if he manages to record his 7thNew Zealand Title The question of eligibility will continue no doubt

Results 75th Australian Speedcar Championship

1. Michael Pickens New Zealand
2. Andrew Felker USA
3. Alex Bright USA
4. Adam Clarke
5. Zach Daum USA
6. Matt Jackson
7. Troy Ware
8. Brendan Palmer
9. Nathan Smee
10. Reid Mackay
11. Brad Mosen New Zealnad
12. Kaiden Manders
13. Troy Jenkins
14. Braydan Willmington
15. Leon Burgess New Zealand
16. Lee Redmond
17. Tyler Thomas (DNF) USA
18. Todd Waddell (DNF)
19. Dayne Kingshott (DNF)
20. Hayden Williams (DNF) New Zealand
21. Michael Stewart (DNF)
22. Michael Kendall (DNF)
23. Darren Jenkins (DNF)
24. Brady Bacon (DNF) USA

Michael Pickens 2016 Australian Speedcar Champion

Big year ahead for Speedcars in Australia

2015/16 is shaping as a monster year for Speedcar racing across Australia .A new exciting Series that will dovetail sweetly with the long established Speedcar Super Series as it enters it 11th concessive year of racing

.
The Pro Speedcar Week is due to have its inaugural meeting at the magic man 34 event in Perth November 7th .The Pro Speedcar Week with its condensed racing schedules provides the ideal situation for teams run a lighting fast schedule of 5 rounds across 2 States, massive exposure with much reduced expenses for the teams .The Pro Speedcar Week will cover tracks in Western Australia and South Australia.

The dates for Rent a Fence Pro Speed car Week are:
Round 1 – Perth Motorplex, WA – Sat. 7th November 2015
Round 2 – Moora Speedway, WA – Sun. 8th November 2015
Round 3 – Kalgoorlie Speedway, WA – Wed. 11th November 2015
Round 4 – Whyalla Speedway, SA – Fri. 13th November 2015
Round 5 (Grand Final) – Murray Bridge, SA –Sat. 14th November 2015

Austin Brown in his Boss #7 from earlier in 2015

The weeks racing has attracted gold leaf entries with many of Australia’s best pitted against USAC and POWRi drivers from the US .The international drivers contracted to the Pro Speedcar Week are a who’s who USA midget racing .Tyler Thomas, Darren Hagan, Austin Brown. Both Thomas and Hagan are well known to Aussie fans while Austin Brown will be making his first trip to Australia to race .Austin Brown and Darren Hagan both race Boss Chassis cars in the POWRi National Midget Series
Ensuring the Americans will not have an easy introduction to the RENTA-FENCE Pro Speedcar Week are many of our very best who have signed contracted to go head to head with the invading Yanks.The full list as of today of all the contracted drivers for the PWS,

Kaiden Manders WA

The Rent a fence Pro Speedcar Week contracted drivers Ben Hall , Nathan Smee, Graham Knuckey, Tyler Thomas (USA), Chris Griffiths, Matt Greenwood, Austin Brown (USA), Brad Warwick, Brett Thomas, Lee Redmond, Todd Bennett, Paul Farrell, Dayne Kingshott, Grant Draney, Dave Perry, Darren Hagan (USA), Troy Ware, Domain Ramsay, Kaiden Manders, Joe Lostitch, Todd Waddell, Neville Lance and Nick Rowe

With the Pro Speeedcar Week covering the West and South Australian venues the East Coast of Australia will prepare to host the 5 rounds in Queensland, NSW and Victoria of the Speedcar Super Series

The Banner sponsor for the 11th season of the SSS is Diamond Air Conditioning and the Series first three place getters will earn a return fare to LAX as part of the Dare to Dream incentive. Departure /arrival dates are timed to fit in with the USAC and POWRi Midget week of racing.

Dayne Kingshott during last years Speedcar pro Series

The Speedcar Super Series will first share the dirt with race fans on October 10 at the new HiTec Oils Speedway in Toowoomba .The scheduling of the PSW and the SSS has avoided any conflict of dates and makes scheduling easier for drivers to run both series .Brett Thomas, Nathan Smee and Dayne Kingshott are running both the SPW and the SSS giving the 11th running of the Spedcar Super Series the feel of a National Title series.

Contracted drivers for the SSS in 2015/16 as of today are Nathan Smee, Adam Clarke, Brett Thomas, Dayne Kingshott, Michael Stewart, Aiden Cornish and returning after limited appearances the last two season is five times Speedcar Super Series Champion and 6 times Australian Grand Prix winner Mark Brown in the Peter Ghent entered Spike/Hawk with the engine magic of one John Sidney.

Mark brown returns looking for Title number 6

Diamond Manufacturing Speedcar Super Series schedule
October 10- Hi-Tec Oils Speedway Toowoomba Qld
November 21st Ausdeck Patios Archerfiled Speedway Archerfield Qld
December 5th Valvoline Raceway Granville NSW
February 13th Avalon Raceway Lara Vic,
April 23rd Valvoline Raceway Granville NSW
No matter where race fans live there is the chance to share the dirt and atmosphere as the mighty midget speedcars thrash the cushions on tracks across the country. Make sure you grab your ticket and dodge the flying clay, it will be Fun!

Saturday night May 16th Granville and Valvoline Raceway is set to re-run the washed out Carline Automotives & Exhaust 50 Lap Classic for speedcars.
The interest in the re-run event is very high and has attracted a entry list of 40 teams .Fans will remember the washed out event for the horrific accident that forced US POWRi National Champ Zach Daum to return home injured .Later in the night mother nature played her unbeatable hand with a massive down pour to end the night .

Kiwi Michael Pickens N71

Michael Pickens the kiwi Champion return to challenge the local again in the Brett Morris owned Esslingler .Last time out Pickens had a terrible run early forcing the Kiwi to race out of the B main to gain his transfer to A main . Pickens will be charged up for a fourth Sydney 50 Lap win after his last start Sprintcar win at Waikaraka Park Speedway the final New Zealand race for season 2015.
Entries from Queensland , NSW, Victoria, South Australia and Western Australia underlines the importance of the Carling Automotive & Exhaust 50 Lap event.

Clarke after his ATRS 50 Lap win in Brisbane

The rivalry between National Champion Clarke and Speedcar Super Series Champ Smee will continue . Last time the pair faced off Clarke had just that little extra when he pounced to take the Queensland , American Racing & Tire Service 50 Lap event last weekend at Archerfield .While all the headlines might be all about Clarke and Smee there are 38 other chance for the Classic trophy and the cash bundle.
Nathan Smee will be driving the Q9 instead of his normal ARTS N7 .Smee will be heading State Side after the Sydney event to race for third time in four years in the Indiana “Midget Week” schedule, the POWRi Series in Illinois and a USAC double-header weekend in Indiana.Smee will join Kiwis Mosen,Williams and Maskovich on the quest for USAC and POWRi glory .

Mark Brown SA3

There a plenty of drivers with the credentials to take this win, past winners like Mark Brown know their way around the Valvoline track. Who can forget the race between Clarke and Brown in the 2013 50 Lapper, some of the best match racing I have ever seen. In that race Brown emerged the winner.This time Mark Brown will be the chauffeur of SA3, with elbows up

!Valvoline Sprintcar Track Champion James Thompson has entered and will hammer down  in the Terry and Debbie King owned N6 around a track he knows so well

James Thompson to driver the Terry and Debbie King N6

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