SMEE SUCCEEDS IN POLAR ICE FINALE

Sunday 6 May saw the final round of the Polar Ice/Action Metal Recyclers Midget Series at the SuperCheap Auto Archerfield Speedway as support to the final of the Australian Super Sedan Championship.  Brendan Palmer could not be beaten for the series but this round would determine the minor places.  Just to add some spice to the racing Sydney’s Nathan Smee was on hand and would ultimately take out the round.

Grant Draney, who was currently holding onto second spot, was a non starter due to the onset of very painful kidney stones.  This would give a window of opportunity to Brock Dean and a lesser extent Jeremy Hassell to advance into second and third respectively.

 Smee and Palmer made up the front row of the 20 lap main by virtue of their finish in the Dash.  While both Darren Vine and Michael Harders were out of the feature suffering ignition problems while trying to fire up.  When the green light was switched on Smee swept into the lead followed by Palmer, Hassell, Wanless Matt Greenwood and Brock Dean.  The slick race track made it difficult to pass around the top but Wanless and Dean gave it a big try and even though they entered corners at a greater rate of knots they lost out on the exit.

 Brett Foreman came to a stop on the track during lap 13 bringing on the yellows and pulling Smee back to the pack for the restart.  However he was unchallenged and brought the Impact Safety Equipment Spike/Esslinger home to collect the win ahead of Palmer, Hassell, Wanless, Greenwood and Michael Kendall.  Kendall had started well back in the pack because of a DNF in a heat and fought hard to pick up places during the event while Greenwood finished with an engine going away. 

There was a different format for the final round with a grid draw for the opening heat and reversal for the second round.  Hot laps were timed with Todd Wanless recording the quickest time of 14.632.  Even though it had no bearing on the points it showed that everyone would have to adapt to the slick conditions.

Smee (position 3), Dean (position 2) and Hassell (position 7) collected the honours in the opening heat with Brett Thomas running into fourth.  Thomas was behind the wheel of the Polar Ice Spike/Hawk while Brendan Palmer had moved into the teams Breka/Esslinger.  The second heat went to Palmer (position 1) over Kendall (position 2) and Sid Whittaker (position 3).  During the progress of the race Scott Jeynes performed a perfect 360 exiting turn 2 without hitting anyone or anything.

Darren Vine (position 1) cleared out in heat 3 to take the win while Hassell, Smee and Troy Ware enjoyed a good dice for the minors with Hassell and Smee taking the spots at the end.  Ware’s Buick engine was blowing some smoke in the turns and as a precaution he withdrew from the feature.

 The final heat had drama before it made the start line when the green light didn’t appear and the inside line did not accelerate causing the cars behind to bunch up and stall with Kendall out with a cut inside rear tyre.  When racing got underway Wanless took command ahead of Greenwood however on the third lap a melee erupted exiting turn four involving a couple of cars and resulted in Steve Swingler rolling and finishing upside down with a flash fire caused by a ruptured oil tank.  Swingler climbed out okay but was out for the night because of the damaged tank.  Wanless eventually took the win over Greenwood and Porsche pilot Mark George.

The 2011/12 Polar Ice/Action Metal Recyclers Midget Series had come to a conclusion with the 9 rounds providing some great racing with plenty of thrills and a few spills.

 The points have been tallied with the Top 5 being:

1^st        Brendan Palmer          367 points

2^nd       Brock Dean                 302 points

3^rd        Grant Draney              288 points

4^th        Jeremy Hassell           245 points

5^th        Matt Greenwood         228 points

Special thanks must go to Jack Berry and Polar Ice for their continued support of Brisbane midget racing and hope that this successful association will continue. 

Also to Todd Wanless and Action Metal Recyclers who came on board this season as a sponsor and helped the cause of providing the speedway fans of Brisbane with great midget action.

Trophies and pool money cheques will be presented at the QSRA Presentation Night to be held at the Arana Leagues Club Dawson Parade Arana Hills on Saturday 7 July.  Everyone is welcome and if you would like to book tickets contact Barry Lane on 0413 927 764 or email a166cuin@live.com.au

Tickets must be pre-purchased and will NOT be available at the door.

Even though the series has finished there are still two major meetings to be run at the SuperCheap Auto Archerfield Speedway before the curtain comes down on the season.

These events will count towards the QSRA Club Championship which has a number of drivers close on points and will ultimately decide the winner of the much sort after Championship:-

Brendan Palmer          362 points

Brock Dean                 359.5 points

Matt Greenwood         297.5 points

Michael Harders         295.5 points

Sid Whittaker              266 points

Jeremy Hassell           265.5 points

19 May            ‘Auto Upgrade’ Brisbane 50 lapper

If anyone would like be involved with the race as a lap or product sponsor please contact Kelly Davidson on kelly@emsexports.com.au or 0428 548 077

 16 June           Danny Davidson Memorial

See you there!!

HASTY HASSELL

TRIUMPHS IN BRISBANE

 The SuperCheap Auto Archerfield Speedway was the place and April 14 the date for round 8 of the Polar Ice/Action Metal Recyclers midget series.  The track was lightning fast which was reflected in the timed hot laps.  Jeremy Hassell timed in quickest with a 13.304 lap while Grant Draney was fifth with a 13.472.  Just .168 of a second separating the top five.  Brendan Palmer, Matt Greenwood and Michael Kendall (NZ) being the men in the middle. 

After knocking on the door all season Hassell (AutoVogue/Razor/Ed Pink Ford) succeeded in claiming his first feature win.  Starting from pole he led all of the 25 laps but was under constant pressure from last start winner Michael Kendall (position 2).  Even in the last corner Kendall made one last attempt but fell short with Hassell driving a mistake free race.

 There was plenty of action behind this duo with Greenwood initially third, followed by Mark George, Palmer, Brock Dean and Darren Vine.  The track was just as fast on the bottom as the top so passing was difficult which kept the cars bunched up.  However series leader Palmer was determined to maintain his point’s lead and stormed into third on lap four.  The first yellow appeared a couple of laps later when Troy Ware and Rob Stewart tangled in turn four only for the yellows to come on again when Grant Draney, Ware and Stewart got together in turn two a lap later.  All three failed to continue.

 On each restart Hassell, Kendall and Palmer drew away from the field which left Greenwood, George, Dean and Vine together and then Whittaker, Wanless, Michael and Rodney Harders and Steve Swingler in the back group.  Dean moved forward into fourth while Michael Harders jumped ahead of Whittaker and Wanless as the race ran through to the end.

 It was an elated Hassell who received the accolades of the appreciative crowd and banked his first winning cheque of the season.

 After this round Brendan Palmer maintains his healthy lead in the Polar Ice/Action Metal Recyclers series however with Grant Draney a non finisher it means that Brock Dean should move into second while Draney will now have Matt Greenwood, Michael Harders and Hassell getting closer in the points.  The series is set for an exciting climax as the season draws to a close.

The heats provided plenty of close racing with all proceeding without a stoppage.  The first heat saw the outside lane of Sid Whittaker, Mark George, Grant Draney and Jeremy Hassell finish in that order.  Matt Hefford was subbing for John McLaughlin in the # 47 Aggressor/Fontana as the owner was suffering with an ailment.  Hefford has raced Dwarfs and Compacts amongst other things and is putting the finishing touches to his own car which will debut in the near future.

 The second heat saw Rodney Harders (position 2) clear out on the green leaving pole sitter Scott Jeynes to ride shot gun.  Some spirited dicing saw Wanless, Kendall, Dean and Palmer eventually break through but the # 5 Enforcer/Eagle of Harders was too far in front and he claimed the win. 

Heat 3 saw Troy Ware move up onto the front row with the withdrawal of Brett Foreman and he powered his way to a win as the back markers tried to improve their position and get much needed points.  Michael Harders (position 3) ran into second followed by Palmer.  Matt Hefford pulled out half way through with a broken rocker in the McLaughlin Fontana.

 The final heat looked like going the way of the first heat only this time it was the inside lane of Whittaker, George and Draney.  However the plan went astray when Draney was helped onto the infield exiting turn two on lap three and the yellow lights failed to appear.  Whittaker had his second win of the night while George was again second followed by Wanless, Kendall, Hassell, Jeynes and Stewart.

 Hassell was the top point scorer of the night and when he drew position 1 for the 6 lap Dash they lined up in their points order with Hassell on pole.  However Palmer had his sights on a win and moved around Hassell after racing side by side for a lap and a half.  All of his good work came undone two laps later when he jumped the cushion in turn one and was last by the time he recovered.  This left Hassell to get the win over Kendall and George, followed by Greenwood, Palmer and Whittaker.

 Steve ‘Stretch’ Swingler had a night of woes when the Stan Burrow Breka/Gaerte failed to fire a shot in anger during engine starts.  They changed things and kept trying and eventually located a problem with the crank trigger.  He had missed all of his heats so had to start down the back in the feature.  The good news was he made it to the end without any further problems.

The night again proved that a smooth race track produces good midget racing with only two minor stoppages in six races and no one suffering any major damage.  A big thank you to promoter John Kelly who is providing the midgets with some very good race tracks so in turn they can put on a good show for the fans.

 Saturday 28 April is the next outing for the midgets at the SuperCheap Auto Archerfield Speedway followed by the Auto Upgrade 50 lapper on May 19.

 Heat 1

1          Sid Whittaker              2          Mark George              3          Grant Draney

Heat 2

 1          Rodney Harders         2          Todd Wanless             3          Michael Kendall

Heat 3

 1          Troy Ware                   2          Michael Harders         3          Brendan Palmer

Heat 4

1          Sid Whittaker              2          Mark George              3          Todd Wanless

Dash

1          Jeremy Hassell           2          Michael Kendall (NZ)  3          Mark George

Feature

1.  Jeremy Hassell
2. Michael Kendall (NZ)
3. Brendan Palmer
4. Brock Dean
5. Matt Greenwood
6. Mark George
7. Michael Harders
8. Todd Wanless
9. Darren Vine
10. Sid Whittaker
11. Steve Swingler
12. Rodney Harders

Three Peat Polar Ice Win To Palmer

 Brendan Palmer took out his third consecutive series round win at Archerfield on Saturday 18 February extending his lead in the Polar Ice/Action Metal Recyclers competition.  Coming from outside of the front row he jumped to the front from the outset and led every lap of the 25 lap event.

Grant Draney starting from pole after taking out the Dash comfortably held onto second place and with a restart four laps from home closed in on Palmer but was unable to mount a challenge.  While there two drivers were settled in their spots the battle for third spot raged for the duration.

Initially Darren Vine held the spot only to lose it to Brock Dean.  Trent Usher spun to a halt on lap 6 and when he attempted to restart the car a small fire broke out in the air box which was quickly extinguished.  On resumption Vine, Steve Swingler, Anthony Chaffey, Jeremy Hassell and Sid Whittaker staged a battle royal as they fought lap after lap exchanging slide jobs fighting for fourth.  Just behind Troy Ware and Michael Harders were having their own dice as they looked for a gap to move through the group ahead.  Something had to give.

With 4 laps to travel Whittaker was left parked sideways in turn four bringing on the yellows.  Dean had been battling brake issues with his rear rotor glowing brightly under # 99 for some laps.  On the restart Dean was slow away as the brakes had started to lock up and this caused the drivers behind to bunch up.  Chaffey was pushed sideways in turn 2 coming to a halt with Hassell joining him.  Dean came to a halt further around the track with the brakes locked on solid bringing his good run to an end.

 Palmer went on to win Round 5 of the PIMS with Draney home in second and Steve Swingler third.  Palmer is enjoying his best season since moving into speedcars and has justified the decision by car owner Jack Berry to make him a permanent member of the Polar Ice team.  Draney’s performance was also commendable as he was back in the Bullet chassis he raced a couple of seasons back now fitted with his Hawk engine.  It had been a good drive by ‘Stretch’ in what had a been a keenly contested race with his third place a welcome return to form for the Stan Burrow team who have endured a number of setbacks this season. 

 The timed hot laps saw Brock Dean finish on top with a 13.84 followed by Draney 13.891, Chaffey 13.894, Hassell 13.909 and Greenwood 13.915.

 Michael Harders had been chaffing at the bit since Toowoomba had been washed out the previous week as he was keen to try his new Barry Graham built ‘Eagle’ engine.  He cleared out in heat one turning one lap in 13.666 which would have given him quick time.  However coming into turn 4 on the penultimate lap he ran wide nearly kissing the wall and allowing Darren Vine and Swingler through.

 Brendan Palmer showed what was in store for later in the night when he took out both heat two and three.  During heat two he set the quickest lap time of the night with a 13.614 pass.  Early in the night Troy Ware had been struggling with an engine miss but after finding the problem was untroubled to take out the final heat from Michael Harders and Vine.

 The top six point scorers contested the Dash and when top man Dean drew six it inverted the field.  Draney (position 2) outpaced pole man Swingler at the start and raced away with the win over Palmer and Vine.

 It was a night of misfortunes for a couple of drivers with Matt Greenwood, Michael Kendall and Brett Foreman all suffering engine issues.  Good to see Chris Singleton back in action after being out of racing for nearly 12 months.  The former Queensland Compact Champion is a good competitor and after a couple of runs to sharpen up will be mixing it with the ‘guns’.

Heat 1

1          Darren Vine                 2          Steve Swingler                        3          Michael Harders

Heat 2

1          Brendan Palmer          2          Brock Dean                             3          Sid Whittaker

Heat 3

1          Brendan Palmer          2          Sid Whittaker                          3          Anthony Chaffey

Heat 4

1          Troy Ware                   2          Michael Harders                     3          Darren Vine

Dash

1          Grant Draney              2          Brendan Palmer                      3          Darren Vine

Feature Palces

1.  Brendan Palmer        
2. Grant Draney
3. Steve Swingler
4. Darren Vine
5. Michael Harders
6. Rodney Harders
7. Sid Whittaker
8. Anthony Chaffey
9. Jeremy Hassell      
10. John McLaughlin

The next outing for the midgets is at Supercheap Auto Brisbane Speedway on Saturday 10 March for round 6 of the Polar Ice/Action Metal Recyclers Midget Series.  It is the week before the Australian title in Maryborough and it is expected that a number of interstaters will compete as Michael Pickens (NZ), Dene McAllan (WA) and Bryn Lake (WA) have already advised they are nominating for the meeting.

Polar Ice Round To Palmer

Brendan Palmer started 2012 in fine style with a win in round 4 of the Polar Ice series at SuperCheap Auto Archerfield Speedway on Wednesday night January 4.  It was the second feature win of the season for Palmer and it brought a smile to the face of team owner, Jack Berry. 

Matt Greenwood and Palmer made up the front row of the feature and it was Greenwood who went to the front on the green only for Anthony Chaffey to spin and bring on the yellow lights.  Palmer made the most of the second start to go to the front followed by Greenwood, Brock Dean, Sid Whittaker, Grant Draney and Mark George.  On lap four a skirmish saw Jeremy Hassell spun around 360 degrees but able to carry on.  Unfortunately his sudden loss of momentum caused Steve Swingler, who was close behind, to run over Hassell’s wheel and roll a couple of times.  ‘Stretch’ was okay but the Stan Burrow Breka/Gaerte would need some repairs before it would race again. 

 Dean had moved into second and looking to put pressure on Palmer but the leader was easily able to put a couple of lengths between him and the rest of the field on the restart.  Whittaker was now all over the back of Greenwood and on lap 9 moved into third.  Draney as also closing in on Greenwood as Hassell and George led the rest as the cars negotiated the slick conditions.  The speed was noticeably slower as the times climbed into the 15s but the racing was good as it was equal for everyone.

 On the second last lap Greenwood looped in turn 3 and was collected Draney who had no time to miss.  Draney’s ‘Lucky 7 Spike/Hawk’ suffered terminal front end damage while Greenwood went ROF.

 The ‘Green, white, chequered’ restart saw no change in the order with Palmer collecting the bulk of the points in the Polar Ice series and putting him in or near the lead.  Dean, Whittaker and Hassell completed the top four of the 9 cars that completed the journey.

 Earlier Jeremy Hassell had set the quickest time in hot laps with a 13.577 just ahead of Palmer with a 13.594.  Brock Dean won the first and third heats while Matt Greenwood won the other two.  Greenwood was particularly impressive in his opening heat to win from the rear of the grid and passing Draney, Chaffey and Hassell in the process.

 Darren Vine failed to make it to the finish in his first heat retiring with an internal engine issue.  Rob Stewart also had an off night struggling to overcome an ignition problem.

 It was pleasing to see Trent Usher get through the night unscathed.  He ran well all night although pulling in half way through the feature as his car wasn’t handling the slick conditions to his liking.  The mauve and white Vive Hair, Bridal & Tanning # 85 Aggressor/Esllinger is always well presented and with some more laps under his belt Usher will be competitive.

Heat 1

1          Brock Dean                 2          Brendan Palmer                      3          Sid Whittaker

Heat 2

1          Matt Greenwood         2          Grant Draney                          3          Anthony Chaffey

Heat 3

1          Brock Dean                 2          Brendan Palmer              3          Sid Whittaker

Heat 4

1          Matt Greenwood         2          Anthony Chaffey            3          Grant Draney

Feature – 20 laps

1          Brendan Palmer      2          Brock Dean                 3          Sid Whittaker

4          Jeremy Hassell          3          Mark George              6          Anthony Chaffey

7          Michael Harders         8          Matt Greenwood         9          Rodney Harders

Next outing for the midgets is the major event for Queensland drivers the 2012 state title at Kingaroy on 21 January.  A large field will be on hand with both Mark Brown (NSW) and Michael Kendall (NZ) indicating they hope to be in Kingaroy.  Brown is a former Queensland champion (2004 & 2007) while Kendall is a multi times New Zealand champion.  If these two drivers are present they will certainly make things tougher for the likes of Palmer, Dean, Hassell, Draney and defending champion, Sid Whittaker.

HARDERS FINISHES THE YEAR ON A HIGH