Kiwi Scotty Farmer further increased his lead in the Polar Ice Midget Series with another feature win at the Ausdeck Patios Archerfield Speedway on Saturday April 14. This was his third main event win of the 2017 – 18 season.

After tying with Rusty Whittaker on 106 qualifying points Farmer was given pole position for the 20-lap main due to having a faster lap time during the night. Farmer (TFH Spike/Esslinger) shot into the lead from the get go with Whittaker (Boss Chassis Aust Boss/Esslinger) in pursuit. Mark George (Flashlube Breka/Porsche) maintained third with Glenn Wright and Mitchell Rooke next while Reid Mackay (Direct Plasterboard Outlet CP3/Brayton) charged from P12 to sixth by the time the second rotation was completed.

Glenn Wright (Wright Signs Breka/Gaerte) was looking for a way around George but found it hard going with the seasoned campaigner holding a good line. The only yellow of the race occurred in lap 8 for a spun car which closed-up the field for the second start and put Whittaker right on Farmer’s tail. Whittaker applied plenty of pressure, but Farmer countered every move and maintained the lead.

Wright continued to hound George and when a small opening appeared during lap 15 he advanced to third with Reid Mackay now right behind the Porsche pilot. Mackay shuffled George back to fifth during the penultimate lap leaving Mitch Rooke (Rod Singleton Racing Spike/Esslinger) just over a lap to mount a challenge for fifth but the laps ran out with Farmer heading Whittaker and Wright to the line for the podium places.

Rusty Whittaker, driving the Dwayne Neilson owned Boss/Esslinger, set the fastest time (14.380) in the last lap of his Hot Laps segment and then Mitch Rooke set the second fastest time (14.528) during the second segment. Lance Towns was a surprise third fastest in his first drive of the Dylan Byrne owned Aggressor/Honda DOHC. The Honda showed good speed but unfortunately the team suffered an electrical issue during the first heat which couldn’t be overcome at the track.

Brad Harrison (Nupave Asphalt Surfaces King/Mopar) led the way in the opening heat until both Whittaker and Darren Vine (Mike Vine Turbos XXX/Turbo Esslinger) arrived on the scene. Whittaker went inside Harrison while Vine took the long way around. When Harrison saw Whittaker, he moved up track slightly to give him room not knowing that Vine was at his right rear. Their wheels connected, and Vine was sent hard into the concrete wall. Vine was already nursing a sore left thumb from a Compact accident a few weeks back and this accident didn’t help that injury. Many people pitched in to help the Vine camp repair their car but after many parts were replaced further damage was discovered that forced him out for the night.

Nathan Mathers (Inksane Tattoos Eagle/Esslinger) led until the second lap of Heat 2 when Farmer took control and then the win in the fastest 8 lap time of the night (1:52.380). Mark George also moved ahead of Mathers late in the race. Mathers had his revenge in Heat 3 after early leader Rusty Whittaker spun out was sent ROF. Farmer scored his second win of the night in the last heat with Brad Young (Federal Tyres Breka/Gaerte) and Mitch Rooke next across the line.

Scott Farmer bounced back to finish the night with three wins from three starts after not performing to his own expectations at the Queensland Title. Thanks to Dwayne Neilson it is good to see Rusty Whittaker back amongst the places after suffering serious engine issues with his own car. Glenn Wright was a real surprise with his first major place in a midget feature after a steady and smooth drive. His experience in Wingless Sprints and Compacts has allowed him to adapt to Midgets with ease. Newcomer Brad Dawson (Spike/KRE Eagle) couldn’t get his car to fire and missed Hot Laps and his opening heat before installing a borrowed MSD ignition box provided by Dallas Sharp. It did the trick and Brad was able to complete his second heat and the feature and gain some valuable experience. After some good runs at recent meetings Cal Whatmore’s luck turned sour when his Gaerte engine refused to fire on four cylinders. After checking all the obvious faults and changing the magneto, a removal of the rocker cover revealed a broken rocker. It will be fixed in time for Cal and quite a few other Queenslanders to travel to Sydney for the next two week-ends to contest the Speedcar Super Series Grand Final followed by the Sydney 50 lapper. We wish them well for a safe and successful racing trip.

The Brisbane midget season is coming to a conclusion with just two race meetings remaining on the calendar. Saturday May 5 will be the annual 50 Lap race and then the Polar Ice Midget Series Final on Saturday May 26. Due to the number of rain-outs this season the 50 Lapper night is also a Polar Ice round with double points on offer. This will ensue that there will be plenty of hard, fast racing with positions in the Top 10 still to be decided.

If there are any midget supporters who would like to sponsor a lap in the 50 lapper, they are $100 a lap and by contacting Sid Whittaker on 0418 726 226 your name/business will be listed in the race programme, on the QSTA web site/Facebook page and announced during race night. It is a way to support this great section of speedway.

Timed Hot Laps

Rusty Whittaker – 14.380
Mitchell Rooke – 14.528
Lance Towns – 14.639

Heat 1

1 Rusty Whittaker 2 Brad Harrison 3 Tim Farrell

Heat 2

1 Scott Farmer 2 Mark George 3 Nathan Mathers

Heat 3

1 Nathan Mathers 2 Mark George 3 Glenn Wright

Heat 4

1 Scott Farmer 2 Brad Young 3 Mitchell Rooke

Feature

1 Scott Farmer 2 Rusty Whittaker 3 Glenn Wright

4 Reid Mackay 5 Mark George 6 Mitchell Rooke

7 Nathan Mathers 8 Brad Harrison 9 Brad Dawson

10 Dallas Sharp 11 Brad Young 12 Tim Farrell

Troy Ware showed up at the Ausdeck Patios Archerfield Speedway on Saturday March 24 with one thing on his mind, to win his third consecutive Danny Davidson Memorial race. In a determined drive he accomplished that feat and goes into next week-end’s Queensland Championship full of confidence.

The feature race was run without the in-form Darren Vine when he rode out a huge series of roll-overs during the Compact feature race and was sidelined with a dislocated left thumb. This moved Scott Farmer up into Vine’s P4 starting position and on the green light he drove around the outside of the front row of Ware and Mark George to lead the opening lap. However, Ware (Troy Ware Constructions Spike/Mopar) wasn’t letting Farmer get away and led a tightly bunched pack comprised of Mark George, Rusty Whittaker, in the Neilson Motorsport Boss/Esslinger, Reid Mackay and Callum Walker.

The first caution appeared during lap 3 for a spun car and after the restart Ware moved to the front while Whittaker went ahead of George (Flashlube Breka/Porsche) .Walker (Parts Plus CP3/Eagle) accounted for AGP winner Reid Mackay (Direct Plasterboard Outlet CP3/Gaerte) and set out after Whittaker. Once he caught Whittaker a duel went on for laps as they passed and repassed each other with the result only decided at the finish line.

Cal Whatmore (Speedy Air Conditioning Spike/Gaerte) broke his back axle during lap 11 but was able to manaeouvre his car off the track without causing a yellow light. Mitchell Rooke (Singleton Racing Spike/Esslinger) closed on Mackay in the late stage of the race after starting from P10. Ware had a handy lead coming into the final laps ahead of Farmer while Whittaker and Walker continued their battle. Coming into the final lap Whittaker had the upper hand only for Walker to race up beside him in the run out of the final turn to snatch third by .062 of a second. It had been a hard-fought race with Ware matching Michael Kendall with three consecutive Davidson Memorial wins. Scott Farmer continues to rack up top three finishes while Callum Walker again impressed with a good performance.

The big movers were Mitch Rooke who went from P10 to P5 and Brock Dean, back in his Aggressor chassis, from P15 to P8. New drivers Tim Farrell, Brad Dawson and Glenn Wright finished all-of their events. Farrell also races in the Compact division and as well as winning the Compact feature picked up a Midget heat win and was drawn in Bob Baker’s Random Draw which added $500 to his bank account.

Troy Ware again set the fastest time Timed Hot Laps with a 13.771 lap ahead of Rusty Whittaker (14.004) and Mark George (14.229). Brock Dean failed to run a lap due to a throttle problem which would force him to start his heats from the rear.

Nathan Mathers (Inksane Ink Eagle/Esslinger) led the opening laps of Heat 1 while Mark George advanced from the third row to take over the lead during lap 6 and went on for the win. Brad Harrison (King/Mopar) went to the lead at the start of Heat 2 and moved away from the field leaving Tim Farrell, Rusty Whittaker, Darren Vine and Callum Walker to fight over the minors. However, Harrison ‘turned turtle’ during the fourth lap which brought the race to a halt. The driver was uninjured and the car not too badly damaged. Tim Farrell led away the restart and soon had Darren Vine all over his rear push bar. Undeterred the former go-karter held his line and claimed his maiden Midget win.

Brad Harrison’s car was swarmed on by people from many crews to help the former Kiwi get back on the track. He believed he would miss his next heat, but a big effort saw # 28 roll out for his second qualifier. Darren Vine (Mike Vine Turbos XXX/Turbo Esslinger) was a clear winner in Heat 3 ahead of Cal Whatmore and Reid Mackay. Earlier in the night Whatmore’s car had an engine miss but with the help of Rod Singleton it was back on all cylinders. Scott Farmer was successful in the last heat despite numerous challenges from Troy Ware with Lance Towns (Federal Tyres Breka/Gaerte) third in Brad Young’s second car.

This week-end the 2018 Queensland Speedcar Championship will be contested over two nights of the Easter long week-end at the Fraser Shores Maryborough Speedway. Our event is part of the 60th Anniversary celebration meetings for the Maryborough Sporting Club. Three rounds of qualifying heats will be run on Saturday night March 31 and then the following night the last round of heats, the Pole Shuffle and the A Main. With a new track surface at the venue providing fast two lane racing the speedcar action is not to be missed.

Timed Hot Laps

Troy Ware – 13.771
Rusty Whittaker – 14.004
Mark George – 14.229

Heat 1

1 Mark George 2 Troy Ware 3 Lance Towns

Heat 2

1 Tim Farrell 2 Darren Vine 3 Rusty Whittaker

Heat 3

1 Darren Vine 2 Cal Whatmore 3 Reid Mackay

Heat 4

1 Scott Farmer 2 Troy Ware 3 Lance Towns

Feature Places.

1 Troy Ware
2 Scott Farmer
3 Callum Walker
4 Rusty Whittaker
5 Mitch Rooke
6 Reid Mackay
7 Mark George
8 Brock Dean
9 Glenn Wright
10 Tim Farrell
11 Brad Dawson

This weekend race fans the Jack Berry sponsored Polar Ice Midget Series hits Archerfield again for an all open wheel night !

Current points leader Scotty Farmer will be there along with the guys hot on his tail Darren Vine , Reid McKay and Brad Young.

Its nearing the “game on” section of the series where the contenders step up and the pretenders step back these next few rounds will be all about all about speed. Hot, nasty, badass speed !

This weekends nominations include

12Q Audie Malt

15Q Darren Dillon

16Q Mark George

19Q Darren Vine

22Q Scotty Farmer

23Q Rusty Whittaker

24Q Lance Towns

27Q Shane Malt

28Q Bradley Harrison

34Q Mitchell Rooke

36Q Cal Whatmore JNR

40Q Dallas Sharp

41Q Brendan Palmer

48Q Brad Young

51Q Tim Farrell

81Q Brad Dawson

89Q Michael Harders

91Q Robbie Stewart

98Q Reid MacKay

99Q Brock Dean

So this weekend race fans ! Archerfield Speedway ! THE Place to be !!

Scott Farmer began 2018 with an all the win in Round 5 of the Polar Ice Midget Series at the Ausdeck Patios Archerfield Speedway on Wednesday January 3.  The midgets were a support section to a round of World Series Sprintcars so it was an opportunity to showcase midget racing in front of a healthy crowd.  It was fortunate that the meeting even went ahead as two storms threatened to dump heavy rain on the area late in the afternoon but somehow the speedway was spared any precipitation.

Everyone was anticipating another great showdown between Darren Vine and Farmer when they qualified for the front row of the feature only for Vine to withdraw after a minor rocker problem was detected and it was decided not to risk any further damage.  With Farmer (TFH Spike/Esslinger) now on pole for the 20-lap affair he immediately raced into the lead from the get go.  Darren Dillon (Zox Performance Eagle/Gaerte) settled into second while Brock Dean (All Car Engine Reconditioning Services Breka/Hawk) momentarily jumped ahead of Adam Wallis (Boss Chassis Aust Boss/Esslinger) and Brad Harrison (Nupave Asphalt Services King/Mopar).  Dean soon dropped back a couple of spots and then withdrew with an engine not quite right.  Wallis then accounted for Harrison and then set out after Dillon.  The former Australian Compact Champion was hugging the pole line while Wallis ran further up the track trying to build momentum.

Rodney Harders (Eagle/Eagle) spun to a stop during lap 6 after contact with another car which lined up the field nose to tail for the second green light.  Shortly after the restart Wallis grabbed second but couldn’t shake Dillon.  Behind the lead trio a large group of cars including Harrison, Mark George (Breka/Porsche), Reid Mackay (Direct Plasterboard Outlet CP3/Hawk) and Nathan Mathers were exchanging places lap by lap.  George showed his experience and continued to manoeuvre past cars and as the race progressed into the last handful of laps had moved to fourth.  Meanwhile Dillon hadn’t given up and with just over three laps remaining regained position two.

Farmer collected his second win of the season with Darren Dillon gaining his first podium position after returning to the sport while Adam Wallis overcame some rotten luck in recent meetings to finish third.  Mark George was fourth with car owner Chris Foreman pleased that his Porsche engine had performed well after some problems at previous shows.  Farmer came into the round just 4 points ahead of Vine in the Polar Ice Series so now has opened a broader margin on his opponents.

With a ‘Draw and Invert’ format for the heats it was not surprising that the four qualifiers had four different winners.  Farmer went from pole to take out the first heat while Dillon (P7) and Brock Dean (P9) came from near the back to finish in the top five.  Scott Wilson (WLS Landscape Supplies Boss/Stanton SR 11) opened a commanding lead in the opening laps of the second heat only to slow and withdraw after a couple of laps.  Brad Harrison was the new leader and despite being chased by Vine and Young held on for the win as well as setting the quickest lap (14.271) of the race.  The reason for Wilson’s departure was due to the breakage of the steering box mount.  The unit dropped onto his knees and he did well to find the infield without any mishap.

Dallas Sharp (Llewellyn Motors Eagle/Gaerte) charged form the outside of the front row to out drag Brock Dean to the first turn and led the opening lap until Darren Dillon charged from the second row to take over the lead and collect the win.  Rookie Nathan Mathers (Insane Ink Eagle/Esslinger) took off into the distance at the beginning of the last heat as Mark George and Darren Vine began a duel that lasted the duration of the race.  With George as smooth as silk on the bottom and Vine up high it was entertaining to watch as the two wheel twisters raced side by side without the hint of a touch.  As the race progressed they closed on the leader and Vine gained the impetus to get to second only for the yellow lights to appear at the end of lap 9 even though there was no incident on the race track.  The race was declared at that point with Mathers collecting his first midget win.

Some of the Brisbane drivers are now on their way to Mt Gambier for the Speedcar Super Series round this Saturday night and the Victorian Title at Warrnambool the following night.  We wish them a safe journey and a successful couple of nights of racing.  Queensland drivers Adam Wallis, Troy Ware and Scott Doyle will join Reid Mackay in what should be some action-packed racing on two tracks conducive for great speedcar racing.

The midgets are back at the Archerfield Speedway on Saturday January 20 for the running of the Stan Burrow Stampede.  With around $10,000 available in prize-money and $4,000 going to the winner it should feature a cast of the fast.  One driver who has already nominated is Nathan Smee in the TFH Spike/Inglis Chev.  A many times winner at Archerfield, the former Australian Champion is looking to collect some of the ‘big bucks’ on offer.  Additional nominations will be posted as they become available.  It is certainly a night not to be missed in honour of a great speedcar competitor and ambassador, Stan Burrow.

Heat 1

1          Scott Farmer               2          Cal Whatmore             3          Adam Wallis

Heat 2

1          Brad Harrison              2          Darren Vine                 3          Brad Young

Heat 3

1          Darren Dillon               2          Brock Dean                 3          Adam Wallis

Heat 4

1          `Nathan Mathers         2          Darren Vine                 3          Mark George

Feature

1          Scott Farmer               2          Darren Dillon               3          Adam Wallis

4          Mark George              5          Brad Harrison              6          Reid Mackay

7          Nathan Mathers          8          Brad Young                 9          Cal Whatmore

10        Kristy Bonsey              11        Dallas Sharp               12        Mitchell Rooke

13        Audie Malt                   14        Rodney Harders         15        Scott Wilson