The 1997 Pennzoil World of Outlaws ‘Rookie of the Year’ has, according to South Australian ace Trevor Green, "raised the height of the bar another notch, just as had Skip Jackson and Randy Hannagan in the series preceding this one." Green is one driver intent on putting an end to Schatz’ winning ways as the WSS contestants tackle Round 4 of the 17-meeting national Series at Adelaide’s Speedway City this Saturday night, December 4th.

Green’s Adrad Radiators Maxim, acquired from the 1999 Outlaw winning Mopar team of Karl and Mark Kinser, briefly led Schatz at Bunbury last Saturday and the 29-year old welder from nearby Salisbury East admits, "If ever I am going to beat Donny, it is here at my home track." So far Schatz has had to come from behind to win all three feature races on tracks familiar to the WA-based team owned by Bunbury’s Shane Krikke. Most pundits are expecting or, in the case of opponents, hoping that a return to their more familiar surroundings of the East Coast will be a disadvantage to the amazing American.

Schatz however puts the challenge into perspective by saying, "I knew the WA tracks after winning last year’s WA Speedweek, but now it is back to like being on the Outlaws, where you go on a swing somewhere else. Hopefully we won’t have to, but some nights I may start 16th, but I know that I’m good enough to pass cars and go forward. I’m not going to give up as these guys want to be the first WA-based team to win World Series."

One driver determined to put an end to his longest ever WSS losing streak is Brooke Tatnell, whose all-time record-winning streak of five consecutive A-Feature victories in his championship winning 1994-95 season is now under acute threat. Tatnell, who contested the past year in the Outlaws alongside Schatz, has a brand new Avenger chassis in Shell Helix livery, which he used to good effect to lead the US ace for half the feature at Claremont and wants to win a round for the first time since Parramatta in January, 1998.

The only driver so far to actually pass Schatz is triple WSS champion Max Dumesny who temporarily relieved him of the lead on the penultimate lap of opening round at Kalgoorlie. Dumesny will be back in his more accustomed Valvoline J&J for Speedway City, a similar situation too for WSS rookie Kelly ‘Gas Girl’ Linigen who returns to her Trucksmart Stealth having driven a borrowed Gambler in the west.

Reigning three-times WSS champ Skip Jackson is also expectant of a reversal in fortunes, after a near disastrous run which saw the Pennzoil/Skilled Engineering team lose a chassis and motor in the west. A far cry from last summer’s consistency where they became the first team in history to complete every lap of every one of the 15 A-Feature races.

Itching to get his first crack at Schatz, is reigning Australian Sprintcar champion Phil March who failed to reach WA having succumbed to damage inflicted upon his transporter by an errant kangaroo! March’s self-constructed Nightrider chassis is highly effective around his home track in Adelaide. The touring contracted stars of WSS will be supplemented by a strong local contingent plus the ‘Albury Express’, David Anderson, who is a multiple SA and Victorian Sprintcar champion and winner of six WSS feature races.

A highlight of this Saturday’s activities will be a real time live commentary broadcast of Round 4 and an interactive chat room direct from the track on the Internet through the WSS web site which can be found at http://www.sprintcarworld.com.au/wss. The following afternoon also sees hour-long coverage of the three WA meetings televised on SBS-TVs `Speedweek` program from 5.00 p.m.