Claims A-Main in a non-points race
SYDNEY, NSW.- January 7, 2000) Kerry Madsen may have topped
preliminary qualifying for the first night of the two-night O'Brien Aluminum Nationals at
Parramatta City Raceway, however it was World of Outlaws star Donny Schatz who returned to
form by winning the Gary Patterson Cup, an invitational non-points 25-lap feature race.
Madsen set quick time of the 43-car field during time trials ahead of Ohio's Phil Gressman, Adelaide's Trevor Green and Schatz. "On my first lap I ran too low and washed up in water lying on the pole line," claimed Madsen. "I couldn't have asked for more of my Motor-Up/Craft Differentials/Walker Race Engines Grizzly though as it really stuck on the second lap." As highest qualifier after two of three scheduled heats, Madsen said, "It has always been my ambition to win a WSS feature and at this track. Hopefully tomorrow night will be a slick track and we’ll be good."
Madsen started tonight's invitational feature from sixth spot but pulled out to be credited with 13th position to save his car for tomorrow. Schatz however gave it everything, having been pleased to finally remedy the chassis and motor problems that have beset the Bunbury Toyota/Parker Stores Maxim since Christmas. "This track is awesome," beamed the North Dakota driver, "this is a US-style speedway that starts out sticky and is slick at the end. We'll get our race car even better for tomorrow. We’d been changing ride heights, torsion bars and shock absorbers, but haven’t been able to get a good baseline. I like to drive my car off the right rear, and this baby is going to be a rocket ship."
Schatz overhauled early feature leader Robert Farr (O'Brien Aluminum Avenger) on the 13th lap and raced away to finish well clear of defending WSS champion Skip Jackson who is now onto his third chassis of the season after a heavy crash at the last round at Newcastle. "This is the championship winning Jackson built by my brother Jeff last year," said Skip. "All cars have different idiosyncrasies - you just have to find to what they are."
Gressman drove his BC Motorsports Gambler from fifth to fourth by passing Farr six laps from the finish while the top ten were rounded out by fast femme Kelly Linigen, Garry Rush, Warren Ferguson, Trevor Shields, Mark Blyton and Victorian David Anderson. Current WSS points leader Brooke Tatnell elected not to risk his Shell Helix Avenger by running a solitary lap of the non-points paying feature, before withdrawing as did Green who is still recovering from the effects of a broken knuckle.
Absent from the feature was last-start winner Garry Brazier who had the misfortune to flip in Turn Three while charging through a heat race field. The Capalaba 4WD Wreckers Maxim lies only 23rd on points and has one further heat tomorrow to improve his prospects of starting in the Round 14 final.
Madsen leads the first night’s qualifying (133 points)ahead of Schatz, Green, Gressman, Tatnell and Indiana’s Danny Smith who also suffered the problem of a flip, this time while his Castrol Eagle was running third in the invitational feature. Next on points are Farr, Jackson, Peter Murphy and Linigen. Saturday's format consists of a further round of heats followed by the Goodyear Eagle Trophy Dash then C, B and the 30-lap A-Feature event.
1999/2000 WORLD SERIES SPRINTCARS CHAMPIONSHIP - ROUND 14- Preliminary Parramatta City Raceway, Sydney NSW - Friday, Jan 7, 2000
TIME TRIALS: 1. Kerry Madsen (NSW#29) 12.530s, 2. Phil Gressman (USA#2) 12.683s, 3. Trevor Green (SA#4) 12.743s, 4. Donny Schatz (WA#2) 12.754s, 5. Brooke Tatnell (NSW#8) 12.766s, 6. Danny Smith (SA#33) 12.902s, 7. Peter Murphy (NSW#11) 12.907s, 8. Skip Jackson (NSW#71) 12.958s, 9. Nathan MacDonald (QLD#32) 12.986s, 10. Robert Farr (NSW#3) 13.063s, 11. Tim Kaeding (USA#56) 13.069s, 12. David Anderson (VIC#37) 13.070s, 13. Kelly Linigen (NSW#25) 13.180s, 14. Max Dumesny (VIC#5) 13.204s, 15. Warren Ferguson (NSW#19) 13.223s, 16. Garry Brazier (QLD#28) 13.251s, 17. Joel Knott (NSW#44) 13.275s, 18. Garry Rush (NSW#2) 13.296s, 19. Dean McComb (QLD#21) 13.302s, 20. Drew Kruck (QLD#36) 13.311s, 21. Andrew Scheuerle (QLD#95) 13.340s, 22. Cameron Gessner (QLD#68) 13.348s, 23. Brad Heywood (NSW#46) 13.401s, 24. Darren Jensen (QLD#75) 13.407s, 25. John Shore (NSW#6) 13.408s, 26. Steven Graham (NSW#40) 13.436s, 27. Kevin Burton (NSW#50) 13.478s, 28. Justin Mineeff (NSW#14) 13.511s, 29. Brett Loadsman (NSW#33) 13.610s, 30. Peter Attard (NSW#53) 13.643s, 31. Mark Blyton (NSW#82) 13.685s, 32. Trevor Shields (NSW#17) 13.697s, 33. Jamie Jones (NSW#36) 13.747s, 34. Stephen Grassmayr (NSW#63) 13.791s, 35. Robert Jackson (NSW#12) 13.885s, 36. Adam Tulloch (QLD#74) 13.963s, 37. Shane Sonter (NSW#23) 14.004s, 38. Chris Lowe (NSW#37) 14.107s, 39. Dave Hall (NSW#68) 14.448s, 40. Mark Bertacco (NSW#78) 14.497s, 41. James Thompson (NSW#22) 14.637s, 42. Adrian Maher (NSW#77) No Time, 43. Bruce Hill (NSW#18) No Time
QUALIFYING HEAT RACES (10 laps):
HEAT 1 : 1. Mark Blyton, 2. Donny Schatz, 3. Cameron Gessner, 4. Robert Farr, 5. Kelly Linigen, 6. Kerry Madsen, 7. John Shore, 8. Peter Murphy, 9. Justin Mineeff
Heat 2 : 1. Robert Jackson, 2. Trevor Shields, 3. Drew Kruck, 4. Steven Graham, 5. Skip Jackson, 6. Brett Loadsman, 7. Tim Kaeding, 8. Max Dumesny, 9. Brooke Tatnell, 10. Phil Gressman, 11. Brad Heywood, 12. Joel Knott
Heat 3 : 1. Jamie Jones, 2. Peter Attard, 3. Darren Jensen, 4. Garry Rush, 5. Danny Smith, 6. David Anderson, 7. Nathan MacDonald, 8. Andrew Scheuerle, 9. Trevor Green, 10. Warren Ferguson, 11. Kevin Burton, 12. Adam Tulloch
Heat 4 : 1. Trevor Shields, 2. Justin Mineeff, 3. Robert Farr, 4. Steven Graham, 5. Cameron Gessner, 6. Max Dumesny, 7. Drew Kruck, 8. Donny Schatz, 9. Garry Brazier, 10. Skip Jackson, 11. Phil Gressman
Heat 5 : 1. Mark Blyton, 2. Kerry Madsen, 3. Darren Jensen, 4. Kelly Linigen, 5. Danny Smith, 6. Peter Attard, 7. Garry Rush, 8. David Anderson, 9. Peter Murphy, 10. Adam Tulloch
Heat 6 : 1. Jamie Jones, 2. Warren Ferguson, 3. Brett Loadsman, 4. Brooke Tatnell, 5. Trevor Green, 6. Robert Jackson, 7. Andrew Scheuerle, 8. Tim Kaeding, 9. Joel Knott, 10. Kevin Burton, 11. Brad Heywood
Non-Qualifiers (6 laps) : 1. Mark Bertacco, 2. Shane Sonter, 3. Chris Lowe, 4. Dave Hall
INVITATIONAL A-FEATURE (25 laps) : 1. Donny Schatz, 2. Skip Jackson, 3. Phil Gressman, 4. Robert Farr, 5. Kelly Linigen, 6. Garry Rush Jr, 7.Warren Ferguson, 8. Trevor Shields, 9. Mark Blyton, 10. David Anderson, 11. Tim Kaeding, 12. Max Dumesny, 13. Kerry Madsen, 14. Danny Smith, 15. Dean McComb, 16. Brooke Tatnell, 17. Trevor Green
LAP LEADER/S : Farr (laps 1-15), Schatz (laps 16-25)
SERIES STANDINGS AFTER 13 (OF 17) ROUNDS
POINT STANDINGS: 1. Brooke Tatnell (9350), 2. Donny Schatz (8630), 3. Skip Jackson (7270), 4. Max Dumesny (6570), 5. Garry Brazier (4050), 6. Drew Kruck (3760), 7. Andrew Scheuerle (3580), 8. Trevor Green (3530), 9. Darren Jensen (3415), 10. Nathan MacDonald (2890), etc
A-FEATURE WINNERS: 1. Donny Schatz (6), 2. Brooke Tatnell (4), 3. Skip Jackson (1), tie Max Dumesny (1), tie Garry Brazier (1)
A-FEATURE LAP LEADERS: 1. Donny Schatz (155), 2. Brooke Tatnell (111), 3.Skip Jackson (53), 4. Trevor Green (38), 5. Max Dumesny (31), 6. Garry Brazier (2)
FAST TIME WINNERS : 1. Donny Schatz (4), 2. Skip Jackson (3), tie Garry Brazier (3), 4. Trevor Green (1), tie Brooke Tatnell (1), tie Phil Gressman (1), tie Kerry Madsen (1)
GOODYEAR EAGLE DASH WINNERS: 1. Brooke Tatnell (4), 2. Trevor Green (2), tie Donny Schatz (2), 4. Max Dumesny (1), tie Peter Murphy (1), tie Phil
March (1), tie Skip Jackson (1), tie Nathan MacDonald (1)
(John Hughes-Sprintcar World)
(Photos by James Baker)