MADSEN MASTERFUL AS TWO LEFT IN TITLE TUSSLE
Australian Champion Kerry Madsen decimated the field on Night 1 of the World Series Sprintcars Grand Final weekend at Perth Motorplex. While James McFadden, Jamie Veal and Brooke Tatnell focused on overall series points, Madsen was able to win the 30 lap A-Main by almost three-quarters of a lap of the 580m long Kwinana circuit.
By finishing second, Jamie Veal has narrowed the overall gap to James McFadden to 199 points, ensuring the series will go deep into the final night. The Victorian’s cause was helped by late race drama for W8 David Priolo, who passed Veal for second with four laps to go – only to retire infield shortly thereafter.
Third on the night was a well-performed Jason Kendrick, who progressed from the Bronze Shootout through to a grid four A-Main start. In fourth sat a conservative James McFadden, who was content to avoid risky passing manoeuvres and collect series points. Fifth place went to W66 Ian Madsen, who progressed well through the field after lining up on grid 12. A racey Cameron Gessner was sixth in the W41 car, followed home by Brooke Tatnell in seventh. His 160 point A-Main haul was not enough to remain in title contention, meaning there will be no tenth World Series title in 2017.
Tim Van Ginnekin led home Steven Lines and Bradley Maiolo to round out the top 10, while those who struck trouble included W30 Jamie Landrigan (rollover) and W45 Daryl Clayden who didn’t turn a lap in qualifying. The Diamond Bay Motorsport entry of W26 Chad Ely didn’t take part in the heats or mains after receiving a 25-point deduction for non-attendance at the 4:15pm briefing.
The final night and the 2016/17 championship now comes down to the performance of two WSS champions, one of whom will lift the trophy again on Saturday night. The advantage lies with W17 James McFadden, who’s Monte Motorsport entry enjoys a 199 point buffer. But with 354 points up for grabs, Jamie Veal can still pull off a title defence.
A Main Result: K Madsen 1, J Veal 2, J Kendrick 3, J McFadden 4, I Madesen 5, C Gessner 6, B Tatnell 7, T Van Ginnekin 8, S Lines 9, B Maiolo 10
Series Points: James McFadden 3647, Jamie Veal 3448 (-199), Brooke Tatnell 3104 (-543), Daniel Harding 2598, Steven Lines 2136, Jason Pryde 1971
Western Swing Points: Veal 595, Tatnell 581, McFadden 577, Lines 498, Kendrick 471, J Maiolo 466