Pickens Tackles Toowoomba

With squealing tyres and the ultra aggressive moves the Speedcar Super Series is synonymous for, Round Two of the SSS stormed through Toowoomba QLD on Saturday night with New Zealand throttle-stomper Michael Pickens at the helm.

After a dousing of rain on race morning, no one could have expected the 440m Charlton Raceway clay-based surface to turn as slick and dry as it did on the ferocious Speedcar ranks; the track taking in some serious American Racer Tire rubber by the end of the night.

The Rod Bowen’s Prestige Smash Repairs Pole Shuffle again provided tight wheel-banging racing between some of the Southern hemisphere’s best. Young gun South Australian Ben Wiese went ‘no holds barred’ against Sydney’s Darren Jenkins resulting in a number of clashes during their two lap battle. Darren claimed the win to challenge next in line; Australian Champion Steven Graham. In perfect formation, both completed two full laps running wheel to wheel around the super slick surface with Graham defeating Jenkins on the last corner.

Pickens qualified into pole position after toppling top points qualifier Mark Brown followed by Graham moving up from 5th position, Ken Stanaway, Darren Jenkins, Ben Wiese, Troy Jordan and Dene McAllan.

In a frantic feature race start, Pickens and Stanaway shot ahead of the pack followed closely by Brown, Graham and Jenkins. With Stanaway looking for an outside pass on the young Kiwi racer in the 2nd lap, fellow QLD competitor Todd Wanless Q63 brought on the reds by rolling alone after tagging Ben Wiese in turn 1; his second flip for the event!

On the restart, Brown made an aggressive move under Stanaway into the first corner but slid up-track relinquishing 2nd back to the Queenslander. Following in 4th & 5th respectively, Graham and Jenkins continued their wheel to wheel racing from the pole shuffle before Jenkins rode the right rear wheel of Graham entering turn one, spinning the 7N airborne into the wall with 26 laps to go.

Back under green, Victorian Harley Bishop hit turn two and spun on the slippery surface, forcing Grant Draney & Stevie ‘Kiwi-Kid’ Walsh to stall to avoid a collision. All were sent rear of field for the restart which saw Pickens jump ahead of the swarm of challengers battling furiously behind him. A lap later West Australian McAllan WA21 came unstuck entering turn three, tagging the wall and rolling down track.

Mark Brown N42 moved up track for an outstanding pass on the Esslinger of Ken Stanaway to steal 2nd at the restart, followed patiently by Steven Graham and Adam Clarke in the Seamount Team NZ9 Breka machine, relegating Stanaway to 5th a few laps later. Sixth running Troy Jordan in the V11 Ed Pink/Beast combination struck drama with 14 laps to go when he slipped high exiting turn two and slammed into the wall, flipping him along the back straight.

Restarted, Pickens & Brown shot car lengths ahead of 3rd running Graham who was valiantly holding off an assault from Clarke in 4th. The duo parried for the remaining laps with Clarke almost slipping past into third until Graham was able to pull ahead leaving Clarke a corner behind for the remainder of the race.

Michael Pickens in the NZ4 Breka machine took an unfaultable feature win ahead of Round One winner Mark Brown N42 and Steven Graham A1 in a dash for the $2,000 cash prize!

Steven Graham scored the National Speedway Illustrated Quick Time Award for the second time and A Main 10th place-getter, Rookie Speedcar racer Stevie Walsh, took home the US$150 M&W Aluminium voucher.

Time Trials:

Graham A1 - 14.6450
Jordan V11 - 14.7150
Stanaway Q18 - 14.7750
Wanless Q63 - 14.8600
M Brown N42 - 15.0200
Pickens NZ4 - 15.0500
Wiese SA5 - 15.1000
McAllan WA21 - 15.1450
Draney Q2 - 15.2850
Burrows Q8 - 15.3450
Jenkins N7 - 15.4100
Smee N18 - 15.4600
Bourke N21 - 15.4750
George Q16 - 15.5100
Smith Q7 - 15.6100
Edge N73 - 15.7050
S Brown N6 - 15.8450
Hilder Q28 - 15.8850
Clarke NZ9 - 15.9000
DNS Time Trial – Stevie Walsh N27 & Harley Bishop V0

NSI $100 Top Time Trial Winner: Steven Graham

HEAT 1: Clarke NZ9, Wiese SA5, Wanless Q63, Graham A1, Edge N73, Burrows Q8, Bourke N21
HEAT 2: Hilder Q28, Smee N18, Pickens NZ4, Draney Q2, Stanaway Q18, Walsh N27, Smith Q7 (DNF)
HEAT 3: M Brown N42, Jenkins N7, McAllan WA21, S Brown N6, George Q16, Jordan V11, Bishop V0 (DNS)
HEAT 4:Clarke NZ9, Stanaway Q18, Draney Q2, Wiese 5SA, Graham A1, Bourke N21, Smith Q7
HEAT 5: Jenkins N7, M Brown N42, S Brown N6, Edge N73, Bishop V0, Burrows Q8
HEAT 6: Pickens NZ4, Hilder Q28, McAllan WA21, George Q16, Walsh N27, Jordan V11

POLE SHUFFLE:

V11 vs WA21 = V11
V11 vs SA5 = SA5
SA5 vs N7 = N7
N7 vs AU1 = AU1
AU1 vs Q18 = AU1
AU1 vs NZ4 = NZ4
NZ4 vs N42 = NZ4

Rod Bowen $200 Pole winner - Michael Pickens

A-Main:

Michael Pickens NZ4
Mark Brown N42
Steven Graham A1
Adam Clarke NZ9
Ben Wiese SA5
Brad Hilder Q28
Stephen Brown N6
Mark George Q16
Peter Bourke N21
Stevie Walsh N27
Grant Draney Q2
Harley Bishop V0
Ken Stanaway Q18
Troy Jordan V11
Craig Smith Q7
Sean Burrows Q8
Dene McAllan WA21
Darren Jenkins N7
Tarin Edge N73
Todd Wanless Q63
Nathan Smee N18

$2000 A Main - Michael Pickens NZ4

10th Place M & W Aluminium Voucher - Stevie Walsh N27

Photos courtesy of King Images: www.kingimages.com.au

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