Steve Jordan survived an action-packed round two of the Think Money Super Sedan Championship Series at Ausdeck Patios Archerfield Speedway on Saturday night (October 15) to emerge victorious. Having started the feature race from pole position, Jordan succumbed to the advances of Darren Kane mid-race before reclaiming the top spot and holding out opening round winner Mark Pagel to win the shortened 30-lap feature event. Matt Pascoe, who finished second behind Pagel in the season opener, filled third on this occasion, with Ian Brims finishing fourth. Having started deep in the field from positions 15 and 19 respectively, Michael Nicola and Wayne Randall stormed through the traffic to finish inside the top six.

The event, presented by Brims Concrete and Sweet Chassis, attracted 21 drivers for the first of six Super Sedan events scheduled for the Brisbane circuit this season and it was Craig Craft who best adapted to the track conditions, clocking the quickest lap in hot laps.

Fittingly given his success in the opening round, it was Pagel who got proceedings underway with a win in the opening heat, downing Kane, Tony Brinkmann, Jordan and Randall.

Heat two saw Nicola relinquish pole position when stewards banished him to the rear after he was deemed to have jumped the start on two occasions. Brims went on to win the race over Pascoe and Black as Nicola worked his way back to fifth behind Tim O’Shea.

Sam Roza demonstrated patience and precision to triumph in heat three, waiting for the right opportunity to seize the lead from David O’Keefe. Rodney Craft filled the runner-up spot ahead of Dempsie Pails, Jack Childs and debutante Nick Sampson.

Another young gun in Craig Craft proved too swift in heat four, leading O’Shea, Pails, Pascoe and Roza to the line.

Kane blitzed the field in heat five, finishing almost 10 seconds clear of Barron, with another good run from Rodney Craft netting third place ahead of Pagel and Childs.

The final heat was a much closer affair as Jordan kept defending series champion Sean Black at bay to hint at what was to come, with Brims, Brinkmann and Nicholas O’Keefe completing the first five.

It was Kane who emerged as the top qualifier for the feature race but the Penrite Grid Draw mixed up the order and elevated Rodney Craft to pole position, a good reward for what was his best qualifying effort. Brims would start on the outside front row, with Jordan and Pascoe sharing row two. Kane was shuffled back to fifth alongside Pagel, with Black and Roza completing the first four rows ahead of O’Shea, Pails, Craig Craft, Brinkmann, Barron, Childs, Nicola, Nicholas O’Keefe, McCosker, David O’Keefe, Randall and Sampson.

The race got underway cleanly with Craft jumping to an early lead and held sway until the first restart came on lap four when Childs looped in turn four. Back underway, Craft succumbed to Jordan’s advances and it wasn’t long before Pascoe and Kane – both of whom had already disposed of Brims – also moved ahead. Lap 12 saw the race halted again when Nicola spun in turn four and the restart only lasted until two circulations before a multi-car melee in turn one put Brinkmann, O’Shea, Pails and Craig Craft out of action, with Rodney Craft also heading infield at this point. Soon after the resumption, Kane shot to the front and wasted little time in establishing a sizeable margin only for the inexplicable to happen when he made a rare error in turn two whilst negotiating lapped traffic and found himself at the back for the subsequent restart that only made it as far as turn two before Roza was pitched hard into the fence. With a lengthy delay to extract Roza from the car, the race was reduced to 30 laps with curfew looming and Jordan found himself back in front with eight laps to run. Pagel had climbed to second ahead of Pascoe and Brims, which is how the order remained when they reached the chequer. Having avoided the chaos that unfolded around them, Nicola and Randall were next in line ahead of the recovering Kane, who may well have made his way back onto the podium if the race had gone the scheduled 40 laps. Black was the best of the rest, with Barron, Childs, and McCosker the only others to go the distance.

Despite expiring with five laps to run, Sampson was the best placed overall amongst the Development Series drivers on the night.

The next round of the Think Money Super Sedan Championship Series is the Summer Slam at Rockhampton Speedway on Saturday, October 29.

The 2016/2017 Think Money Super Sedan Championship Series is proudly supported by:

Think Money
Penrite
Ian Boettcher Race Parts
AFCO Shock Doctor
Sweet Chassis
B&J Car Sales
Queensland Speedway Spares
Barnes Drilling
Dominator Race Wear
J&J Bullbars
M&N Car Carriers
McCosker Contracting
Tania’s T’s
Brisbane Truck Centre
Brims Concrete
Ford Wreckers Redcliffe

For Super Sedan news and results throughout the 2016/2017 season, follow the Super Sedan Association on Facebook or visit the SSA website at www.supersedan.com.au