With winter having settled in across the Brisbane region, the countdown begins for the start of a new season of competition at Ausdeck Patios Archerfield Speedway. Once again, Queensland’s premier speedway venue has a massive season scheduled for 2017/2018, with variety aplenty and a slew of big events for various racing categories across more than 30 nights of racing between September and March.

Sprintcars again dominate the schedule, which kicks off on September 16, with the season-long East Coast Logistics Track Championship, in addition to the Queensland Championship and two rounds of World Series Sprintcars, which looks set to bring a very strong field of contenders to take on Brisbane’s best. In Track Championship action, Luke Oldfield will be out to defend the title he secured last season in remarkable circumstances, clinching the crown in the final round after a captivating season-long duel with Andrew Scheuerle. Having won 10 feature races last season, Oldfield faces a big challenge to replicate that success and his championship defence and, given the emergence of so many talented young drivers over the last couple of seasons, the level of competition each week is unprecedented. The teenaged trio of Mitchell Gee, Lachlan McHugh and Callum Walker have firmly established themselves as feature race contenders every time they hit the track, pushing their more experienced rivals to raise the bar in their pursuit of championship success. Can Oldfield go back to back? Will Scheuerle reclaim the crown? Perhaps it will be Bryan Mann or Brent Kratzmann or Peter Lack who emerge with the title, but with so much racing to come, the only certainty is that the competition will be intense.

Adding a further challenge to proceedings is the return of World of Outlaws superstar Donny Schatz for another exclusive Archerfield campaign. Schatz loves racing in Brisbane and he will contest six nights of racing during the international season. His first appearance will be on Boxing Night (December 26), with subsequent shows on December 30, January 1 and the World Series event on January 3 before wrapping up his tour at the WSS Australian Open over two nights on January 5 and 6 where he will be chasing his ninth win in the $20 000-to-win feature race. Having finished second behind Australian champion Kerry Madsen last season, Schatz will be fired up to have his name etched into the Australian Open trophy once again.

The East Coast Logistics Sprintcar Track Championship will get underway on September 16 as part of a huge season-opening show that will also feature Monster Trucks, Fireworks and the opening round of the Midget Track Championship, plus Formula 500s and Compact Speedcars. Round two will be decided on October 7, with another 14 rounds of racing prior to the championship finale on May 26. Archerfield will again host a round of the Easter Triple Challenge on March 31, with the Queensland Sprintcar Championship to be decided over two nights on May 5 and 6 in what will result in more than 20 nights of Sprintcar racing over the course of the season.

Growing stronger with each season as a result of the level of competition in their Archerfield Track Championship, the mighty Midgets will be back out in force in 2017/2018, looking to capitalise on the growth they have experienced in recent seasons with the addition of new drivers into their ranks. A three-way battle for series honours last season between Troy Ware, Brock Dean and Rusty Whittaker fell in favour of the latter and the 2017/2018 championship will comprise 10 rounds. The track will again host the only Queensland round of the World Midget Championship on January 19/20, an event won last season in brilliant fashion by Rico Abreu over compatriot Brady Bacon, with the annual 50-lap event also on the schedule once again.

Perhaps the fastest growing division of all at the moment is the Formula 500s and if last season is any indication of what we can expect, they are going to deliver something very special. Blessed with a pool of precociously talented drivers piloting immaculately presented race cars that generate some serious speed, these guys and girls are proof positive of the benefits of regular competition on the Archerfield clay and with 13 shows scheduled next season, expect to see further growth and even more action. Of course, the stars of the future in the Formula 500 Juniors will also feature regularly throughout the season.

Compact Speedcars and AMCA Nationals have also wisely opted to do the bulk of their racing at Archerfield once again next season and both categories will contest more a dozen shows. The Compacts will run 12 rounds of their club pointscore series, while AMCA competitors will contest an 11-round track championship and their Queensland Championship event, which will also be decided on May 6.

A round of the Super Sedan Summer Slam Tour has been confirmed for December 30, with Super Sedans also scheduled for December 2, while Dirt Modifieds will make four appearances. Also featuring prominently on the schedule are Lightning Sprints, Modlites and Wingless Sprints, with Late Models and Microsprints also slated for a handful of shows. Street Stocks will make an early season return to run the Queensland Championship event washed out last season, while Open Sedans and the Ford v Holden v Sigma Sedans will again provide great support before finishing the season with their own championship events.

2017/2018 Ausdeck Patios Archerfield Speedway Event Schedule

September 16: ECL Sprintcar Track Championship Rd 1, Midget Track Championship Rd 1, Formula 500s, Formula 500 Juniors, Compact Speedcars, Monster Trucks, Fireworks

September 23: Lightning Sprints, Wingless Sprints, RSA Street Stocks, Modlites, Open Sedans, Ford v Holden v Sigma Sedans

October 7: ECL Sprintcar Track Championship Rd 2, Midget Track Championship Rd 2, Compact Speedcars, Formula 500 Juniors

October 14: ECL Sprintcar Track Championship Rd 3, AMCA Nationals, Lightning Sprints, Formula 500s, Wingless Sprints, Modlites, Ford v Holden v Sigma Sedans

October 28: ECL Sprintcar Track Championship Rd 4, Midget Track Championship Rd 3, Formula 500s, Compact Speedcars, Open Sedans

November 4: Dirt Modifieds, AMCA Nationals, Lightning Sprints, Late Models, Ford v Holden v Sigma Sedans

November 11: ECL Sprintcar Track Championship Rd 5, Midget Track Championship Rd 4, Formula 500s, Compact Speedcars, Open Sedans, Formula 500 Juniors

November 25: ECL Sprintcar Track Championship Rd 6, Midget Track Championship Rd 5, AMCA Nationals, Lightning Sprints, Ford v Holden v Sigma Sedans

December 2: Super Sedans, Dirt Modifieds, Modlites, Open Sedans, Late Models

December 9: ECL Sprintcar Track Championship Rd 7, AMCA Nationals, Compact Speedcars, Ford v Holden v Sigma Sedans, Formula 500 Juniors

December 26: ECL Sprintcar Track Championship Rd 8, Formula 500s, Compact Speedcars, Modlites, Formula 500 Juniors, Monster Trucks, Fireworks

December 30: ECL Sprintcar Track Championship Rd 9, Super Sedan Summer Slam, AMCA Nationals, Lightning Sprints, Ford v Holden v Sigma Sedans

January 1: ECL Sprintcar Track Championship Rd 10, Dirt Modifieds, Formula 500s, Open Sedans, Formula 500 Juniors, Demolition Derby, Derby Fireworks

January 3: World Series Sprintcars, Midget Track Championship Rd 6, Compact Speedcars, Modlites

January 5: World Series Sprintcars Australian Open Lightning Sprints, Modlites, Formula 500 Juniors

January 6: World Series Sprintcars Australian Open AMCA Nationals, Formula 500s, Wingless Sprints

January 19/20: World Midget Championship, AMCA Nationals, Lightning Sprints, Wingless Sprints, Modlites, Open Sedans, Ford v Holden v Sigma Sedans, Caravan, Boat and Dunny Derby, Fireworks

February 10: ECL Sprintcar Track Championship Rd 11, AMCA Nationals, Formula 500s, Compact Speedcars, Wingless Sprints, Ford v Holden v Sigma Sedans, Formula 500 Juniors

February 24: ECL Sprintcar Track Championship Rd 12, Midget Track Championship Rd 7, Formula 500s, Compact Speedcars, Microsprints, Formula 500 Juniors

March 3: Wingless Sprints, AMCA Nationals, Open Sedans, Late Models, Ford v Holden v Sigma Sedans

March 10: ECL Sprintcar Track Championship Rd 13, Midget Track Championship Rd 8, Lightning Sprints, Modlites, Formula 500 Juniors, Ford v Holden v Sigma Sedans

March 24: Midget Track Championship Rd 9, Dirt Modifieds, AMCA Nationals, Formula 500s, Compact Speedcars, Open Sedans

March 31: Sprintcars Easter Triple Challenge (ECL Track Championship Rd 14), Formula 500s, Wingless Sprints, Formula 500 Juniors

April 14: ECL Sprintcar Track Championship Rd 15, Midget Track Championship Rd 9, Lightning Sprints, Formula 500s, Open Sedans

April 28: ECL Sprintcar Track Championship Rd 16, Compact Speedcars, Wingless Sprints, Modlites, Formula 500 Juniors, Ford v Holden v Sigma Sedans

May 5: Queensland Sprintcar Championship, Midget 50 Lapper, Lightning Sprints, Formula 500s, Open Sedans

May 6: Queensland Sprintcar Championship, Queensland AMCA Nationals Championship, Dirt Modifieds, Microsprints, Monster Trucks, Fireworks,

May 19: ECL Sprintcar Track Championship Rd 17, Wingless Sprint 50 Lapper AMCA Nationals, Late Models, Modlites, Ford v Holden v Sigma Sedans

May 26: ECL Sprintcar Track Championship Grand Final, Midget Track Championship Grand Final, Formula 500s, Compact Speedcars, Formula 500 Juniors, Caravan, Boat & Dunny Derby, Fireworks

June 2: Lightning Sprints, Wingless Sprints, Modlites, Open Sedans Track Championship, Ford v Holden v Sigma Track Championship, Enduros, King of the Ring

For calendar updates and event information, visit the track website at www.brisbanespeedway.com.au or follow Archerfield Speedway on Facebook.