A BIG NIGHT OF TOOWOOMBA ACTION!

BY DAVID BUDDEN

Feature photo WINGLESS – QLD TITLE  1st Scott Thomsen,  2nd Casey O’Connell, 3rd Cody O’Connell.

All Photos by Matthew Paul Photography

With over 140 nominations covering six categories of Australian Speedway, we knew we were in for an entertaining night of Speedway action at Hi-Tec Oils Toowoomba Speedway.

There was something there for everyone.

Wingless Sprints contested their 35-lap Queensland Title, in which Scott Thomsen won his sixth Queensland crown. Casey O’Connell put his Queensland Championship on the line. Thomsen led from start to finish and drove a perfect race to hold back Nathan Smee and Casey O’Connell, who wasn’t intending to give up the trophy easily.

With 13 laps to go, O’Connell was all over the back of Thomsen, who was driving a tactical line in the middle of the track, leaving O’Connell searching for a way past. O’Connell, knowing his way around Hi-Tec-Oils Toowoomba Speedway, doing double duties all season with countless laps of experience, he moved to the top deep in traffic, he then dropped to the bottom and into the lead momentarily as Thomsen returned serve and went straight back into the lead.  The two made slight contact on the way through just as yellow lights appeared.

From the restart, it was a three-lap dash to the chequered flag. O’Connell started to wind up on the high line, again drops to the bottom and levelled up as the chequered flag dropped, with the margin 00.003, the closest ever in a feature race in Toowoomba. Cody O’Connell finished third.

SPEEDCAR 50 LAPPER

The O’Connell brothers then buckled into their Speedcars for a gruelling 50 laps, possibly one of the strongest fields of Speedcars we’ve seen in Toowoomba for years, as the countdown begins for their Australian Speedcar Championship next season. After finishing second in the Wingless, nothing was going to stop Casey from winning the Speedcar 50 lapper.

He started in position 10, and Cody from position 12. Harry Stewart started at 14. Hailey Ferguson and Darren Vine were off the front row. With the quickest cars at the back, the start was frantic as they raced four-wide with no margin for error. Scott Farmer looked settled in the middle as Casey O’Connell took to the high line and started moving forward. Harry Stewart moved into the top five within two laps.

No one really knew which way to look as they raced three wide for third, Casey O’Connell moving into third and Scott Farmer to the lead just as O’Connell arrived in second at the halfway mark. The top five had lapped up to 9th position and set a cracking pace as Stewart was closing in on a chance to stand on the podium.

With 20 to go, O’Connell took over the lead and with seven cars on the lead lap, he made the most of that and started to increase the gap. With 12 to go, the yellows came on, allowing the field to regroup and an opportunity that Stewart had been waiting for. From the restart, O’Connell timed his start perfectly. He wasn’t going to let this one get away. Stewart drove through the middle and into third. Farmer and Stewart had a great battle for second as they threw sliders at each other. Kaydon Brown grabbed an opportunity and drove under them both momentarily. Stewart came out in second, but O’Connell was not to be denied in a dominant performance, winning the 50-lapper by half a lap. Harry Stewart had a solid night to finish second, and Scott Farmer finished third in a very entertaining race. It’s been a good summer in Toowoomba for Casey O’Connell, a win in the Sprintcar, numerous podiums in the Speedcar and tasting success at various times in the Wingless Sprintcar also.

Jacob Jolley kept the best for the last night of the season, collecting his fourth win of the season in an action-packed feature race that saw Ryley Smith finish second and Karl Hoffmans a well-driven race into third placing rounding out the podium. Brodie Tulloch settled for fourth after challenging for second and third for most of the race, while Henry Titman rounded out the top five. Ryley Smith and Jacob Jolley shared the front row for the start of the main event, while Darren Jensen and Brodie Tulloch started from the second row.

Ayrton Hodson and Darren Jensen traded places as they fought over fourth. It wasn’t long before Jolley opened a sizeable lead over the rest. Brodie Tulloch continued to challenge Smith for second, while Jensen sat comfortably in fourth until heavy contact with the wall gave Henry Titman the invitation he needed to drive past, turning his attention to chasing down Tulloch and Smith. Ayrton Hodson and Karl Hoffmans had a tense battle for sixth, racing wheel to wheel for a number of laps. Titman slid underneath Tulloch to gain third, only for Tulloch to immediately fire a shot back.

It was Karl Hoffmans, though, who was on a mission as he edged his way closer to the front, searching for a way underneath Jensen and into fourth, only for Jensen to fight back. The pair entertained the crowd in a fantastic duel that went on lap after lap. Hoffmans had a big look underneath Tulloch while he challenged Smith for second, with Hoffmans making his way underneath Tulloch. With all eyes on that battle, Jolley was driving away to win

ahead of Ryley Smith and Karl Hoffmans, with Brodie Tulloch and Henry Titman rounding out the top five. Darren Jensen came home in sixth after setting a quick time earlier in the night of 11.924.

Congratulations to Scott Thomsen on winning his 6th Queensland Wingless Sprintcar Title.

QUICK RESULTS | 9 MAY

WINGLESS – QLD TITLE

1. Scott Thomsen

2. Casey O’Connell

3. Cody O’Connell

4. Jason Bates

5. Joel Buettel

SPEEDCARS – 50 LAPPER 1st Casey O’Connell, 2nd Harry Stewart, 3rd Scott Farmer

SPEEDCARS – 50 LAPPER

1. Casey O’Connell

2.Harry Stewart

3.Scott Farmer

360-LS SPRINTCARS 1st. Jacob Jolley, 2nd. Ryley Smith, 3rd. Karl Hoffmans.

360-LS SPRINTCARS

1. Jacob Jolley

2. Ryley Smith

3. Karl Hoffmans

MODLITES

1. Klinton Hancey

2. Sam Gollschewsky

3. Callum Beerling

PRODUCTION SEDANS 1st. Jye O’Brien, 2nd. Brodie Hollyman, 3rd. Ash McKellar.

PRODUCTION SEDANS

1. Jye O’Brien

2. Brodie Hollyman

3. Ash McKellar

STREET STOCKS

1. Ben Langton

2. Luke Wilkinson

3. Gary Bonwick