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Tasmanian’s
Two Good
NASR National
Office
SSA Media
Release
Jarrod Harper won
a thrilling round seven of the 2010/2011 Carline Mufflers National Super Sedan
Series at Murray Bridge Speedway last night (January 22) after a race-long
stoush with fellow Tasmanian Brad Smith. Having topped qualifying, Harper
elected to start from the outside front row and used the highline to great
effect throughout the JD Couriers-sponsored feature race, swapping paint and
positions with Smith for the entire 35-lap distance in an exciting exhibition.
For Smith, a runner-up finish elevates him back into second overall in the
series standings.
On a racy
track surface, three-time national champ Michael Nicola found his best form of
the series thus far to secure third spot ahead of Trent Wilson and Lucas
Roberts, who has been a model of consistency throughout the series. Shane Best
was consistent throughout the night, culminating with a solid sixth-place finish
in advance of Kevin Purton and Ash Bergmeier, who charged through the field
after starting 21st. Colin Hockley and local favourite Bill Miller rounded out
the top ten ahead of teenaged rookie Russell Worthley, who was sensational in
his first ever taste of NSSS competition. David Mackenzie and Graham Stewart
were the only others to go the distance.
Series
leader Darren Kane was in the mix once again for much of the event, charging
into second spot momentarily before a suspension breakage spat a wheel from his
Ian Boettcher Race Parts Mazda RX8 with only 11 laps remaining. Other
casualties included Steve Vaughan, who was running fourth at the time and
closing in on the leading trio, along with Des Korn, Tony Barklimore, Bernie
Roberts, Gil Worthley, Zac Calderwood, Sam Hughes and veteran Steve Stewart, who
possessed plenty of pace throughout the night.
Having
missed the previous round with a blown engine, a new powerplant has Harper in
ominous form heading into the Australian Championship in his home state next
month. Smith, meanwhile, is enjoying his best ever run of results in NSSS
competition with three podium results from the five rounds contested thus far.
The battle for the lead throughout the feature race was a no-holds-barred affair
that raged for 20+ laps before the first restart. Two subsequent interruptions
enabled Nicola to close the gap, but the Tasmanian duo was in a class of their
own at the front of the field.
In a
return to the traditional series format, Harper collected two heat wins, while
Smith, Kane, Wilson, Nicola, Best and Lucas Roberts shared the rest. Others to
impress during the preliminaries included Purton, Vaughan, Hockley and Russell
Worthley.
Calderwood
took out the B Main in another narrow result over Barklimore, with Gil Worthley,
Mackenzie, Hughes, Stewart, Bergmeier and Bernie Roberts also making the
transfer into the main event.
Despite
finishing on the infield, Kane continues to lead the championship, albeit by a
much reduced margin of 57 points. Smith sits second overall just one point ahead
of Wilson with two rounds remaining in what is shaping as a thrilling finish
once again.
Contingency Winners
Shock
Doctor Lucky Sevens:
Kevin Purton
Supercharge Hard Charger:
Ash Bergmeier
Oval
Express Best Presented Car and Crew:
Zac Calderwood
Results
Heat 1:
1. Q36 Darren Kane, 2. S67 Steve Vaughan, 3. N63 Tony Barklimore, 4. T4 Sam
Hughes, 5. Q44 Trent Wilson, 6. Q17 Colin Hockley, 7. V16 Ash Bergmeier, 8. Q61
Des Korn, 9. S68 Jamie Agius
Heat 2:
1. T6 Brad Smith, 2. T25 Kevin Purton, 3. S77 Bill Miller, 4. V3 Michael Nicola,
5. S55 Graham Stewart, 6. S3 Gil Worthley, 7. Q3 Graeme Elliott. DNF – V0 Lucas
Roberts
Heat 3:
1. T2
Jarrod Harper, 2. S9 Russell Worthley, 3. S23 Shane Best, 4. V24 David
Mackenzie, 5. S47 Steve Stewart, 6. S4 Neville Hall, 7. V75 Zac Calderwood. DNF
– N44 Bernie Roberts
Heat 4:
1. Q44 Trent Wilson, 2. S67 Steve Vaughan, 3. Q17 Colin Hockley, 4. Q61 Des
Korn, 5. Q36 Darren Kane, 6. N63 Tony Barklimore, 7. T4 Sam Hughes, 8. V16 Ash
Bergmeier. DNF – S68 Jamie Agius
Heat 5:
1. V3
Michael Nicola, 2. T6 Brad Smith, 3. T25 Kevin Purton, 4. V0 Lucas Roberts, 5.
S3 Gil Worthley, 6. S77 Bill Miller, 7. S55 Graham Stewart, 8. Q3 Graeme Elliott
Heat 6:
1. S23
Shane Best, 2. S47 Steve Stewart, 3. T2 Jarrod Harper, 4. V24 David Mackenzie,
5. S9 Russell Worthley, 6. S4 Neville Hall. DNF – V75 Zac Calderwood, DNS – N44
Bernie Roberts
Heat 7:
1. Q61
Des Korn, 2. Q17 Colin Hockley, 3. Q36 Darren Kane, 4. Q44 Trent Wilson, 5. N63
Tony Barklimore, 6. S67 Steve Vaughan, 7. T4 Sam Hughes, 8. V16 Ash Bergmeier,
9. S68 Jamie Agius
Heat 8:
1. V0
Lucas Roberts, 2. T25 Kevin Purton, 3. V3 Michael Nicola, 4. S77 Bill Miller, 5.
T6 Brad Smith, 6. S3 Gil Worthley, 7. S55 Graham Stewart, 8. Q3 Graeme Elliott
Heat 9:
1. T2
Jarrod Harper, 2. V75 Zac Calderwood, 3. N44 Bernie Roberts, 4. S23 Shane Best,
5. S9 Russell Worthley, 6. V24 David Mackenzie. DNF – Steve Stewart, DNS – S4
Neville Hall
B Main:
1. V75
Zac Calderwood, 2. N63 Tony Barklimore, 3. S3 Gil Worthley, 4. V24 David
Mackenzie, 5. T4 Sam Hughes, 6. S55 Graham Stewart, 7. V16 Ash Bergmeier, 8. N44
Bernie Roberts, 9. Q3 Graeme Elliott, 10. S68 Jamie Agius
JD
Couriers Feature Race:
1. T2 Jarrod
Harper, 2. T6 Brad Smith, 3. V3 Michael Nicola, 4. Q44 Trent Wilson, 5. V0 Lucas
Roberts, 6. S23 Shane Best, 7. T25 Kevin Purton, 8. V16 Ash Bergmeier, 9. Q17
Colin Hockley, 10. S77 Bill Miller, 11. S9 Russell Worthley, 12. V24 David
Mackenzie, 13. S55 Graham Stewart. DNF – S67 Steve Vaughan, Q61 Des Korn, Q36
Darren Kane, N63 Tony Barklimore, N44 Bernie Roberts, S3 Gil Worthley, V75 Zac
Calderwood, S47 Steve Stewart, T4 Sam Hughes
2010/2011 Carline Mufflers National Super Sedan Series progressive pointscore
(top ten):
Darren Kane 2268,
Brad Smith 2211, Trent Wilson 2210, Lucas Roberts 1928, Tony Barklimore 1764,
Colin Hockley 1748, Michael Nicola 1652, Kevin Purton 1626, Bill Miller 1475,
Des Korn 1466
The
2010/2011 Carline Mufflers National Super Sedan Series is proudly supported by
the following sponsors:
Carline
Mufflers
JD
Couriers
Bergmeier
Engineering
American
Racer Tyres
Supercharge Batteries
Monroe
Shock Absorbers
Brims
Coastal Cement
Ian
Boettcher Race Parts
Elf Racing
Methanol
Lukey
Exhausts
AFCO Shock
Doctor
Oval
Express
Art by
Mickey
Hoosier
Tyres
Comfort
Inn and Suites Robertson Gardens
National
Association of Speedway Racing (NASR)
Speedway
Sedans Australia (ASCF)
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