Asian Motor Sports

Donny Schatz was totally dominant in his tour of Tyrepower PCR during season 2004/05, and Schatz kicked off his Tyrepower PCR summer campaign by clean sweeping his way to victory in the Valvoline Australian Sprintcar Grand Prix.

The top-five was filled with American-based drivers, with Kerry Madsen coming up trumps in second place in the East Coast Pipeline and Welding Cool machine ahead of what could be considered a lucky Jason Meyers, whose right-rear tyre blew on the Harry Delamont owned Maxim, immediately after taking the chequers.

Peter Murphy was dynamic in the Stephen Lynch Maxim, crossing for fourth and stealing the show earlier in the night with his scintillating Dash win over Joey Saldana and Jason Meyers. Skip Jackson returned to Tyrepower PCR in a brand new mount for car owner Rod Bowen.

Donny Schatz qualifying lap of 12.091 was an ominous sign of things to come as he proceeded to win his heat, and then earn the right to lead the thirty-lap main event away from pole position.

As Schatz headed into lapped traffic in the feature, the crowd was left wondering why the yellows had been thrown eight laps in; later to discover the race had to be brought to a halt because Joey Saldana’s Volcano Joes Coffee power plant had been exceeding the strictly enforced, government regulated 95dB noise limit.

Saldana, whom was running second at the time, did not leave the racetrack without putting up a fight for his cause, which ultimately he lost. He left his machine stranded mid track as he walked back to the pits, complete with steering wheel in hand, much to the entertainment delight of the strong Tyrepower PCR crowd.

Despite coming under threat from Meyers who had moved by Madsen at mid-distance, Schatz ran out a clear winner at the drop of the flag in the Garry Rush owned Pick ‘n Payless J&J.

“We were real happy to have the car working this good,” said Schatz in his cool, calm and collected manner upon receiving the ten-grand winner’s cheque. “Garry Rush and his team have done a fine job, mind you, we still have a few more improvements to come,” sounded Schatz with an ominous warning to his future competitors. “I haven’t driven anything for two months, so to come out and clean sweep the night is a good feeling.”

It was like a duck returning to water, as Kerry Madsen returned to Tyrepower PCR.

“We had two days to put a car together and had a few glitches, but overall we are really happy with our first night out,” said the smiling Madsen. “We have some stuff to try, to get this car a little better. But in saying that, there are a lot of guys who are going to get better too, so I think you will see the level of racing raised a lot from here on in.”

Meyers had second locked up until the last lap when Madsen slid by, as it was clear from the outside that Meyers had very little pressure remaining in the right-rear tyre.

“About half way through the race when we got past Kerry and got up to Donny. Then Donny started to get away as we got looser and looser,” reflected Meyers, “and I thought I may have sealed the right-rear tyre over. I couldn’t tell that the pressure was getting that low, but then we crossed for the chequers and it finally let go. It’s unfortunate it happened, but at least the car made it to the end.”

Meyers was frank on his thoughts on passing Schatz.

“I think we had something for Donny. We were both running the same line there, and I don’t know if you could have got to the top and got around him without some assistance from lapped cars. Could I have passed him? I don’t know, but it sure would have been a great nose-to-tail race,” said Meyers.

Californian-based Peter Murphy overcame Iowa-based Skip Jackson at the finish after the pair swapped numerous times throughout the feature to claim fourth and fifth respectively.

West Aussie Ken Sartori put in a stunning performance to be the best of the non-American based driver’s home in the Highway Hauliers Cool chassis, with four-time Australian Champion Garry Brazier home in seventh and the last car remaining on the lead lap in the Vortex Race Products J&J.

Tyrepower PCR regulars Mark Blyton (Dyno Flow Exhausts Maxim), Joel Knott (Dent Specialist Eagle) and Grant Tunks (Tricorp Security Johnboy) rounded out the top ten.

Shane Stewart could not get further forward than eighth in the B-Main with Rolling Thunder Speedway pilot Travis Rilat progressing from the B-Main to claim fourteenth in the Feature.

Pennsylvanian Lucas Wolfe had to transfer from the C-Main to the B in the Selma Shell machine, as he came to grips with the tight quarter-mile track conditions compared to his native half-mile tracks.

Brandon Wimmer tangled with Donny Schatz in the first heat race, resulting in damage to the Wimmer machine, after backing the car into the Tyrepower PCR outer concrete wall.

Ian Madsen was simply stunning, not only to finish eleventh in the Feature from position twenty-three - but to even qualify to the A-Main after coming from position nineteen (after been sent rear-of-field for two push starts) to finish third in the B-Main in fifteen laps.

Troy Little finished no better than thirteenth in the B-Main after being forced to swap to the borrowed David Craft #86 machine after melting a cylinder in his own Kimbo Transport power plant during his time trail assault. (SOURCE: I Like Racing)

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