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Dec 29, 2011

If tonight’s third round of the WSS Speedweek competition at Borderline Speedway Mt. Gambier was an episode of Sesame Street, it would have surely been ‘brought to you by the letter J and the number 25. James McFadden that is, in #25.

The brilliant Alice Springs born Queensland based former National Sprintcar Champion won his fourth WSS main event in six rounds as he stormed his #25 Totally Workwear Cool Chassis to a good win in the 35 lap final on a tyre-frying track.

“Things are good right now, what can I say? Glen (Beaton) has this car right on the money, we’ve got a great package and we’re winning races. We can’t seem to do much wrong at the moment,” smiled the winner.

McFadden’s right side rear tyre was worn down to the canvas like the rest of his rivals but he did enough to take the win by half a straight away over David Murcott in second place and Steven Lines in third.

“I knew my tyres didn’t have much left in them either,” McFadden admitted, “but I took off as fast as I could at the restarts so I could put the pressure on anyone behind me who was trying to look after their tyres. It was going to force them to come with me or lay back and watch me drive off.”

Jason Johnson was one such driver who was deserted by his right tyre when it exploded and he slammed into the wall with only a few laps remaining.

“I think my tyre was going down for some time before it blew,” mused Johnson, “because I don’t think there was any reason it should have been smoking as early as it was in the race.”

Remarkably at about the exact same moment that Johnson blew his tyre in turn four James McFadden spun the car in turn one and two but managed to avoid coming to a complete stop in the incident.

“I was sitting behind him when he spun and I thought you bewdy,” grinned eventual second placed David Murcott, “but then the yellow lights came on and James hadn’t stopped the car. My excitement was pretty short-lived. He’s got all the cards falling in his favour right now and he’s doing a great job. Nobody had anything for him.”

Third placed Steven Lines was one of many drivers who had to consider tyre conservation in order to claim his podium finish.

“I’d like to have tried harder to catch him but I couldn’t risk blowing the tyre and not finishing again like last night. I had to find some middle ground and hope that my tyre lasted as long as anyone else’s. Congratulations to James, he’s definitely the one to beat right now.”

McFadden had earlier in the night set the fastest time in Revolution Racegear Qualifying and he also put himself on pole position for the A-Main through a sizzling effort in the Vortex Wings Gold Shootout.

Brooke Tatnell started alongside his 21-year-old rival but was forced to play catch up for much of the main event as the Territorian tore away from the field and began carving his way through lapped traffic.

That lapped traffic was about to play it’s part in Tatnell’s race as he came up (whilst running second) on Ricky Barrand in the #61 having his own battle with Ryan Farrell in the Bayaire Industries #2.

Farrell propped slightly, Barrand checked up and Tatnell had nowhere to go but into the tail of the #61 which he sent flipping into the wall combined with the #1 Toyota Genuine Parts #1 Cool which basically came to a standstill at the exit of Turn Two.

Remarkably Steven Lines had jammed the brakes to miss the melee in front of him but he ended up slamming into the tail tank of the Tatnell car and actually push-started it back into life.

The impact cut down the left rear tyre on Tatnell’s Cool and he was forced to change it under the red light stoppage whilst Lines was deemed to have stopped the car in order to miss the carnage in front of him and was allowed to return to his original starting position.

Tatnell went to the rear and would eventually speed back to sixth by the fall of the chequers.

Lines would hang on for third.

Ian Madsen had a topsy-turvy evening but the dual WSS feature winning youngster turned it on in the tyre burning A-Main to claim fourth and be only one spot off the podium despite having a major rollover earlier in the night when he rode a wheel in turn two.

South Aussie rising star Daniel Pestka recorded his best ever WSS result with a solid fifth place finish in his Gawler Farm Machinery J&J after disposing of some of the sport’s biggest names in his quest for a possible podium finish.

Robbie Farr and Max Dumesny had an epic battle going for much of the main event with the duo swapping real estate back and forth for many laps with Farr holding the upper hand for much of the battle.

Unfortunately at a critical moment entering turn one Farr’s right rear exploded forcing the defending H-Tec World Sprintcars champion to slow directly into the path of Dumesny was who trying to make something different happen on the outside and manufacture a pass.

Farr was out, Dumesny then had to come from the rear at the restart.

“Rocket Man” Matt Young recorded his career best finish in a WSS event with seventh in his immaculate Rocket Industries #6 ahead of the previous round’s winner Garry Brazier in the Capalaba Wreckers J&J in eighth, Ryan Farrell ninth, Dylan Jenkin (on a mission to save his tyres) in the Gericke Cool tenth, Max Dumesny (Valvoline / GKR Transport Maxim) eleventh and Carl Dowling rounding out the finishers in 12^th in his AV Truck Centre #87 entry.

DNF’s included Jason Johnson (tyre) Robbie Farr (tyre) Jamie Veal, Phillip March (rollover) Jack Lee (damage) Luke Dillon (wheel packed with dirt causing vibration) Ricky Barrand (rollover) and Danny Reidy (crash).

The B-Main was led by Ryan Farrell who had the event shot to bits until he ran out of brakes and Luke Dillon pounced to get the victory in the 15 lap affair.

Justin Sloan won the C-Main and appeared to be making amends for a miserable two nights of competition with a strong result in the B-Main until he found himself up against the turn two wall and facing oncoming traffic.

James McFadden now leads the 2011/2012 Hi-Tec Oils World Series Sprintcars Championship by 166 points over Jason Johnson in second and Robbie Farr a further 44 points in arrears.

Main events have been conducted and won by in this order:

Teams now take a well deserved day off before returning on Friday, December 30 at the Avalon Raceway for Round Seven of the Hi-Tec Oils World Series Sprintcars Championship and Round Four of the 2011/2012 Speedweek Series.