Tatnell Victorious at Australian Sprintcar Nationals
ADELAIDE – Brooke Tatnell and the Krikke MotorSport Team have taken victory at the 2008 Australian Sprintcar Nationals after a brilliant feature race win at Adelaide’s Speedway City on Saturday 16 February 2008.
After winning night one, Tatnell went into night two as the highest point scorer, and therefore started Heat 1 from the rear. He powered his Toyota Genuine Parts/Maxwill Motors/Cool machine into seventh in the opening laps, before a red light stoppage. Tatnell restarted in sixth, and quickly moved forward to fifth, before a final pass late in the race saw him finish fourth.
The Krikke MotorSport driver started Heat 2 from the outside of the front row, and took the early lead and control of the race, opening up a gap over the field. Tatnell was into lapped traffic by half-race distance, and weaved through the backmarkers to take the Heat win.
The three-time and current Australian Sprintcar Champion started the Top 6 Dash from pole. After three complete restarts, he moved into second off the line, and maintained his second, to earn a front-row starting position for the all-important A-Main.
Tatnell started the 40-lap Nationals A-Main from the outside of the front row, and moved into second, before an early yellow light stoppage. He restarted in second, and was soon into lapped traffic, powering his Toyota Genuine Parts/Maxwill Motors/Cool machine around the outside of the slower cars. Another yellow light stoppage ensued, allowing a clear track ahead on the restart, but the leaders were soon into lapped traffic again, with Tatnell again powering his Australia #1 machine around the high line. The Krikke MotorSport driver held an enthralling battle for the race lead, swapping positions through lapped traffic, before clearly taking the lead at half-race distance. Tatnell opened up a quarter of a lap lead over the field, before further yellow light stoppages. Rough track conditions broke the front wing mounts on the Toyota Genuine Parts/Maxwill Motors/Cool machine with seven laps remaining, which saw the front wing collapse, but Tatnell’s charge continued, again weaving through lapped traffic at the end of the race, to take his first and Krikke MotorSport’s first Australian Sprintcar Nationals win.
Delighted with his Nationals win, the Krikke MotorSport driver explained, “We had a good night. Both Heat races were pretty good. In the Dash, with it being as rough as what it was, we just couldn’t get the car to take off clean. Danny [Reidy] was trying to do the best he could on the start, and we were trying to do the best we could, and you know, the second start was a good start, except that’s when the crash behind us happened, so the third one, we just got together and that allowed Farry [Robbie Farr] to zip up the inside of us. But in the Feature race, we went with a more aggressive set-up than most of the guys out there, and we knew we were going to be struggling a little bit early and knew Farry [Robbie Farr] would get away from us. But as I said, we were set to have a race car that was there at the end, and that’s what we had.”
Equally happy Krikke MotorSport Team Owner Shane Krikke commented, “We’re absolutely thrilled. To pick up a race of this stature is always very good, and to come away with winning both the Features for the weekend, it’s great. So hopefully it’s a good bit of winning form we can carry through to the Krikke Boys Memorial and the Nanovich [King of Wings Race] back home. Absolutely fantastic, it was a great weekend. Brooke did an excellent job, especially in the last bit of the race with the front wing collapsed like it was, and Pete [Caporn], Shane [Finch] and Ryan [Krikke] gave him a great car to drive, and you know, it was really, really good. So it was good to see the Cool Chassis/Maxwill Motor combination back up the front and winning races where it belongs.”
Brooke Tatnell and the Krikke MotorSport Team will return to action at the 11th Annual Krikke Boys Shootout at Bunbury City Speedway, at the home of Krikke MotorSport, Bunbury, Western Australia on Saturday 1 March 2008 and Sunday 2 March 2008.
Krikke MotorSport merchandise is now available on-line or direct from the Team Transporter at each venue.
Brooke and the Krikke Team again thank their valued sponsors, who are ready to support them for another Australian Sprintcar Nationals campaign: Bunbury Toyota, Toyota Genuine Parts, Terry Shields Toyota, PWR, Mega Motors, Maxwill Race Engines, Cool Chassis, Mercure Hotel Parramatta, A1 Sign Shop, A. Lucas Spraypainters, GT Aluminium, Revolution Racegear, BR Motorsports, Vortex Wings, Valvoline, Fortron, Alberts Car Stereo Bunbury, and BCM Motorsports Marketing.
17 February 2008 – Jane Alexander – KMS East Coast Correspondent |
