Tatnell Maintains Points Lead After Round 1 of WWSS Speed Week

Brooke Tatnell and the Krikke MotorSport Team have maintained their Wanless World Series Sprintcars points lead after a ninth-place finish in Round 1 of Speed Week at Adelaide’s Speedway City on Wednesday 26 December 2007.

The Krikke MotorSport driver was the 30th car to time trial on an increasingly slick track, and qualified 15th with a 13.716-second lap.  He started the first Heat from the outside of the third row, and ran the high line to move into fourth on the opening lap.  An early spin caused a yellow light stoppage, which saw the Toyota Genuine Parts/Cool/Maxwill machine restart from the rear.  Tatnell powered his way through the field and recovered to finish eighth.

The three-time and current Australian Champion started the second Heat from the inside of the third row, and quickly moved into third on the opening lap.  A yellow light stoppage near half-race distance ensued, and a steward’s decision saw Tatnell put back one place on the restart, a decision which would cost him a start in the Dash.  He regained his position within a lap, and finished the Heat in third.

The five-time World Series Sprintcars Champion started the 15-lap B-Main from pole, and moved into second off the start.  The Toyota Genuine Parts/Cool/Maxwill driver used inside and outside lines to chase down the leader, and moved into first with five laps remaining.  Once out in front, Tatnell powered away from the field, and opened up a quarter-lap lead to take the B-Main win.

Tatnell started the 35-lap Speed Week A-Main from the outside of the seventh row, and quickly moved into tenth in the opening laps before an early red light stoppage.  He moved forward to ninth on the restart, on a difficult track not conducive to passing.  Tatnell ran his Toyota Genuine Parts/Cool/Maxwill machine around the highline for a majority of the race, and had numerous side-by-side battles in an attempt to move forward, but was thwarted by yellow light stoppages throughout the race.  The Krikke MotorSport driver finished ninth, continuing his successful run of top ten finishes, and maintaining his series points lead.

After a disappointing night, Tatnell lamented, “Not a great night.  Occasionally, you have a night where things don’t go right and tonight was one of them.  We weren’t that bad in qualifying, but you’ve only got to be a split second off and it hurts you.  In the Heat race, we just went in there and stood on the brake pedal and the brake just locked up on us.  I think I got on the brake too hard.  We changed the brakes around a little bit this week, and I think it just caught me out.  It was just a miserable night, but we’ll bounce back, tomorrow is a new day.”

Krikke MotorSport Crew Chief Pete Caporn commented, “We didn’t have the car for qualifying.  We had a late number, which didn’t help certainly, and we didn’t have the car and ended up 15th quick.  Then in the first Heat, we just went out there a bit too loose and spun out.  Brooke said the brakes sort of locked up a bit and it all sort of happened in a hurry, and then we got involved in some damage.  So we got through the Heat, and we would’ve been right for the second Heat and made the Dashes, but then they put us back a spot, so we missed out on the Dashes by a point, so we had to go through the B-Main.  We went ok in the B-Main.  In the A-Main, we were just a little bit too loose again and just didn’t have the right car.  The race track really wasn’t there to race on early, and it was sort of just going around.  Then at the end, we just couldn’t get the right brakes and couldn’t get around the cars at the right time, so we ended up in ninth spot.  Not a real good night, but we’ll bounce back tomorrow night for sure.”

Brooke Tatnell and the Krikke MotorSport Team will return to action at the second round of Wanless World Series Sprintcars Speed Week, at Murray Bridge Speedway, on Thursday 27 December 2007.

Krikke Motorsport merchandise is now available on-line or direct from the Team Transporter at each venue.