KERRY Madsen proved why he is the Australian title holder with an impressive display at the Borderline Speedway in Round 3 of the World Series Sprintcars Title, which was also ran in conjunction with Speedweek on Thursday night.
Madsen went through the motions in his heats before stepping up to the plate when it mattered most.
The Australia number one powered his way from third to first in the pole gold shootout, which allowed him to start at the front of the field in the A-Main.
To do so he had to pass the in form James McFadden and Darren Mollenoyux.
It was a long A-Main with crashes aplenty throughout the opening stages of the race.
It took time before the race ran fluently, but when it did Madsen made no mistake and issued an early lead.
McFadden was doing his best to close in on Madsen, but the Australian champion kept his cool to maintain his lead for the full 35 laps.
There were opportunities, including a single car crash involving Tim Van Ginneken, which could have worked in McFadden’s favour, but again Madsen found a way to hold his lead all the way to the chequered flag.
McFadden crossed the finish line in second, followed by Carson Macedo in third after passing local driver Steven Lines on the final corner.
Madsen said he was happy with the first-place finish, which marked his second $10,000 cheque from three rounds.
“The track was great fun,” he said.
“I want to thank my team, they have done a great job with the car.”
Despite Madsen’s dominant performance, Mount Gambier’s Lines was up with the front-running drivers for much of the night.
Beginning the main event in ninth on the starting grid, Lines moved his way through the field and up to third with 18 laps remaining.
He had the home crowd cheering as he looked to cement a position on the podium.
However, a lapse in the final turn saw Macedo get the better of him.
With fourth place still a credible result, Lines was pleased with the way the night panned out.
He made his way from fourth to second in his first heat, before claiming a heat win after starting in third.
Lines was pleased with his efforts after the heat win, but was aware of the hard work to come in the feature race.
“We have been trying really hard and I would like to thank everyone involved,” he said.
“We have been working our butts of to try and get back up the front.
“There are a lot of great local sponsors who have stuck by me and I now have another great opportunity with a new car.
“Every time we get to the track, we are getting a little more confidence.
“Every lap we do we are getting better.”
Lines was the best placed Mount Gambier driver for the night, with Glen Sutherland finishing eighth and Jake Tranter ending his night with a 10th place in the B-Main.
Tranter went from fourth back to seventh in his first heat, but could take some positives from the night, claiming a heat victory.
Scott Enderl finished 13th in the C-Main, while Penola youngster Ben Gartner finished two positions ahead in 11th.
It was a learning night for Gartner who powered his 360 sprintcar around Borderline Speedway against some of the best in the sport with larger 410 motors.
Penola’s Jack Gartner also competed throughout the event in the smaller capacity vehicle, but engine troubles ended his night early.
RESULTS:
A-Main: Kerry Madsen A1; James McFadden W17; Carson Macedo N99; Steven Lines NQ3; Shaun Dobson V3; Ryan Jones S63; Brock Hallett S13; Glen Sutherland S20; David Murcott V88; Brad Keller S19; Ricky Maiolo S24; Jack Lee V25.
