THE largest speedway event in Australia will reach its climax tomorrow, with the final night of the Australian Open Sprintcar Championship at Borderline Speedway.
Two local drivers who will take to the field of 80 cars in search of glory are Mount Gambier’s Steven Lines and Glen Sutherland.
Attending the Calcutta at the Mount Gambier Showgrounds on Wednesday, the two drivers told The Border Watch how they were feeling in the lead up to the pinnacle of Australian speedway.
Lines proved he has what it takes last Thursday in the Kings Challenge, blitzing the field to claim the crown at his home track.
After his Halls Motorsport team was sold to Horrell’s Motorsport early in the season, this achievement was a welcome sign that everything has come together at the right time.
“We have settled in and I feel like in the last month we have been building and have definitely been getting better,” Lines said.
“And the results are starting to show.
“I’d really like to thank my sponsors and all the guys who work on it (the car).”
Despite some unlucky results, particularly in last week’s events, Sutherland is also confident with how everything has come together in the lead up to the Championship.
“We have been running along pretty well,” he said.
“We’ll just keep being consistent and see where we round up.
“A bit of luck would not go astray here and there, but we’re putting ourselves in a position to do alright.
“We should have a pretty good weekend.”
In regards to the biggest threat on the track, both drivers agreed there are a number of hot contenders for the title.
“You look at last week’s races and there is a lot,” Lines said.
“There’s James McFadden, Jamie Veal, Brooke Tatnell, Kerry Madsen.
“And there is another half a dozen guys who could easily win it.”
With Madsen looking for a hat-trick of championships, he will certainly be one to watch tomorrow night, while the r
ecent form of Brooke Tatnell in the Scott’s car has shown promising signs for the local team.
However, looking back at the season so far, most of the top 10 drivers will be more than capable of claiming the honours at the end of tomorrow night’s racing.
“There’s probably six or seven which are main contenders,” Sutherland said.
“Steve’s form at the Kings (Challenge) the other week was really good and there’s always Kerry (Madsen), James (McFadden) and Jamie (Veal).
“It could be a number of people.
“But I do feel confident on how we are travelling and performing for the season, so I do not see why we cannot put it up with them.”
