LIMESTONE Coast speedway fans witnessed one of the best Australian sprintcar championships in recent years on Saturday night when reigning champion Kerry Madsen added a third straight title to his name.
Madsen showed his true class, leaving his move until late in the race before pouncing on an opportunity to claim the lead from James McFadden and run away with the championship.
The race unfolded in frenetic style, with McFadden, Jamie Veal and Madsen leading the way, staging a real show for the large crowd.
After qualifying in seventh place for the A Main, Brooke Tatnell failed to take the track when his car would not fire as the remainder of the field was ready to go four wide prior to the start.
Glen Sutherland lined up from position 11, while Steven Lines had secured a berth in the final after winning the B Main feature from sixth place.
That sat him 17th for the big show and it did not take long for him to make his presence felt.
But at the front it appeared to the be the McFadden show, as he set about creating a lead, with Veal and Madsen struggling to keep pace.
McFadden used the low groove to his advantage, finding plenty of speed, while Veal and Madsen pushed hard to keep in touch.
Lines and Chad Ely soon came together, with the latter spinning, leaving Sutherland nowhere to go.
A rear flat tyre ended any hope of Sutherland continuing. but Lines and Ely racedon.
At the pointy end of the field McFadden was driving hard along the low groove and looked to have the title in his grasp.
But as the laps wound down the track came to Madsen, although a minor error threatened to derail his run.
While attempting to slide past Veal, Madsen clipped the turn-two wall, but regained his composure and pushed forward again.
With his car improving on the low line and the lapped traffic beginning to play its part, with just eight laps remaining Madsen pounced, taking the lead and not looking back from there.
Meanwhile Matt Egel – who started out of 13th place – had been driving the wheels off his distinctive orange car, finding the track to his liking as the laps wound down.
McFadden held on for second place, but Veal dropped a further position to fourth, succumbing to Egel who claimed third in an impressive drive.
Lines finished in seventh, after fighting through the B Main and showing plenty of pace throughout the feature event.
In the end Madsen claimed his fourth overall title and the first driver since Tatnell – 2005-2007 – to win three on the trot, an honour previously held by the great Garry Rush, with four in a row between 1981 and 1984.
