IN a tough final round of the World Series Sprintcars Speedweek, Mount Gambier driver Steven Lines claimed the first big honours of the season at Warrnambool’s Premier Speedway.
Lines battled to a third place finish in the A Main feature race Tuesday night, but had enough points in the bank to claim the Speedweek title ahead of Kerry Madsen and James McFadden.
McFadden did all he could to move up the standings, taking the win at Warrnambool, while Madsen finished behind Lines in fourth place.
The night was set up for an epic showdown, with just a handful of points separating the top three when the night began.
Lines led the standings by 60 points from Madsen, with McFadden a further 55 points in arrears.
From the outset it was apparent Lines would have to work hard if he was to claim his second Speedweek title, with Madsen immediately on the pace in heat one.
Madsen won the heat, but Mount Gambier’s Glen Sutherland moved from sixth down to 11th in a tough run.
Heat three saw McFadden remain in seventh place throughout, while the quick American Cory Eliason – who would eventually finish the night in second place – made up ground from eighth to fourth.
Heat four saw Brooke Tatnell start out of sixth place in the Scott Motorsports car, while Lines was down in eighth.
Tatnell moved up three positions, but Lines could make no inroads on the front runners.
The scene was then set for the second half of heats, but Madsen found the going tough in heat five, moving up just two positions from eighth.
Sutherland started heat six out of third, but dropped down to sixth and had to settle for a spot in the B Main race.
Lines and Tatnell went head-to-head in heat seven from sixth and seventh on the grid respectively.
Tatnell claimed the honours over the Mount Gambier driver, finishing one spot in front in third place.
In the final heat McFadden managed a fourth place.
Sutherland began the B Main in 10th place, but just 12 cars finished and he was one of the casualties.
Meanwhile Lines had gone through from the bronze shootout to qualify second on the grid for the A Main feature, alongside Eliason, with Madsen in third.
Tatnell was next in line, while McFadden had to settle for a ninth place grid position.
Eliason showed his class in the feature race, taking control early, while Madsen moved up on Veal to claim fourth spot.
Mid-way through the race a caution period bunched the field up and Madsen pounced on the restart, moving up to second at the expense of Lines.
Tatnell retired soon after with a flat tyre, leaving just Lines to fly the flag for the Limestone Coast.
Meanwhile McFadden was making progress, moving through the field to spoil the party.
He eventually moved into third behind Lines, who had dislodged Madsen, but soon after McFadden dispatched the Mount Gambier driver and headed out after Eliason.
McFadden would eventually claim the lead in the dying stages, with Lines holding on for third to ensure the Speedweek honours went his way.
In the end he claimed the title by 56 points from Madsen, while McFadden was 11 points further back in third.
For Lines it was the culmination of a hard week of racing, which saw his consistency pay dividends.
He kicked off proceedings with a win at Murray Bridge, followed up with a fifth place at Mount Gambier, then went on to record a fourth, a sixth and finally a third place.
“It is a pretty tough competition and we had to keep fairly consistent, which we were all week,” Lines said.
“We only had one win, but to be around the mark every night is pretty tough going.
“It is a credit to the boys and everyone who worked hard on the car.”
Lines said it was a tough ask to remain at the front over the five nights in such a talented field of drivers.
“You need to try to keep everything together and have a pretty good run to stay in the top five all week,” he said.
“If you drop a round, that’s what hurts you.
“Our consistency is what won Speedweek, but if you told me I would do that at the start of the week I wouldn’t have believed you.”
Despite leading heading to the final round, Lines had to remain focused.
He said Madsen was a tough competitor and he needed to keep the Australian champion in his sights.
“I probably took it a bit easier at the start of the race and just wanted to finish,” Lines said.
“I ended up going back to fourth and thought I better pull my finger out.
“Madsen was floating around – he is a tough competitor and has been there a long time.
“He knows how put the pressure on.”
As the race unfolded Madsen seemed to have enough pace to hold Lines at bay, but the Mount Gambier driver remained composed and pushed hard to the finish line.
“He went to second and we went to fourth, then we got back by him,” Lines said.
“I had an opportunity and knew I had to make it stick.
“I tried to keep it smooth for the last few laps and to be honest, I didn’t really mind if I finished third, fourth or fifth, as long as he was with me.”
That mentality came from a desire to win the Speedweek series, rather than push for a race win on the night.
“I think people hold that a little higher than a one-night thing, because it is a bit harder,” Lines said.
“For the car owner and everyone involved, it is pretty nice to thank them, to finish off Speedweek on a good note and move on.”
As a former WSS champion, Lines said he still has no plans to complete the entire season, which finishes in Perth.
“We are taking the pressure off a little bit now,” he said.
“We go to Brisbane anyway so we will do the rounds in Brisbane, then we will see where we are at.
“At this stage I don’t want to go to Perth, but I’m sure if we are leading by a bit after the last round in Brisbane things could change.”
