A LATE decision to contest the final rounds of the World Series Sprintcars season paid dividends for Mount Gambier speedway ace Steven Lines.
Lines headed to Albany on the weekend to contest round eight of the series, returning with a victory to leap-frog Kerry Madsen and claim the lead with just two rounds remaining.
Despite not being a contracted driver this season, Lines is in a strong position to claim his second WSS crown and the first for his Horrell Motorsport team.
Previously Lines said the team had no plans to head to Western Australia, but with such a strong position in the championship, conceded it was “silly not to go”.
That decision was rewarded with a hard-earned victory after a tough night of racing.
After time trials Lines was sixth fastest from a field of 23.
However, in his first heat he failed to finish, retiring after the first lap of heat three with driveline issues, which threatened to put a dampener on the night.
He fought back in heat six to finish second, then moved up to fifth on the grid after the shootout, while Madsen started out of third.
From there it was a matter of fighting through the top places, with James McFadden on the pace from the outset.
Madsen worked his way up to second behind McFadden, but the latter came to grief late in the race, finishing his run upside down.
That handed Madsen the lead and Lines second place, with a tough battle ensuing.
Lines eventually claimed the lead and despite a green-white-chequer finish, cleared out for a solid victory.
Lines now sits at the pointy end of the field with 2242 points, just seven clear of Madsen on 2235.
McFadden has a comfortable hold on third place, but with just 2005 points, sits well behind the top two runners.
The series now heads to the Perth Motorplex for round nine Friday night, before the grand finale on Saturday.
