Via Speedcars SA
Jack McCarthy (JMmotorsport) delivered a landmark victory for South Australian Speedcar racing on Saturday, claiming the 76th SA Speedcar Championship at Murray Bridge Speedway; meaning after sixteen long seasons, the South Australian Speedcar crown is finally home.
Behind the wheel of the Hardwyer Murphy Motorsport GRD Chevy / CP3X SA6, McCarthy produced a composed and determined performance to take the chequered flag ahead of reigning Australian Speedcar Champion A1 Kaidon Brown and Victorian V10 Caleb Mills, bringing the prestigious championship back to SA for the first time since Ben Dillon’s victory in 2010/11.
The 76th championship field endured a demanding Halloween themed weekend, with attrition taking its toll both during Saturday night’s championship event and at Friday night’s Victorian Southern Speedcar Tour and SA Blackjack Series round at Mildura’s B&S Earthworks Timmis Speedway.
However, while the field had been reduced come feature time, the quality of the racing certainly hadn’t, with those remaining delivering a fast, on-the-wall championship contest.
Lined up from third position on the feature grid following qualifying heats, McCarthy had plenty of work ahead of him, with Brown on pole and Victorian V39 Nick Parker alongside him on the front row.
ACT3 Mitch Saunderson lined up from fourth beside McCarthy, followed by S42 Robert Heard, and V3 Dillon Ghent.
The Speedway Shop sponsored 30-lap Championship feature got off to a dramatic start, however, when Brown and Saunderson made contact in the opening lap, sending the early race favourite and reigning SA Champ, Kaidon Brown, to the rear of the field for the restart.
McCarthy soon capitalised, taking control of the race at the green from Parker, while Heard immediately looked to challenge on the inside line.
Brown, however, was far from finished.
Launching an impressive charge through the field, he quickly worked his way into the top five within the first five laps, moved past Heard and then overtook Parker to establish himself in second position by lap twelve.
With Brown on the move, the battle for the lead became a fascinating contest of lines around the 360-metre Murray Bridge circuit.
McCarthy remained committed to the high line, circulating the fence, while Brown explored both the high and the lower groove in search of a way forward.
A series of cautions then repetitively brought the pair back together for the restarts, but McCarthy remained composed under pressure on each occasion; putting the S6 back on the fence.
Despite Brown’s best efforts, the South Aussie held his line and delivered a near-perfect final lap to secure the 76th SA title victory.
Meanwhile with less than seven laps left on the board, Mills was on the move, stepping up to claim the third spot from Parker, followed shortly by Saunderson and S7 Melissa Crouch (SA) on the final lap to wrap up the top five placings.
The victory was celebrated in style, with McCarthy performing donuts in front of an appreciative crowd before being presented with the championship trophy.
McCarthy’s performance earned plenty of praise from the commentary team, with McCarthy describing it from the podium as one of the best races he had ever run.“That’s probably the best thirty laps I’ve ever done in a race car in my life,” McCarthy said after the race.
“Those last couple of cautions when I knew Kaidon was there, I knew he’d be trying something. I felt that we were circulating enough at the top that I’d have to make a pretty big mistake to get Kaidon to give me a run. I just tried to concentrate and run one good heat race. That’s all I had left, is just one good heat race. And we did it.”
McCarthy was quick to acknowledge the effort of the Hardwyer Murphy Motorsport team behind him in Paul and Donna Murphy, Mark Harrington, Alison Dwyer, and Trent Collins.“I’m so happy for Murph, Harry, and Alison. They put so much time and effort into this deal. Murph racks his head all night trying to make me better in the car. Typically… I’m not normally good on this type of stuff, right up against the fence in a Midget, but tonight the car was just so good. I felt really good there. It’s a credit to Murph. “I’m so pumped for them. Pumped for me too. But when you win in your own car, it’s nice, but when you win for somebody, I think it’s better.”
Adding an extra-special touch to the occasion, the Philip March SA Speedcar Championship Perpetual Trophy was presented to McCarthy by Philip March himself. The four-time SA Speedcar Champion and former Australian Speedcar Champion, who jointly holds the record for the most SA championship victories alongside Murray Hoffman, had the honour of presenting the trophy bearing his name to its newest recipient – a fitting moment as the championship crown returned to South Australian hands.
There was also plenty more to celebrate throughout the night, with the popular Philip March Magic Money initiative delivering $200 cash bonuses to each of the four heat winners.
V39 Nick Parker (VIC), S6 Jack McCarthy (SA), A1 Kaidon Brown (NSW) and S42 Robert Heard (SA) all collected the $200 bonus, with Heard’s victory arguably providing the most thrilling heat race of the night.
Driving the Bob Burns-owned Rokel Racing S42 while his own S57 awaits its return to the track, Heard with Victorians Nick Parker and Caleb Mills put on a spectacular display of racing, featuring daring slide-jobs and plenty of wheel-to-wheel battles to make it a heat race to remember.
The title’s special halloween themed bonus awards also produced two deserving recipients, with V3 Dillon Ghent (VIC) claiming the Jetcor Yamaha Honda Harley-Davidson Lucky 9 Award and an American Racer right rear tyre, while V10 Caleb Mills (VIC) took home the Supreme Sticker Co. Bat Out of Hell Award and an American Racer right rear tyre after an outstanding charge from eighth to third in the A-Main.
Thanks again to our event supporters and sponsors who made the event possible: The Speedway Shop; Jetcor Yamaha Honda Harley-Davidson; Supreme Sticker Co.; Philip March & Scott Cameron; Murray Bridge Speedway; Murray Bridge Speedway Club.
PHOTO: KNJ Photography
Ends Release…
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