FOUR QUALIFY FOR SPEED SPORT WORLD CHALLENGE
Jonathan Allard
Thursday, December 3, 2015
(Palmerston North, New Zealand) Robertson Holden International Speedway PR
SPEED SPORT KNOXVILLE WORLD CHALLENGE QUALIFIER
Jonathan Allard blitzed a classy Sprintcar field last night at the Robertson Holden International Speedway, breaking the all-time lap record in the process. ‘The King’ Steve Kinser was upstaged, but still impressive on his farewell tour down under.
The opening heat had a star-studded field, featuring three former New Zealand champions, and a 20-time World of Outlaws winner. Jonathan Allard made an early statement of intent, taking an outside line around Daniel Eggleton and blazing off into the distance, breaking the lap record with a blistering 12.8697 second lap. The second heat was mostly follow the leader, with Dean Brindle beating Stephen Taylor off the line and to the checkered flag. The third heat was the best of the bunch, with local hero Jamie Larsen holding his nerve outside Rodney Wood around the first turn to emerge in front and win the race. Jamie McDonald was the biggest mover, with nice inside passes on Jamie Duff and Eggleton.
The top ten shootout added a bit more intrigue for the fans as Steve Kinser got a chance to strut his stuff, using his experience to dispatch a trio of challengers before losing out to McDonald, advancing his final starting grid from tenth to sixth. Brindle was the other major benefactor, also winning three run-offs before losing the last to Allard.
Barring incident or malfunction, the 30-lap final was a forgone conclusion as Allard powered into the distance from pole position. Brindle had his best run at Arena Manawatu for a long time to finish second, but could not match Allard’s pace and wasn’t helped by the lack of back markers or yellow flags. The one to watch was Larsen as he first made an inside move on McDonald and then another on Eggleton to finish in an excellent third position. Pickens was all over Kinser in a battle for fifth place, but couldn’t make the pass stick and by the end of the race Kinser had escaped and was pressuring McDonald’s fourth position. The King visited, the fans appreciated, and Allard ultimately triumphed.
American drivers Jonathan Allard, Steve Kinser, Brad Loyet, and Ricky Logan are now eligible for entering the 23rd annual SPEED SPORT Knoxville World Challenge on Friday August 14th, 2016 as part of the 56th annual FVP Knoxville Nationals. This marks the first time that Steve Kinser will be eligible to compete in the World Challenge.
Porter Hire International Sprintcar Series Results:
Heat One: 0usa Jonathan Allard, 3nz Daniel Eggleton, 1nz Jamie Duff, 71a Jamie McDonald, 11usa Steve Kinser, 2nz Ricky Logan
Heat Two: 22a Dean Brindle, 21w Stephen Taylor, 2nz, 11usa, 28p Tony Uhlenberg, 5usa Brad Loyet
Heat Three: 82p Jamie Larsen, 54a Michael Pickens, 5usa Brad Loyet, 71a Jamie McDonald, 3nz Daniel Eggleton, 0usa Jonathan Allard.
Final: 1. 0usa Jonathan Allard, 2. 22a Dean Brindle, 3. 82p Jamie Larson, 4. 71a Jamie McDonald, 5. 11usa Steve Kinser, 6. 54a Micahel Pickens.
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