Crowds gathered to see top drivers in the Grand Annual Sprintcar Classic’s return to Warrnambool
Fans were treated to world class racing at the Grand Annual Sprintcar Classic at the weekend, with a local claiming the crown. See the photos.
Warrnambool
Don't miss out on the headlines from Warrnambool. Followed categories will be added to My News.
It’s been a chaotic past couple of days for Portland’s Brock Hallett after his Grand Annual Classic win but he wouldn’t have it any other way.
The G W Racing driver took out the 50th edition of the race with an incredible final lap move on American driver Sheldon Haudenschild to claim the crown on Sunday night and Monday morning.
After starting the final in fifth, Hallett got to the lead on lap 24 and led until the final two laps before Haudenschild overtook him.
A mistake by the American on the final lap allowed the 31-year-old to pounce and join a rich list of drivers to have claimed the crown.
“It’s every kid’s dream of winning races, let alone the classic,” he said.
“It doesn’t feel real I’m a winner of the classic.
“A massive thanks to my crew for believing in me.”
Hallett said being patient was the focus in the final as he dealt with lapped traffic and other Sprintcars around the track.
A spray towards himself also helped after struggling in the Scramble before the main event, which moved him from 2nd to 5th for the race.
“I was pretty hard on myself,” he said.
“No race driver likes to go backwards.
“So I changed the way I approached the feature race from the scramble.”
Early on it looked like James McFadden in the highly publicised Hodges Motorsport entry would take out the event.
CHECK OUT THE GALLERY OF THE RACING WEEKEND.
McFadden, after claiming Saturday’s main race, took the lead early after starting in third.
The two time Classic champion led for the first half of the race until he hit a wall after dealing with lapped traffic.
He struggled with pace in the car after the incident to hobble to the finish line in fifth.
McFadden’s issue was Hallett’s gain as the former Queenslander and two time Formula 500 winner prevailed.
The Sprintcar driver this season has competed full time after racing part time and working to pursue his dreams in the sport.
He and the team pocketed $50,000 for the win as well, which will help him continue to race full time for the time being.
“As much as the money is good, we won the biggest race,” Hallett said.
“I’m 31 years old and some of those on the list (of winners) I remember growing up watching.
“(There are) high calibre drivers who have won it and there are a lot of high caliber drivers who haven’t.
“To be among the winners is incredible.”
Hallett will now focus on the national Sprintcar titles, which will be held in Perth on February 11.
EARLIER:
Engines will roar as the Grand Annual Sprintcar Classic returns for its 50th event this weekend.
Held at the Premier Speedway in Allansford, Sprintcar fans are in for a treat with three nights of racing, starting on Friday.
The Grand Annual is set for one of its largest fields in years with 118 entries entered.
On Friday and Saturday nights, all entries qualified and competed in heats, aiming to finish inside the top-100 point getters.
On Sunday, those 100 return to battle it out for the main title.
Premier Speedway general manager Michael Parry said a lot of planning had gone into the three-day event.
“There’s been a lot of preparation and planning — we are largely a volunteer-based club so there’s been a lot of work this last month to get the venue in tip top shape,” Mr Parry said.
“We have already sold out on the Sunday night — our final night of the event — which has never occurred before so I guess it puts it into context the scale of the event this year, even the interest and the excitement.
“It’s been a really fantastic response from the public to support us,” he said.
One of the headline acts that was set to race at the Grand Annual was Supercars driver Cameron Waters.
The Tickford Racing driver has been involved in Speedway for the past few years, learning his craft in the sport while also using it as a way to keep race fit for his Supercar endeavours.
But as he becomes more accustomed to the Sprintcar more he’s become one of the best in the country and started the weekend as one of the favourites.
“We’re definitely getting stronger and stronger every event we do,” Water said.
“I’m starting to qualify more for A-mains more often than not now and race the good guys at the front a bit more.
“When the success comes, I’m not really sure, but for me it’s more about learning and chipping away and getting better and better and it will come over time.
“If we can keep on the same trajectory we have been going on we should do pretty good.”
Waters said qualifying would be important to set-up his weekend and admitted he needed to keep out of trouble in the heats.
“I think it’s a cool sport and it’s got a lot going for it,” he said.
“There’s a few people from different sporting codes all coming into the Speedway scene and it’s been good for Speedway.
“We just need to keep the momentum going and get the sport getting more and more professional.”
The Warrnambool News attended the event on Friday to capture all the crowd excitement.
Warrnambool upholsterer Peter Hulin said there were “all walks of life” at the event.
“It’s a terrific weekend for sprint racing,” Lilydale local Jack Maggs said.
Former sprintcar pit crew member Troy Courtney, from Sunbury, has been attending for 14 years. He said it was “one of the busiest nights” the event has had on a Friday night and “regardless of it all it’s good the whole venue is totally packed to the max”.
“I think there’s around about 10 Americans who have come over and has been the first time for about three or four years,” he said.
He also said the event was televised across America.
Adelaide man Simon Brown was only seven years old when he attended his first sprintcar event in 1987.
“The up and coming talent is very strong in this sport,” Mr Brown said.
Before Covid we used to come four to five nights here in Warrnambool,” he said.
Mr Brown’s friend Nigel Davies also from South Australia said he had “goosebumps”.
With three days of sprintcar action successfully completed, fans are already booking accommodation in Warrnambool in a year advance for next year’s Annual Sprintcar Classic.
THE BEST DRIVERS TO WATCH
Sheldon Haudenschild
The son of a gun who is looking for his first Grand Annual title. Sheldon is the son of Jac Haudenschild who won Warrnambool’s biggest race twice in 1981 and 1982. The American racer is competing for a Victorian team, Jack Lee, who are based in Terang.
Steven Lines
The South Australian is a two-time winner at the Grand Annual, claiming the event in 2011 and 2013. Lines is also a World Series Sprintcars champion but he hasn’t competed at Warrnambool’s biggest event for the past couple of years. It will be interesting to see how quickly Lines can find form.
Kerry Madsen
A legend of Sprintcar racing and has been at the front in the Grand Annual’s f for the past 20 years. Madsen might be in his 50s but the last time he competed, in 2020, he finished third. The NSW driver has won the Grand Annual three times – 2005, 2007 and 2008.
Corey McCullagh
This Grand Annual will be the last for McCullagh as he and his team will stop racing after more than a decade. He won the Grand Annual in 2018 and has been one of the best competitors in Sprintcars, winning 13 times and claiming championships along the way. He’ll start the Grand Annual as one of the favourites after finishing third last year.
James McFadden
All eyes will be on McFadden this weekend as he races for the team owned by former Supercars champion Scott McLaughlin, Richmond gun Jack Riewoldt and sports journalist Gerard Whateley. The team, Hodges Motorsport, is the brainchild of Tim Hodges, who is a Warrnambool local and sports journalist who produces AFL 360, a program on Fox Footy. And the team will be competitive as shown on Thursday night with the team winning in Mount Gambier. McFadden is also successful in Warrnambool at the Grand Annual. He’s won twice, in 2017 and 2020, and finished second last year in the event.
Lachlan McHugh
McHugh is the defending champion, beating James McFadden in last year’s event. The Queensland racer was in the top-10 in the Mount Gambier event on Thursday before having a DNF in the race. He’ll be hoping for better luck as he aims to defend the title.
Brooke Tatnell
A great of the sport and a three-time winner of the Grand Annual in 1995, 1999 and 2009. Last decade, he finished either second or third six times and is expected to be one of the leading contenders, despite being one of the oldest in the field.
Jamie Veal
One of the most consistent racers in the past couple of years in the Grand Annual. Veal has finished inside the top five in the past three events and was the champion in 2016. The driver heads into the event in good form after finishing second in the 2022-23 Clay-Per-View Speedweek Series, which was held in the last week of December. Veal is from Warrnambool and will be a crowd favourite.
Max Vidau
The 2017 Formula Ford champion will have a crack at the Grand Annual this year. Vidau is an accomplished racer, competing in Formula Ford and finishing inside the top-10 in last year’s Porsche Carrera Cup series. But Sprintcars is another level with how the cars race compared to other forms of motorsport. How he handles it will be pivotal in seeing how he goes this weekend.
John Vogels
One of the most experienced racers in the field with what is believed to be the most starts in the Grand Annual among those competing. Vogels comes from Warrnambool and while he might not start as one of the favourites, he’ll be one to look out for his longevity in the event.
Cameron Waters
The Supercars driver just keeps getting better and better in Sprintcar racing. One of the main contenders this weekend and could cause a surprise or two against the rest of the field.
Join the conversation
Decker chases Melbourne to Warrnambool history
Tim Decker claimed the Melbourne to Warrnambool in 2007 as a rider but this weekend will chase victory in a different role. Here’s how he could create a slice of history with rising stars to lead the way.
Read more
Pictures: Victorian preppies start their first day of school
About 70,000 Victorian grade prep students have started their first year of school this week. Check back to see all the photos from primary schools across the state.
Read more