Jack McCarthy brings SA speedcar title back home

Jack McCarthy has delivered a landmark victory for South Australian speedcar racing, claiming the 76th SA Speedcar Championship at Murray Bridge Speedway.

After 16 long seasons, the South Australian crown is finally home.

McCarthy produced a composed and determined performance to take the chequered flag ahead of reigning Australian champion Kaidon Brown and Victorian 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 Speedcar Tour and the round at Mildura’s speedway.

However, while the field was reduced by feature time, the quality of the racing certainly wasn’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 Nick Parker alongside him on the front row.

Mitch Saunderson lined up from fourth beside McCarthy, followed by Robert Heard, and Dillon Ghent.

The 30-lap championship feature got off to a dramatic start 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 and launched 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 12.

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 fewer 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 Melissa Crouch on the final lap to wrap up the top five placings.

The victory was celebrated in style, with McCarthy performing doughnuts 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 30 laps I’ve ever done in a race car in my life,” McCarthy said after the race.

Meanwhile, current Australian formula 500 champion Terry Rankin continued his outstanding South Australian winning form as he added the Murray Bridge Speedway’s “King of the Bridge” title to the national crown he won at Mount Gambier back in March.

After being edged out by defending race winner Corey Jones in the top eight shootout by 0.005 of a second, in what was the race of the night, Rankin got the better of Jones on the start of the 30-lap final and was never headed, winning the final ahead of fellow Victorian Sonny Bell and Jones.

The format for the night included four heats and the shootout prior to the final.

The finale featured a couple of major incidents, both on the exit of turn two, as Charlie Shephard bought on the red lights on lap 16, before Dean Cottrell contacted the wall, bringing out the caution.

A small field of junior formula 500s was also on hand to contest the “Prince of the Bridge”, with Cruz Carlin taking out the 20-lap finale ahead of Kade Foster.

After trailing towards the tail of the field early, Max Cook, who was the only South Australian entry, fought his way to third, while Toby Cook and Curtis Morrison completed the finishers.

The next meeting will be on November 14, featuring 360/LS sprintcars, wingless sprints, street stocks and junior sedans.