Exciting action at One Raceway
The second round of the Hi-Tec Oils AASA Short Track Nationals powered by Wolf Sports at One Raceway has concluded, with the headline act, the Yellow Express Formula RX8 Nationals won by Stiaan Kriel.
Despite the unique speedway style format, the South African won every single competitive session he took part in.
It was not just the Mazda RX8s on show though, the event also played host to the TFH Hire Legend Cars, the Hankook Australian Drivers’ Championship, Stock Cars Australia and AASA TT.
Off-track on both days there was a cars and coffee event which attracted some beauties including a Mach 1 Mustang from the 70s, an old XE Falcon, Pontiac Firebird and so much more. These participants were also given the opportunity to drive on track during the lunch breaks.
The event was live streamed with thanks to All In Sports, you can find all the racing action by clicking here.
Yellow Express Formula RX8s
The weekend started on Saturday with four heat races, in which each driver contested two 10-lap contests.
The Saturday heats were about two drivers, Stiaan Kriel and the returning Geoff Connell, each scored a pair of wins.
Sunday Morning saw a full field shootout in which each driver was given one lap to set the best time possible. There was a lot of jeopardy at play, with huge points on offer for the field.
Kriel was fastest, Connell ended up second, ahead of Matthew Boylett and Antonio Cafiso.
For the first stage of Sunday’s finale, the grid was inverted into groups of six based on the accumulated points to that stage of the weekend.
This meant that Kriel started from sixth on the outside of Connell, while Stiaan’s wife Robyn started from pole.
From sixth Stiaan Kriel made a mega start and went around the outside of many competitors into the sequence of right handers and by the end of lap 1 found himself in second.
His other half Robyn had stretched a significant lead early, however lap after lap this was whittled down by Stiaan.
On the final lap into the Fishhook, Stiaan dived up the inside, snatching the lead and the race win.
Mineeff also snuck through at the Bowl, demoting Robyn to third. A costly spin saw Connell finish down in ninth.
Stage 2 saw Stiaan Kriel cruise to victory by 4s from Mineeff and Boylett, with Robyn Kriel and Connell rounding out the top five.
The final was a double points race, this meant that Stiaan Kriel needed to finish well within the top five if he wanted to win the national’s crown.
Kriel suffered from a gearbox issue in the final race and had to fend off a big challenge by Mineeff late in the race.
He did so successfully, and in doing so was crowned the Short Track Nationals champion for the RX8s.
Mineeff finished second in the final race and therefore was the runner-up in the title, while the consistent Boylett finished fourth, enough to see him take the final step on the Nationals podium.
TFH Hire Legend Cars Australia
Consistency prevailed in what was a traditionally action-packed weekend of Legend Cars Australia competition.
Josh Craig prevailed in the round honours by taking three race wins and two fourth place finishes.
Chais Tippett won the other two, but a mechanical issue and a spin on Saturday ruled him out of the running for the round win.
In Race 1 Craig beat home the inform Maverick Kemenyvary and CXC Racing’s Nick Follows.
Race 2 again saw Craig prevail from Kemenyvary, while Queenslander Luke Waldon impressively scored a podium finish.
The top 12 inverted grid third race saw Tippett take his first win of the weekend, but what made this drive even more impressive was that he started well outside of the top dozen positions. He started the race in 19th place.
It was an incredible race in which 2024 series winner Ryan Pring finished second and Jack De Boynton third.
Race 4 again saw Tippett take the win, impressively Pring was able to hold onto second ahead of Blake Simpson and Craig.
The grid for Race 5 was set by the accumulation of points over the first four races. The top three was set pretty early on with Craig prevailing from Tippett and Kemenyvary.
There was a titanic tussle for fourth which went the way of Shane Tate after Nathan Predo and Ryan Pring tangled at the Bowl on the last lap.
Hankook Australian Drivers’ Championship
It was a weekend of firsts in the Hankook Australian Drivers’ Championship, with Harry Strik and Zac Catlin taking their maiden race wins in the series.
Strik took pole position, however it was Lucas Stasi that led into Turn 1 at the start of Race 1.
Midway through the race Strik was able to make his way by at Turn 2 and went on to convincingly take the win. Stasi finished a lonely second ahead of the inaugural champion Dean Crooke.
Strik cruised to his second win in Race 2 ahead of Stasi, while championship leader Bradley Smith got the better of Crooke for third.
Races 3 and 4 again saw Strik beat home Stasi. Crooke finished third in Race 3, while 2026 rookie Rocco Spinley marched forward and scored a well-deserved podium in the fourth encounter.
It was carnage in the final affair, on the opening lap at Turn 2 Harry Strik spun in front of the entire field and sent them scattering in evasive action. Sadly, Spinley also spun out avoiding Strik, he fell to the back.
There were two further safety cars, including a second for Strik after he collided with Christopher Carydias forcing both to retire.
Catlin made amazing progress on lap 1 moving up to second place and on one of the restarts was able to get by Stasi also.
Despite a huge amount of pressure in the closing laps he held on to take his maiden victory ahead of Stasi and Crooke.
Despite retiring from the last race, Strik still secured the round honours.
Australian Stock Cars and AASA TT
The Australian Stock Cars Series and AASA TT shared the track at One Raceway as they did in the opening round.
It was a very similar story to the Sydney Motorsport Park event in Stock Cars with Daniel Stubbs dominating the weekend, while Jeff Stubbs and Richard White scrapped for second.
Jeff Stubbs and White scored a p2 each on Saturday, but on Sunday, the nimbler TA2 car driven by Stubbs was too much for White and his Hendrick Motorsport NASCAR around the technical New South Wales venue.
Round honours were hard fought in AASA TT, but in the end Dave Brien in his Torana was victorious, taking three wins in the four races.
