AFTER setting the quickest time in qualifying again, Jason Kendrick finally delivered when he won the third round of the USA v WA Sprintcar Speedweek at the Perth Motorplex on Monday night.

Kendrick, who started from P4, won the 30-lap final from American Ryan Smith (from P6) and Jamie Maiolo (from P3).

This was after he also took a second and a fourth in the heat races.
Ben Van Ryt started on pole for the event in his 360ci powered car after winning the 360 feature race a bit earlier in the evening.

He led away Smith and Kendrick early on, holding a good line and enjoying great car speed.

In fact he recorded the second quickest lap of the feature race that was only bettered by Kendrick.

Van Ryt was into lapped traffic on lap five before he was soon rounded up by the two cars behind him before he clipped the back straight that ultimately cut down his right rear tyre, putting him out of the contest on lap eight.

On the restart it was Smith who led away from Kendrick, Ben Ellement and Maiolo.

As the race went on Kendrick had several dives down the inside of Smith in the corners but was unable to make the move stick.

Maiolo put on a great move over Ellement on lap 12 to claim third.
On lap 21 Ryan Lancaster went over in turns 1-2 after blowing a left rear tyre.

Jamie Landrigan and Kendrick backed their cars into the gap to avoid the upturned car.

It was a tense moment for the latter who thought he might have damaged the car too much to resume – after suffering similar fate when being in contention on a number of occasions this season already.

Lancaster said after the crash he didn’t like that car anyway and it was a good excuse to run another one.

For the run home Smith held off a determined Kendrick for as long as possible and after they traded lines, Kendrick got the slide job done and set sail for the win.

For Smith it was his second podium after winning two nights earlier at Quit Bunbury Speedway.

For Maiolo it was another strong result – on the back of his second and fourth in the two previous feature races.

Ellement crossed the line in fourth and was followed by the second American in the field, Parker Price-Miller, Brad Maiolo, Andrew Priolo, Jamie Oldfield, AJ Nash, Michael Keen, Troy Beckingham, Landrigan and Matthew Cross.

The final round of the four-night series will be held at Quit Bunbury Speedway this Saturday night.

Price-Miller leads the series on 436 points from Jamie Maiolo’s 432, Smith’s 424, Brad Maiolo’s 422 and Nash’s 402.