January 14 - Ash Hounsfield has won a thrilling 20* lap feature to take out his maiden Wingless Sprints feature race, and what a night to do it. With event sponsor Keen Driver Training putting an extra $1 000 prize money on the line if the winner was a first time feature winner for 2011 / 12, Hounsfield certainly qualified. Hounsfield started the feature on the front row, but certainly didn't have things his own way throughout the final after a race best described as action packed. At different stages through out the feature Scotty Elst and Daniel Keen led, while Allan Nash was never out of contention. That Nash was even on the track for the feature was a miracle, but more on that later.  Hounsfield had started the night well, with a win in the opening heat of the night in the FMC Allwest Transport W61 Eagle, and followed that up with a second place in his other heat race. The 45 points gathered from his heats was enough to put Hounsfield on the front row alongside Keen, an important advantage going into the final on a track that would see passing at a premium. Keen also entered the feature with a win and a second place in his two heats, with the 6 heat races damaging the prospects of some of the pre event favourites. Kyle Beard was the first to find trouble, clouting the turn 3 wall in Heat 2 after running strongly for much of the race. The damage was enough to put Beard out for the event. Danny Attwood also found trouble in this one, spinning on turn two while headed for an early pick up of some good points. Daryl Spalding took a win in Heat 2, while Keen and Clayden grabbed maximum points in the next two. Heat 5 and 6 were the two preliminaries that had a major say in the night's outcome. Heat 5 saw a turn 4 pile up that took Phil Moylan, Spalding and Daren Currell out of commission. With Spalding having started the night with a maximum, this chain of events started to shape the potential make up of the final order. The 3 remaining cars completed the distance with a minimum of fuss, Jono Coyle's win atoning for his own disappointment in the first round when he was forced to the infield with a stuck throttle cable.  Heat 6 was the last chance for several drivers to claim a position in the top part of the A Main field, but it all went pair shaped for Marshall McDiarmid in the Motorworld W22. As he spun in turn one, Ben Migro collected him in the AJ Cochrane & Sons W7. The end result was both drivers out, McDiarmid with a flat left front tyre, and Migro with radius rod damage. Elst took the win over Keen, two drivers who would have more to do with each other as the night wore on.  With the retirement of Nikki Nash, Attwood and Beard, the B Main was cancelled as only 18 cars remained for the 18 car A Main. The top six was headed of course by Hounsfield and Keen, with Clayden and Elst lurking on the second row. Allan Nash and Daniel Coleman followed, with Troy Tomlinson, Glen Francis, Coyle and Spalding rounding out the top ten. John Keen likely headed to the nearest ATM at this point, as 3 very capable cars that were eligible for the bonus cash were in the front 3 rows, though Keen, Clayden and Elst were all very capable of saving the event sponsor some money. 18 cars rolled onto the track, and being the final event of the night we were treated to the rare sight of a wingless sprint 4 wide salute. Coleman pulled infield as the field lined up, and the remaining 17 cars took off at the green. Headed into turn one, things went very wrong. As the tightly packed lead bunch charged into the corner, Clayden found himself up high and sideways. Nash rode a wheel and ended up parked on top of Clayden's car, while Tomlinson ended up with nowhere to go and retired with front end damage. Migro had a rare slice of good luck as he pulled up sharply and avoided contact with the entire mess. Anyone looking at the tangle of cars at this point, would not have foreseen what happened after several minutes of head scratching and ultimately clever work from the track crew. As Clayden's car was removed from under Nash and Nash's car lowered to ground level, both cars fired their engines and as the yellows replaced red lights, both returned to the fray and took their places back in the field. What followed was a 19 lap war. Keen led for much of the distance, but Elst was never far away and did take the lead at one point. Hounsfield has dropped to the third but made his move late in the race. Coyle also steadily had worked his way into the top five, as Clayden found himself in the unusual position of a mid pack fight. Moylan headed infield as the remaining cars entered lapped traffic, with the lead pack looking all over the Margaret River surface for the fastest way home. Francis was looking strong in 6th as he looks more comfortable in the ex Lee Nash car, and the Transit Clothing W50 held off the advances of Migro and Clayden to hang onto his spot. Migro and Clayden were in exceptionally close proximity as the laps wound down, with Migro winning that battle to grab 7th. Clayden took 8th, ahead of Spalding who picked off Merv Lowther on the last lap. McDiarmid, Steve Bergin and Currell rounded out the finishers, as the crowd took a collective breath and a VERY excited Hounsfield went and grabbed a well deserved chequered flag for a reverse lap of the Margaret River circuit. After some attritional racing in the heats, the feature race was another prime example of why this class is so popular in it's still formative years. There was not a moment of inactivity throughout the distance as positions were traded, cars fought hard but fair for real estate, and any one of the the lead pack of 4 had genuine designs on a win until the final laps. Wingless Sprints W.A would like to thank Margaret River for their hospitality once again. The track suits the wingless class perfectly, and for many of our drivers it is their favourite stop on a crowded calendar. A big thank you must go to John Keen from Keen Driver Training for his generous support of the event. To see 21 wingless sprints head down the highway was a great achievement and no doubt in no small way can be attributed to the lucrative nature of the event thanks to the Keen's.    Wingless Sprints WA would like to thank all their sponsors for season 2011 / 12, with the support from season sponsor Rogue Race Products, and Gold Sponsors Steel Blue Workwear, Transit Clothing, Jim Kidd Sports and Keen Driver Training assisting in getting the club on the road to a successful season.