04 Jul The Fight in the Night’s rise to prestige
The Fight in the Night is one of the highlights on the Hi-Tec Oils APC Enduro Championship calendar and has been a fixture on the national production car racing calendar since 2012.
Just like at the first edition in 2012, the Fight in the Night will be the headline act at Round 4 of the Hi-Tec Oils Super Series at Queensland Raceway and continues a long history of the fixture event.
An exciting variety of models are expecting to compete for Fight in the Night supremacy, while drivers will aim to add their name to a list comprising Garry Holt, Ryan McLeod, Glenn Seton, Stuart Kostera, Beric Lynton, Tim Leahey, Rick Bates, Bob Pearson alongside reigning winners Hadrian Morall and Tyler Mecklem.
A 21-car field started the Fight in the Night in 2012, with Holt and McLeod securing victory in the Eastern Creek Karts Mitsubishi Lancer Evo X in a smart strategy play to take defeat Dylan and David Thomas in the CXC Racing Evo IX.
In fact, Allan Jarvis will have the honour of being the sole driver to compete in the inaugural Fight in the Night and this year’s edition. Jarvis secured Class E victory in the BVC Racing Suzuki Swift Sport back then and will steer a Volkswagen Polo GTi alongside father Rob in 2025.
From the first event in 2012 until 2014, Mitsubishi’s venerable Lancer Evo X was unbeaten, but BMW soon took a stranglehold on the event.
BMW loyalist Lynton has won the event a record six times in a variety of M Performance models beginning in 2015 and his being in 2023. Regular co-driver Leahey has joined Lynton for five of those wins beginning in 2016.
Close finishes ensured the Fight in the Night rose in prestige through its early history to now be considered one of the jewels in the crown of production car racing in Australia.
The competition on display at Round 2 of the Hi-Tec Oils APC Enduro Championships highlighted some new challengers and battle hardened rivals ready to make further Fight in the Night history.
Morrall and Mecklem won the event last year driving the Parramatta Vehicle Services Ford Mustang will be eager to add a second win in a row.
A strong Mustang attack was also on display at the 2 Days of Thunder courtesy of Trent Whyte’s Ultimate Diesel Tuning example and the CMA Car Mods Australia entry of Lindsay Kearns.
Matt McCutcheon demonstrated the potential of Tony Quinn’s Game Over Chevrolet Camaro by putting on pole, with the Team Buccini Racing BMW 340i proving more than a match for the V8s. Not forgetting the Mercedes-Benz A45 AMGs too, which continue to be a weapon.
Add in X Class BMWs, a few more V8s and some competitive class entries, the 2025 Fight in the Night is set to be one of the best yet.
Set to be a three-hour contest into the night at Queensland Raceway, the Fight in the Night weekend will also feature two 30-minute sprint races following the format of the 2025 Hi-Tec Oils APC Enduro Championship season.
The 2025 Fight in the Night headlines Round 4 of the Hi-Tec Oils Super Series at Queensland Raceway on August 15-17.