ISSUE 7 OCTOBER 2015
RETIRES LEGEND
CARS
USC
KK FOR
OZ
Who is Highline Magazine Editor: Brett Swanson Contributors; Kaylene Oliver, Grant Woodhams, Ray Reed, Andy Ticehurst Artist/layout; Andy Ticehurst / PRM Group Photographers: Brett Swanson – Pirate Media Kieran Swanson – Pirate Media Matt Hines – Jigsaw Photography Andy Ticehurst – PRM Group Rachel Cooper - Inaction Photos Leigh Reynolds - Inaction Photos You – The Speedway fans Facebook Contributions / Criticism welcome. High Line Magazine Brett Swanson 0410 198 138 brett@piratemediagroup.com.au
Front Cover, (Main) Jamie Veal has kicked off as he did last season winning both openers at Valvoline Raceway which were both rounds of the new USC NSW. Ian Loudoun (Lower pic) will have a busy season running cars in both Sydney and Victoria for car owners Dave Challons (Camden Neon) and David Dixon from (Essendon Auto Group). RIGHT: After turning 16 last Friday, the Victorian-based racer made the trip to Sydney Speedway to get his first taste of Sprintcar racing by tak-
ing on a field that included many of the country’s best Sprintcar drivers. However, despite the daunting task, Charge handled himself with professionalism throughout the night and came away pleased with his performance. Despite suffering a crash on the third lap of the B main due to being the innocent victim in someone else’s mistake and having his night brought to a premature end, Charge remained upbeat about his debut.
OUR VIEW......
With Highline Editor Brett Swanson
A
t last it is time to go racing again with the 2015-2016 already started and some new innovations already underway with the Ultimate Sprintcar Championship concept being rolled out across Hi-Tec Oils Toowoomba Speedway and Valvoline Raceway in Sydney. Sungold Premier Speedway in Warrnambool will also be part of the USC. Speaking of USC which you can find in greater detail and photos elsewhere in this issue, the first two rounds in NSW have been won by Warrnambool’s Jamie Veal. Yes that is correct. Veal has kicked off his Aussie season exactly the same as he did last season, beating the Parramatta Posse on their home turf. During the off season Queensland super businessman Barry Waldron completed negotiations to take over the lease on the Toowoomba Speedway and has invested heavily already in improvements. This set the cat amongst the pigeons with the Queensland club apparently banning their drivers from competing at the reinvigorated venue, hence the number of Queensland based cars running North Queensland registration numbers. Rumours also suggest that Waldron’s speedway business will expand next season with a complicated deal having been
done that will see him also take over the Adelaide speedway after the conclusion of the current season. In big news Tony Stewart the owner of the famed Eldora speedway amongst others, has announced his retirement from NASCAR at the end of the 2016 season. The three time champion has had a tough couple of years on and off the track and this may have influenced his decision. Thankfully he still has a passion for dirt track speedway and once all the Kevin Ward legal battles are over we may eventually see “Smoke” back in a Sprintcar. Let’s hope.
V
alvoline Raceway recently made a huge announcement that involves fellow NASCAR racer and World of Outlaws sprintcar team owner Kasey Kahne. Kahne will be contesting an abbreviated season at the Parramatta venue which will make one Sydney Sprintcar diehard a very happy girl won’t it KY?
ABOVE: Tony Elliot
It is also with considerable sadness that we mourn the passing of two great people and racers. Victorian Sprintcar racer and Quick Race Parts proprietor Rob Richardson died unexpectedly at age 53 after a heart attack and Indiana racer and USAC champion Tony Elliot was killed in a light plane crash.
Both were great racers but more importantly they were both great people inside and out of the sport. RIP. Late January in Warrnambool is going to be Sprintcar overload with the traditional 5 day Lucas Oils Grand Annual Sprintcar Classic carnival that also includes Avalon Raceway and Borderline Speedway. Following this will be a mid-week show as a precursor to the Australian Sprintcar Championship on the following weekend. The Grand Annual Sprintcar Classic is a huge week in its own right with a hoard of overseas drivers in attendance but when the cycle also brings the Aussie title to town it is almost too much to handle. I only said almost. In reality it is as close as you can get to heaven on earth. Finally a big shout out to multiple Australian Dirt Go-Kart champion Graham Keats and his dad Tom. These two are pure class. At every opportunity the pair load up and head south to compete with the Yarra Valley Speedway Kart Club for what? For the fun of racing and maybe a small trophy! As a national champ this guy has nothing to prove but they do it just for the pure fun and enjoyment usually dragging one or two other competitors along with them from north of the border. Congratulations to you all. That is what I call class.
Story: Andy Ticehurst
R
ecently I had the experience to witness the marriage The large assembled crowd were motioned to stand and the of two of my best friends. music started. The radiant Bride entered and made her way to the front of the field. Sunny Dubbo was the location for the wedding of the century with family and friends came from far and wide. After a fantastic ceremony the priest announces… “You may As expected, many of the guests were racers from a variety kiss the bride”. of divisions and did we all have a good time…. Hell Yeah. For those are not aware Mark Blyton and Angie Wrigley have been inseparable for the last 8 years and I was over the moon when I received an invitation in the mail to witness this loving couples nuptials. The day started early with the ladies departing the ranch for hair and make-up. The boys, in true Blyton style just brushed their teeth. Come mid-day the nerves were starting to kick in and I could clearly tell the boys just couldn’t wait till 3pm and to get this show on the road. Once at the church and a few calming words from the priest and it was show time. Angie and the bridesmaid’s arrived and looked stunning. The boys were already in pole position ready for the green flag.
The bride and groom make their way down the church as Mr & Mrs Blyton to the roar of the large crowd. Outside the church the love and affection these two have for each other is mind blowing. I dubbed this pair as Mr & Mrs Wonderful many years ago and now I understand why. Off for some happy snaps and before long it’s time for the reception. The night was a cracker with everyone have a great time with the tunes pumping by Col & Kaz and many memory’s made. I can’t thank the happy couple enough for the invitation and Dubbo… it won’t be 30 years till we meet again.
Race Report
QUEENSLAND1 ROBBIE FARR
I
n an ambitious attempt to re-brand, rejuvenate and re-load Sprintcar racing in the way it’s presented and marketed to the wider entertainment sector, the Ultimate Sprintcar Championship (USC) was created.
Designed to supersede the existing NSW Sprintcar Premiership (Track Championship) at Valvoline Raceway (VR), Sydney, the same initiative was also launched at VR’s new sister track Hi-Tec Oils Speedway Toowoomba. Since then Sungold Stadium Premier Speedway, Warrnambool has also joined the party to make a triumvirate of tracks from which drivers will try to qualify for the “Chase”. In short, any driver finishing on the podium at any of the Premier Speedway, Valvoline Raceway or Hi-Tec Oils Speedway USC Sprintcar main events during October – February will qualify for the chance to race for “The Chase”. “The Chase” is a selected number of major events held in MarchApril at Toowoomba Speedway, Valvoline Raceway and Premier Speedway carrying an overall bonus of $30,000 for the winner, $20,000 for runner-up and $10,000 for third. Added to this was the exciting announcement of The Ultimate Sprintcar Championship Television Show series on 7Mate.
Tec Oils Speedway Toowoomba, Premier Speedway Warrnambool and for the sport of Sprintcar Racing.” stated VR General manager Steven Green. “It’s taken some time to put to bed but the hard work will certainly be worth it. We’re going to be making some revolutionary Television for motorsport and entertainment fans in general.” The first of the 26 episodes will air on Saturday, November 7 at 12 noon across Australia and feature a balanced blend of ‘flesh and blood and steel and wheels’. “We Sprintcar fans know that Speedway is the greatest sport in the world but it’s time to get that message across to a much wider audience,” said Green, “and we plan to do that in a manner that breaks a lot of the previous rules attached to our sport on TV. It’s a very, very exciting time for Sprintcar Racing in this country.” “Right from the very start of the USC our mission has been to raise the bar for how we present Sprintcar Racing,” says Ultimate Sprintcar Producer and on-screen identity Wade Aunger, “so the TV show has to be a direct reflection and a springboard for that further promotion of our sport as an entertainment medium. I feel confident that we’re going to make something truly memorable for 7Mate viewers this summer.”
The Ultimate Sprintcar Championship kicked off at Hi-Tec Oils In what is the most comprehensive free-to-air deal in the history of Speedway Toowoomba and in true scripted style Robbie Farr in Australian speedway, rounds of the Ultimate Sprintcar Champion- the USC branded Hi-Tec Oils/East Coast Pipelines #7 took the ship from Parramatta, Toowoomba and Premier Speedway Warwin in round one of USC Queensland. rnambool will be featured in a 26 x 30 minute series from early Farr didn’t have it all his own way however, and only took the November 2015 until the end of April 2016. win after rolling his machine during the warm up lap for his pole “This is a significant day for the USC, for Valvoline Raceway, Hishootout.
ABOVE: Team Captain of the Matt Smith entry, John Wotton looks like he needs a hug. The team would go on to finish 7th in the A.
ABOVE: Brent Kratzmann... Rolled over in the A after a slide job by Mitchell Gee went wrong.
ABOVE: Sean Tyson had a cracker of a night finishing a creditable 10th.
ABOVE: Local hero Peter Lack was on the podium both nights.
ABOVE: Sydneysiders Blake Skipper and Alex Orr. Skipper hit the wall in the A due to the horrendous amounts of dust making it impossible to see a metre in front of the bonnet.
ABOVE: Queenslander Kevin Titman in the superb looking John Titman Entry
ABOVE: Leadfoot lady and the only 360ci racer in the field Kristy Bonsey came home in eleventh. Someone seriously needs to support this young racer. She made the A with a small motor and old equipment and showed up many of the bigger teams up. Also note the dust storm in the A
Undeterred though, the veteran simply shrugged it off and proceeded to lead every lap of the 30 lap final in testing and chilly conditions. “Driver error,” Farr conceded later with a wry grin, “it’s not something I’m proud of but what I am proud of is to win the first ever round of the Ultimate Sprintcar Championship here in Toowoomba. It’s a great way to start our new season and I’m really pleased to reward our team with a win.” Farr pocketed a cool $10,000 for his trouble and the points lead in USC QLD plus, equally as important three valuable “Chase” points. Local Toowoomba hero Peter Lack in the GW Racing #58 valiantly challenged Farr for the duration and was not without his chances to slip by the bright blue USC Cool at times. South Aussie Steven Lines was a stout third place in the Bridgestone Tyre Centre Albany / Penske Truck Rentals KPC.
Race Report
C S U D E N E T R O H S S IN W S LINE
A week later Lines was able to grab the win in round 2 of USC Qld which was shortened to 21 laps after a frightening crash involving Newcastle’s Matt Smith brought on the red lights and caused a premature cessation of the race. Smith vaulted over the right rear tyre of Blake Skipper’s car (who had flipped in USC Qld round 1) in turn one and began a violent and rapid series of rollovers before the car became entangled in the catch fence and briefly caught on fire. Fortunately the 25 year old from Brandy Hill NSW was OK and quickly extricated himself from the wreckage to the cheers of the crowd. “It actually looked worse than it was from my point of view,” explained Smith who has experienced some pretty big Speedcar wrecks, “it must have flipped pretty quickly from what people tell me but it stopped pretty quickly and obviously the safety fence did it job. Damage to the fence was significant enough that the race had to be declared whilst several other cars were also caught up in the melee. Smith’s Barry and Vivienne Lewis’ owned #11 Australia Wide Towing KPC chassis was destroyed in the crash. Steven Lines was delighted to be declared the winner though naturally disappointed with how it ended. “I’m pleased to get the win for our boys but you never want to win a shortened race when it involves a serious crash like that. I’m glad that Matt (Smith) is OK. It’s good to back up last
weekend’s third place with a win at a place like this that I really enjoy racing at.� Lines took his Penske Truck Rental / Bridgestone Tyre Centre Albany KPC to a narrow victory over the consecutively rapid Peter Lack in second place and Sydneysider Toby Bell-Bowen on his USC debut home in third.
HISTORY
How it was.....
Story: Ray Read Images: Read Private Collection
Back to the Future
I found an interesting post on Facebook recently. It was an article promoting a Speedway Event. What I found intriguing was the fact that this race, obviously a Major Attraction, was offering $1,100 in prizemoney, plus 3 trophies.
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oing back to the 1970s, we would REGULARLY run Open Saloon (Sedan) car events which offered $1,000 in prizemoney, plus sashes and trophies paying to at least 5th place.
If fact, Wangaratta Speedway proudly announced that its Australia Day 3000 offered (you guessed it) $3,000 over 5 classes, with Open Saloons getting $1,375 in prizemoney. Not a lot of difference, you say? Not until you take into account the fact that inflation (the value of money THEN vs. the value of money NOW) has varied by around a factor of TEN!! Or more. I base this on some research that I did when writing “Speedway’s Spectacular Seventies”, which was published in 2012, with research being based on figures obtained the previous year. Essentially, if you use the cost of a new Holden Sedan in the mid-1970s, of around $3,500 (I know because I bought one then) as compared with a Holden in 2015 of around $35,000. There are many other more specific indicators which the economists will point to, but they roughly come up with the same conclusion. SO –over the 40 years let’s take A FACTOR OF TEN!! That means that the $1,000 then, would translate into a $10,000 prizemoney race now. And don’t forget the sashes and trophies! An absolutely staggering difference! Wangaratta’s Open Saloons prizemoney would have been $13,750!!! Bear in mind that Wangaratta was then a region-
al city of around 15,000 people. Now, I’m not for one moment suggesting that the event mentioned above is skimping with their prizemoney. Far from it. The point that I do want to make is that things have changed in Speedway. Financially. Seriously. So, just what has changed? Several factors – predominantly cost factors such as insurance, payment of officials, license fees, maintenance, etc. The list goes on. In addition, revenue generally is reducing pro-rata from what it was then. Spectators’ crowds are down, gate prices have failed to keep pace with inflation due largely to increased competition from other sporting venues, and ancillary revenues from membership, and canteens, raffles, etc. are also failing to keep pace. Thankfully, I suppose, our drivers generally seem to be relatively content with the current prizemoney situation. Especially in the country circuits, managed by clubs and isolated from the large $ crowds that capital city promoters can pull. In many cases, they are happy just to race for points, going towards an end-of- season trophy. And many are just happy to get out there and race. Notwithstanding a cost of around $10,000 for a competitive car these days. From time to time, I will refer to the 1970s as “The Good Old Days.” Recently someone asked me why this was. I just think that things were simpler then, and more enjoyable. We could go out and race at a much lower cost, with must less
BS and red tape, and it was basically just more enjoyable! Most people who were around then will agree. Some would point out that things are much safer now, and I don’t deny that this is true, but this had been achieved at the cost of taking a lot of the fun out of the sport. When I wrote “Speedway’s Spectacular Seventies” a couple of years ago, it started out to be essentially a history of local speedway at that time. By the time that I had finished the book, it was apparent that what I had described was essentially a narrative of what was really a watershed event over a period of some ten years. Especially for the country club-based tracks, that period saw the transition from what was the old Hot Rod and Stock Car racing of the 1960s to the professional speedway tracks that were the fore-runners of today’s major circuits. Catalysts were the expansion of governing bodies such as the VSC, and the ASCF and as they imposed their rules and regulations the basic “grass roots” classes were killed off. It seems a pity, looking back with hind-sight, but the reality is “that’s progress”. There’s no moral to this story. I’m not about to say which of these scenarios is right, and which is wrong, because I don’t think that there’s an answer. I just want to point out the enormous difference, pro-rata, between THEN and NOW.
The Prizemoney was $1,000, paying back to 10th place, plus sashes and trophies. Here Colin Parish (Wangaratta
15) looks for an inside pass on Robert Gorman (Alexandra 10). The driver of the Monaro, Albury 140 is unknown. Photo by Mark Cowin.
HISTORY
Story: Grant Woodhams Images: Woodhams Private Collection
ABANDONED, DONE AND D
Highline Magazine
DUSTED!
O
ne of the most fascinating aspects about the world of speedway is the tracks. Speedway started in Australia in the 1920’s on existing showground and horse racing facilities.
It wasn’t until after the Second World War that tracks made with the express purpose of holding speedway events were built. And built they were, hundreds of them. The great track building boom came through the 50’s, 60’s and 70’s. But these days the number is down to just over eighty tracks operating regularly across Australia. If you spend your time and do your research you will find just as many abandoned tracks as there are ones being used. Every State in Australia lost tracks when the great insurance crisis precipitated by the Twin Towers incident in New York in 2001 happened. But plenty of tracks had closed long before that. There were a variety of reasons. One was the increasing pressure from urban growth. Tracks occupied valuable land and it was more profitable to sell them to developers for housing or other projects.
Another reason for track closures was that the sport was becoming too expensive. Many of the country tracks in particular featured local drivers in local cars like sedans, hot rods and TQ’s. But when the sport became more organised and sanctioning bodies insisted on a set of rules and regulations for everyone, the sport lost a lot of people who couldn’t afford to upgrade or purchase new equipment. Some tracks only lasted a few years, while others had quite substantial histories conducting State and in some cases Australian Championships. Western Australia has the most number of existing tracks with twenty five still holding races. And Western Australia is also a fertile hunting ground for speedway historians keen to find abandoned tracks.
Probably the best known examples of this are the legendary Rowley Park track in Adelaide and the much missed Liverpool Speedway in Sydney. Many of the other now abandoned or former speedway sites in our big cities were or con- In the last few years I tinue to be showgrounds, football ovals or other recreational have visited the sites of over twenty former speedways that facilities. were built in Western Australia. Some are barely recognisable, having been resumed as farmland or overgrown by
native vegetation or turned to other uses. The amazing ones are those that truly sit abandoned, tracks slowly crumbling while the days and nights of summer and winter pass year after year. The times when those speedways roared are now distant and silent memories.
ago can have a disquieting effect.
Some abandoned tracks are quiet eerie. To stand alone, kilometres out of town on a race track that is still perfectly formed and realise that the last time anyone really raced there was probably thirty years
Google Earth has made the location of some tracks reasonably easy. Although on the ground, on a dirt back road surrounded by low scrub with no real landmarks the search can be quite difficult. And for most tracks very little is recorded or written down. Occasionally someone will put a photo on Facebook, but finding out a track’s history is a different matter. Some I visited only operated for a few years, and were literally carved out of the bush. When they were abandoned, there was little or no interest in what might become of them, and precious little information is available from an historical perspective. The passage of time also means that a lot of the people who might have been involved in those speedways have long since left town, and in many instances passed away. In my searches the most useful resource was often the local shire or town council, but even then their knowledge was often very limited or non existent. From the abandoned tracks I have visited I have chosen to tell three very different stories. One is a track that I had only heard of once in a conversation, and despite asking a lot of people who I thought might know I could not discover its whereabouts. The second was a track that had only recently closed and with a couple of days work could probably be up and running again... And the third track is one I regularly drove past and spent some time exploring on several occasions.
TRACK ONE WUBIN: Wubin is a small community in Western Australia’s north east wheatbelt. Its population would strug-
gle to be around one hundred. There’s not much in town. It has a couple of service stations, a pub that might or might not be open and a handful of houses. It sits just under three hundred kilometres north east of Perth on the crossroads of the agricultural and pastoral/mining regions. I was told over twenty years ago that Wubin did have a speedway. However I found it difficult to find anyone who knew of the track, or anyone who raced there, or anyone who actually knew where the track was. I did try google earth, and while I found something that might have been a speedway I was not convinced. It looked more like road grading that a government department had done. A catchment to drain water or the like. From maps and driving in the area I worked out where I thought it should be just a few kilometres south of Wubin. It was off the main road, the Great Northern Highway on a side road surrounded by reasonably flat farmland and bush. The track can’t be seen from the road and a four or five strand wire fence stretched along the side of the bush for kilometres. But in one place the wire fence had been pushed down and it was possible to drive a car in on a couple of rough sandy tracks. And there it was. A large wide circuit still very driveable, with an area that was quite obviously the pits. I drove around the track, which had long straights and tight corners. It was almost three sides of a triangle. There is real joy in finding a track, even more joy if it is one that virtually no one knew existed.
TRACK TWO SOUTHERN CROSS. Southern Cross is a farming and mining community three hundred and seventy kilometres east of Perth. It is on the main east west road, the Great Eastern Highway. The population of the town is just under one thousand. Southern Cross has had a very active speedway community for most of the past fifty years. It held the State Championship for Street Stocks in 1997, but the bombing of the Twin Towers in New York and the subsequent insurance ‘crisis’ was one of the main factors in the track closing down. The track just south of town hasn’t operated for the best part of this century, however the speedway remains in reasonably good condition and with some dedicated effort it could be returned to racing condition. But this is an unlikely scenario. The track in fact is the third speedway to be built in Southern Cross. The first was based on what would best be described as a dry salt lake just east of town. When this location proved unsuitable, particularly in wetter weather, another track was built north of town, just off the Bullfinch Rd. The first track is relatively simple to locate, and the unchanging nature of the salt lake makes finding it reasonably easy. However the second track which was built in heavily wooded land takes a lot of guess work. Only tell tale signs of tyres half buried in the ground show where the track once was.
TRACK THREE – WONGAN HILLS
Wongan Hills is a relatively prosperous farming community in the Central Wheatbelt. It has a population of eight hundred and sits one hundred and eighty kilometres north east of Perth.
Wongan Hills Speedway, or as it was known WH Rogers Speedway, survived on a diet of local sedan and hot rod racing. It was built in a paddock on a local farm about ten kilometres west of town towards the famous hills that the town is named for. The farmland was used for growing crops like wheat or grazing sheep. The track was often surrounded by the farmer’s crops or his animals, though the latter tended to disappear at the sound of continually revving motors. When I first visited the track in the mid 1990’s it was no longer being used. The tracks at Moora and Pithara were then attracting most of the drivers in the area and so Wongan Hills was left to the sheep. Wongan Hills Speedway was also one of a number of speedways in Western Australia that didn’t have a safety fence, utilising a very large sand
bed to stop wayward racers. Over time when I visited the track, very little seemed to change until a couple of years ago. On another trip I noticed that all the speedway’s infrastructure had been removed and that the track was being ploughed in, presumably being returned to use as farmland. Very soon no trace of the speedway will remain. STORY NOTES As you can see I’m still a long way short of having any real history with regard to these tracks. Bit by bit I hope to piece together some history of the abandoned WA speedways.
Race Report
LEGENDS SHINE IN TOOWOOMBA OPENER..... Report: Kaylene Oliver, For SPEEDWAY LEGEND CARS NSW INCORPORATED Images: Jigsaw Photography
H
i-Tec Oils Speedway in Toowoomba was the host of the recently run Queensland Legend Cars Title on the 19th of September. The meeting was the opener for the newly Barry Waldron promoted and renovated track and the Legend Car QLD title would coincide with the 1st round of the new Ultimate Sprintcar Championship.
It was an extreme introduction to the Toowoomba track for the first round of heats as a heavy track caught out many of the drivers unsuspecting of the wet conditions.
This title was going to be a cracker as we all know the competiveness of Legend Cars but more importantly Legend Cars have never turned a lap at this track and this one would go down in the history books. This was going to be a night of firsts for all, there was no previous set up notes so all competitors were on the same even playing field.
Heat 2 provided a much more desirable track as the Sprintcar hot laps and time trials were completed. Brett Mitchell finished 1st, Glen Philpott 2nd and James Duckworth in a solid 3rd
There was a strong presence from the Sydney Legend Cars with 12 out of the 19 cars that would contest this state title. As customary with all divisions of speedway these 12 cars, teams, friends and what we all know as the speedway family travelled the 13 hours up the New England Highway there’s always one or two that have their unscheduled pit stops and their 13 hours turned into 30. In true speedway spirit no one was left behind and the travelling road show continued and rolled into Hi-Tec Oils Speedway.
Heat 1 would see Glenn Mitchell hold off Rob Rawlings and Greg Davis and take the first ever win for Legend cars at Toowoomba.
Heat 3 would have Glenn Mitchell narrowly take his second win on the line with Adam Fisher 2nd and Greg Davis rounding out the top 3. By now all drivers had their introduction and were adapting to the changing track conditions and the second round of heats proved to be another learning experience with multiple restarts. The feature race was to be contested and a QLD title holder would be determined after 20 laps on a slick track. The field was littered with talent but the 19 competitors all had the one thing in common and the desire to be holding the trophy on the completion of the race.
LEFT: Newly elected NSW President Brett Mitchell “Grave Digger” #8 tries the highline on SULLIVAN who hales all the way from the ACT
The race would see multiple restarts and Brad Giffen finding the concrete wall. Glenn Mitchell would take the lead in a tight battle with Brett Mitchell while Glenn Philpott was looming in 3rd and that’s where they would finish on the podium. It was a clean sweep by the NSW trio and after speaking with many of the teams they were thrilled that they had made the convoy to Queensland and were impressed with the facility. “We were all here for the same reason and the way the Queensland Legend Car competitors, Promoters, officials and volunteers looked after us was awesome, we’d just like to thank the Queensland club and track for this and we’re looking forward to the next time were here” commented Adam Fisher and Chris Peterson.
Official Finishing Positions: 41N MITCHELL 8N MITCHELL 88N PHILPOTT INEX 1 RAWLINGS 105N DUCKWORTH 43N ARNOLD 24N ANGEL 07A COOK 4N FISHER 3A PASCOE 94N CHIPPINDALE 3Q DAVIS 74N PETERSON 99N KEANE 30Q CASSIDY 10A SULLIVAN 18N MCKENZIE 81N GIFFEN DNF 2A WHATMORE DNF
ABOVE: ‘The Smiling Assassin’ RAWLINGS in the Aussie #1 w
went on to finish 4th
ABOVE: KEANE in his imaculate #99 looked good on the in early heat action but failed to fire in the A.
RIGHT: Glenn Mitchell fought hard to take out the QLD Title. He certanly didnt have it all his own way with brother Brett and Glen Philpott pushing him all the way. Three wide action was aplenty all the way through the field as with most Legend Car events.
Race Report
VEAL WIN
Highline Magazine
N’S SYDNEY USC
T
he only difference to the opening show at Valvoline Raceway this year compared to last was that this year’s opener was also the first round of Ultimate Sprintcar Championship NSW. Other than that the result was the same - Jamie Veal in the winners’ circle.
LEFT: The venue is in pristine condition and the promotion was rewarded with a huge crowd. ABOVE: Jamie Veal in full flight.
Veal now becomes the first driver in fifteen years to win two season opening main events in a row. And the most impressive thing about that is that he is a Victorian – not a member of the Parramatta Posse.
The race, which doubled up as the annual Brian Healey Cup, was a nail biter as Veal came from behind on the last corner to take the win by 0.06 of a second over James McFadden with Marty Perovich claiming a solid third place.
RIGHT: Garry Brazier’s Silver Bullet was on the money until a flat left rear put him out of the A ABOVE: Steven Lines put on a good show.
Veal took the early advantage from his pole position starting spot but McFadden was never too far away and eventually closed the gap and took the lead around mid-race distance. From that point on, it was Veal who played stalker and on the final lap made his move as McFadden got slightly off track. The difference between this year and last was this time Veal literally had to pry the $10,000 from James McFadden’s hands in the last twenty metres of the race as McFadden struggled to regain momentum after sliding over the cushion in turn four with the chequered flags in sight. “I honestly didn’t think I beat him,” said a clearly surprised Veal, “I saw James jump the cushion and all I could do was hope for the best. The track was awesome tonight and it was a real buzz to win here in front of such a big crowd. It’s very cool to win the first ever round of the USC here in Sydney.” Robbie Farr was shown as a twelfth place finisher but that was not indicative of the speed or potential of the #7 USC branded Cool Chassis. With only a couple of laps to run Robbie jumped the turn four cushion and absolutely slammed the main straight wall which consequently saw him spin the car completely in the air before miraculously landing back in the right direction and continuing on to the finish after losing many positions.
RIGHT: Hectic action back in the pack
USC – NSW Round 2 Just one week later and Veal repeated the dose for round two of USC NSW and in doing so became only the second driver, the other being Parramatta legend Garry Rush, to win the opening two shows in consecutive years. Rush by the way last achieved this over 30 years ago.
Unlike last week, this was not a last gasp victory as Veal stormed to the win and would rarely be challenged throughout the race but the battles that went on behind him were epic. Farr avenged the disappointment of his previous week’s crash with a powerful runner up finish with the surprise packet of the event clearly being Darryl Campbell in the stunning Rent Fleet #28 who finished third after an arm-wrestle with former track champion Ian Loudoun that lasted several laps.
KY’s guide to the good ol’ U Story: Kaylene Oliver Images: KY’s Private Collection
THE USA MY WAY It’s amazing how many questions we get asked here about the land of Uncle Sam The U.S. Of A, well readers I’m going to give you my hot tips of the best places to visit for all you petrol heads and who better than to guide or corrupt you on the journey.
US of A...
FEATURE STORY
For those that don’t know me I’m Kaylene Oliver alias KY. Now don’t let the name excite you this name has been given to me by some of my closest friends in Iowa on my first trip to America. To understand this name I will explain as the story adventure continues. It all began when I was a child and I always wanted to go to America to see the Knoxville Sprintcar Nationals. This dream was to be with my dad who had involved not only me but my whole family in racing from the time I was born. As time went on I turned into a teenager, discovered boys and then my teenage years turned into an adult and soon I had a family of my own. Knoxville got put on the bucket list. The saddest part though was that my father passed away and I never got to fulfil my dream with my dad. So I tell you now don’t wait, this is your time. Each and every one of you will have your own reasons to want to take the trip of your lifetime but if you’re like me your one off trip will have you tempted to return and many of you will.
It all started when a life-long friend and I got a few of us together and decided to take the ultimate journey. We all sat down and listed things about the USA we wanted to do and see. Obviously being all involved in motor racing this was the priority but we also wanted to add the tourist thing. We all agreed on the Knoxville Nationals so that gave us our base to work around and this is what you need to do, pick a place and work around that. Depending on where you want to be there are multiple options on flights where you can now get direct flights to LA, San Francisco (The West Coast), Dallas/ Fort Worth - Texas (The South) or New York (The East Coast). Flight prices vary depending on time of year but race season can start from around $1000 return to LA, but what you have to be mindful of is Australia and the USA are almost the same size. For you to fly from LA to New York is almost the same as Sydney to Perth (direct flight is about 6 hours KY – Ed) so if you want to travel the domestic flights they can be quite expensive plus baggage so take this into consideration.
KY’s mate PCR Flagman Arthur Cowan have cought up many a time whist both in the US
Let’s talk motor racing, what’s your passion? If it’s drag racing you can’t go past NHRA. The Z-Max in Concord North Carolina (NC) is certainly something not to be missed, the only 4 lane drag strip on the planet and to feel 4 top fuel drag cars and 40,000 hp is a unique and body shaking experience. This is where you can literally feel the noise. If you can’t make it to NC I can guarantee that NHRA put on a
spectacular event in any state whether it be Friday qualifying or Sunday’s final. Prices can range like any sport but on a qualifying day you can pay $25 or a 3 day weekend pass will cost $150. For all the NASCAR enthusiasts you need to make the decision short track, medium or long track, restrictor plate, high speed, pack racing or your no rules racing, not to mention do you want oval, tri oval or road course. You can go see basically every form of racing when it comes to NASCAR.
You must sample the local Moonshine...... Its fantastic
Personally I’ve done the long track 2.5 mile non restrictor plate and although it’s fast you don’t get to observe the whole track and racing. The road course at Sonoma Northern California you can view the entire track but you don’t experience the speeds. The short tracks such as Martinsville or Bristol are super exciting with loads of rubbing and bumping and incidents but still lack the extreme speed. You then can experience the super speedways such as Talladega or Daytona where you will be captivated by speeds of just over 210mph and see the big wrecks. My tip though for your first NASCAR experience is go to a 1.5 mile such as Charlotte , Texas, Las Vegas or Miami. Keep in mind when you go to NASCAR you don’t only get to watch
the Sprint cup series you also get the Xfinity series, The Camping World Trucks and if you’re lucky other events such as modifieds. NASCAR is really aiming at getting their fans
back to the track. Pricing can range from the budget to the suites but $200 will get you in a seat with awesome views and that’s for your entire race weekend.
Let’s move onto dirt track speedway, unlike AUS where we race 1 night a week in the USA you can find a dirt track race on just about any given night from the months May to October. They sure love their dirt track racing. As we know the penultimate in Sprintcar racing is the Knoxville Nationals in August. This is a town that swells from 7,500 people to 30,000 in just one week. This town survives and thrives on the tourism it brings in and let me add what a fantastic job this county does. Plan on spending your entire week here in Iowa where you can see the 360 Nationals and the Capitani Classic, travel 30 miles down the road and head to Oskalooska or Osky as
we know it and then back to Knoxville for 4 days of Nationals action packed activities and not to mention the racing. This is where my heart is - in Iowa. I found the people here in the mid-west although some may call them red necks I call them the most hospitable, kind hearted and generous people you will ever meet. The racing is hot, the weather is hotter and the beers are ice cold. The atmosphere the nationals bring is actioned and fast paced but can also be as slow and relaxing as you want it to be. Best way to experience Knoxville is stay in a campground close to the track, my recommendation is stay in the North at the “Sprintcar on the stick” campground, less than a mile walk from the track and close to everything and great facilities. Tractor rides up to the track and merchandise stalls run frequently. I do suggest you get on the tractor ride and not ride with the Marion county Sheriff’s department, although they’re lovely not everyone has assets like me and you might not be as lucky as me and spend a night in the cells. The law is very strict for public intoxication in Knoxville. Hot tip if you have had one to many drinks at the world famous Dingus lounge (The only bar to be at in Knoxville) either get a cab or stay off the main road.
Knoxville Nationals
Price in Knoxville for a campsite is approximately $200$300 per week for a full hook up service for your motor home. Tickets including Osky, 360 Nationals and 410 nationals will set you back around $300 for good seats at all events and thats for the entire week. ‘ Remember the KY story, my first year at the Nationals and first year to America I did not know campground etiquette and me being the person I am walked straight through the middle of a campsite where they had a pool. I made a comment to the group of people who were looking at me unsure “nice pool” and kept walking on my way, on my return and still not knowing campground etiquette I walked back through the same campsite and they questioned me, “do you want to piss in our pool”. Confused extremely I replied with no I said you have a nice pool in which they laughed and said “oh we thought you wanted to piss in it!” I’m like I’m confused what are these people saying. They then asked my name which I replied it’s Kaylene. After 3 attempts by 11 people to pronounce Kaylene it was too hard to understand my accent and they said “Fuck it were just gunna call you KY”. From that moment on that’s what I’m known as - KY from Australia. To this day we meet every year and I stay with this group and they have become my closest friends.
Watching NASCAR practice from the Spotters Stand at Bristol Representing Australia’s “The Motorsport Channel”
I have to admit that the night race in August at Bristol however is my favourite NASCAR event, this place is
the worlds’ fastest half mile with the banking being 28 degrees, it’s almost impossible to walk on the track and stay vertical or maybe it had something to do with the Tennessee moonshine. (It’s not the moonshine as such KY rather the amount you consumed – ED) The colosseum as it’s known is an incredible site to be seen. You’re in a beautiful luscious state with mountains and greenery and as you drive up there is this massive stadium in the middle of nowhere. Words can’t describe it. The Southern folk certainly put on their southern charm, they will get you to grill with them, ask you to marry them and will go out of their way to help you and also just hear you talk. Get to a dirt track for a local show, states such as Ohio, Indiana and Pennsylvania are the birth of dirt track racing and have some of the best club shows and exhilarating racing. Slide jobs in every turn of every lap. This insight is not to tell you all about racing although I love it and that’s what I do on my holidays but to give you some important information about planning your vacation to America include racing but include other interests. Do the tourist thing, over the years I’ve incorporated the racing with Mount Rushmore, The Badlands ( a mini Grand Canyon), Sturgis which is a Motorcycle rally, I’ve done Memphis where I saw Elvis’s Gracelands, done Disneyland, Universal Studios, Alcatraz, Jack Daniels distillery, Gas Monkey’s, Rodeo’s, Baseball and NFL games. This is just a very small part of the places I’ve been.
Here’s a quick guide TO DO Plan ahead Pick a base Choose your route - Google points of interest along your journey. Create an itinerary and try to stick to it. Drive as much as possible that way you get to experience so much more than on planes. (Try to use alternative routes rather than the main more direct freeways and highways – ED). Motorhomes - gone are the days of camping this is Glamping. Pay for as much as you can before travelling to the US you can do anything now via the Internet. Motels - if you stay out of big cities even only 2 to 5 miles will save you plenty. Get to meet the locals they are informative and they love Aussies. Hire cars while still in Australia as booking at airports can double the price (This is so true and you can still pick the cars up from the airport anyway – ED). Motels - Book online before leaving Australia, this way you will keep to an itinerary. (If you choose not to do this don’t worry, most motels are open 24 hours a day in the USA so it is easy to find one no matter what time of night you need it- ED). Get out to a local track - the racing can be phenomenal at club shows
WHAT NOT TO DO My only words of advice are if you think you’re in a bad area you probably are. Don’t panic just leave it. You’re normally back in a safe zone within 2 miles. Don’t accept marriage proposals - they will hear your accent and want to be your husband or wife. Don’t wait, start planning your holiday now WHAT TO KNOW All Americans love Aussies, socialise and get to meet the people and get to know their culture. Although we speak the same language the differences will amaze you. I’m female and have travelled to America now numerous times, I’ve done it with friends and done it solo, I’ve travelled 22 states and done over 6000 miles driving sometimes with friends, sometimes by myself. These are not just holidays, these are lifetime memories. The friendships I’ve made and the places I’ve been will last with me forever. Don’t plan on a relaxing holiday sipping cocktails and laying on the beach. Get as much out of it as you can. America is a beautiful country with beautiful people and has so much to offer but just remember you’re always coming back home to the land down under.
ED’s note. If you are not sure how to go about taking your first trip a great recommendation is to do a guided racing tour so that you become familiar with the way things work over there.
There are plenty of Australian based or American companies that offer specialist Knoxville, NASCAR or Speedweek tours. Also consider doing a Speedweek tour as an alternative to the Knoxville Nationals. This way you get to do more tracks and obviously see more of the country on your travels track to track. Ohio Speedweek will get you around 9 consecutive nights at 8 different tracks. Pennsylvania Speedweek will get you 8 nights in about 9 days on the bigger tracks like Williamsgrove, Port Royal, Hagerstown and Selinsgrove while Indiana Sprintweek gets you 7 nights of 410 Wingless action at 7 different tracks over a 10 day span. But let’s not forget the mother of all tours, the Hell Tour or Summer Nationals for Late Model sedans. This mammoth event is spread over five weeks with only one night off per week and only one or two tracks are visited more than once on this 6 state tour. WOW.
KY
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NEW DIRECTION FOR DOYLE
ussie champ Jason Doyle hopes to get used to life on the FIM Speedway Grand Prix rostrum after ad- Doyle’s relief as he ended his final hoodoo was huge. He mitting he needed directions to the podium in Torun! said: “I needed to get into the final – even if I got a fourth place. I needed to get this semi-final thing off my back. The Newcastle-born racer is guaranteed a place in the 2016 FIM Speedway World Championship after finishing second in “I’ve been getting into the semis and messing it up, so to just ride my own race and take that pressure off is a great feeling Saturday’s FST Grupa Brokerska Torun SGP. going into Melbourne. Doyle had reached four of “On the second lap, I was thinking the previous five SGP semis ‘this is where I normally throw it ahead of Torun, but was still searching for his first final apaway!’ It hasn’t been the pressure that made me throw it away the last pearance.He would love ancouple of times. It has just been other trip to the rostrum when he heads to Melbourne’s not knowing the tracks as well as I know Torun. I knew that once I Etihad Stadium for the DON could get a good run, I could ride a Smallgoods Australian SGP on October 24. The podium good race. experience was so new to “The major thing was to get out of Doyle in Torun that he could Torun with a lot of points. We went do with a bit more practice. there with the aim of 10. We don’t go to a GP and say ‘we want to win it.’ We’ve been bagging The Torun, Leicester and Dackarna star said: “There are so the points this season and we wanted to be safe.” many aspects to the first year in the GP. I didn’t even know how to get on the rostrum the right way without getting told Doyle is elated to have earned a second season in the SGP what to do! elite. He’s currently fifth in the World Championship on 103 points – two behind Niels-Kristian Iversen in fourth. “You learn these things and I hope I can learn this rostrum thing a little bit better and get some more practice in Melbourne!”
A quick exit for Rob Richardson
Story: Brett Swanson
Speedway is full of egos and sometimes that is the thing that makes people successful as racers. In the case of Rob Richardson, nothing could be further from the truth. Rob was a successful racer, and for a period almost dominated the Victorian 360 Sprintcar ranks in his Mark Anthony Special Sprintcar. Even the name of his car gave glimpses of the man he was naming it after - another less fortunate soul who never got the opportunity to fulfil his speedway dreams. That was the way Rob was. Rob was from a racing family, and both he and his elder brother Rick “Chook” Dubois raced Sprintcars with Rob himself racing under the name Rob Dubois for a time.
“My mother had remarried and in school I was always known as Rob Richardson but with my brother and I both racing Sprintcars at the same time it was easier to use the name Dubois for the fans.” He explained to me a long time again
when questioned. For me personally, I got to know Rob when he made a return to Sprintcars trying to compete again at the top level before stepping back to the fledgling 360 division as the proprietor of Quick Race Parts. Many feature wins were to follow for the close knit team. Good and bad times were had including eating special chocolate that contained no calories because everyone knows Easter chocolate doesn’t have any calories. The bad was loading his wrecked Sprintcar into the trailer before making the trip to the Warrnambool hospital to visit him after the high flying wreck fractured some vertebrae, something that I experienced myself. Eventually Rob parked the Sprintcar once again to concentrate on his Quick Race Parts and Quick Shocks business’ because as he’d once told me, “Me racing myself actually hurts my business. Many people won’t buy from me because I’m a competitor, an on track rival, and they think that by buying from me they’re actually funding me to go out there and beat them.” Rob’s good humour and concern for his fellow man always shone through even though life had dealt him some savage blows including the death of his first wife and son in a tragic car accident. It is a sad irony that Rob has made a Quick exit from this life, being the youngest, fittest and healthiest eater of the clan, it was a shock to hear of his premature death from a heart attack on Monday 5th October. Highline magazine extends its deepest heartfelt sympathies to all of Robs many family and friends. Rest in peace and race-on Richo.
Pearson’s powerful return performance. Story: Brett Swanson Image: Inaction Photography
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fter a hiatus of some years to raise a family and put the kids into speedway, Healesville’s Justin “Percy” Pearson came back to racing with the burgeoning Victorian Late Model Sedans and simply picked up where he left off, arguably becoming the divisions most successful racer for the 2014/15 season.
which was contested between teams of South Australian and Victorian Late Model drivers, and podiumed at the Victorian Championship as well. He also was recently announced as the clubs overall points champion. The 43 year old owner of Healesville Directional Drilling or HDD started his career many, many years ago in an EJ Holden at Alexandra Speedway before progressing to Independent sedans, 3 Litre sedans and then finally Super Sedans.
Percy’s speedway highs and lows both came in the 3 Litre Sedans where he led the Victorian ChampionPearson scored a trio of feature wins, with one of ship for 29 and ¾ laps eventually finishing a crushing them on the famed Sungold Stadium Warrnambool, 2nd. and the others at Bordertown and Rushworth. Along the way Pearson ran second in the Shootout Series After an extensive career that covered two decades
and with the birth of his kids Chloe and Cameron, Pearson stepped away from racing as a driver for nigh on ten years only coming back when young Cameron was old enough to race in the SSA 1200cc Junior Sedan division. Cameron was pretty quick too and has just turned 16 a few months back and will be joining dad in their pair of 2013 Rocket Chassis Late Models this coming season. “Cameron has only driven the late model around the paddock at home in first gear,” laughed Pearson, “but we’ll get him up to Alexandra or Redline before the season starts to get him some laps.” “I don’t think he’ll be really quick to start with but with laps will come the speed,” continued Pearson. “The thing about driving these cars is that they take a little while for the drivers to get used to them, and once that happens they are not too difficult to drive. Before that though, some of the newer drivers are a growth.” little bit wild and out of control.” In fact Cameron has a lot to do with Justin being back racing as it was watching his son race that reignited the passion for getting back behind the wheel himself that had been suppressed for some years. Once the decision to return was made, Pearson who’d last run Super Sedans, shyed away from the big Aussie V8’s.
“With a Late Model you can buy them from the USA as turn-key jobs and go racing. I know that with Super Sedans there’s still a lot of stuff you have to make yourself.”
“The open engine rules means there’s no bitching about engines and parts are readily accessable from the US or even here. The restriction on the right rear “It was the cost factor that drew me towards Late Mod- tyre is the thing that keeps it all together regardless els,” explained Pearson. “That and the potential for of the engine size,” Pearson concluded.
This season, with running two cars, the Pearson’s have opted to run a pair of 2013 Rocket Chassis for the simple reason that it will make things much easier when it comes to repairing and maintaining two identical chassis from one stockpile of spares that will fit both cars. Pearson started out by purchasing the car originally imported and run by Darren Forrest. This car has since been sold to Ballarat’s Michael Hetherington who uses it to great effect. A replacement Rocket was then utilised by Pearson during the most recent, and highly successful season. “Cameron will run my car from last season and I will run the newer chassis that I bought from JT Spence in West Virginia.” stated Pearson. “It’s not brand new but it has a lot less laps on it than last years’ car.” Pearson also went on to explain that these Late Models don’t require huge adjustments to their set-up to make them more driveable, they just need minor changes at the right time, something that he also admits they haven’t fully got a hold of yet. With the expansion to two cars comes another increase in inventory with a full blown “stacker” American style trailer that is currently being constructed by Sprintcar racer Mick Cunningham’s PRP Engineering. Plans for the new season include a trip to the far west for the Australian championship which will mix racing with pleasure as Pearson’s wife and greatest supporter Kellee has a lot of
family members in Perth. Other than that the team will contest the Victoria v NSW series, the Victorian clubs events and work permitting may even do a show or two at Valvoline Raceway. “I think Rod and Lisa Edwards (club President and Secretary respectively) have done a great job of promoting the class down here and already we have about 17 cars for the next season with a core of nearly a dozen drivers that will contest all the local events and hopefully that will continue to grow, but I think WA and NSW are the benchmarks for competition at the moment and that’s why we will be travelling interstate to improve our own racing.” reasoned Pearson. One event Justin is looking forward to is the Victorian Championship that will be held at Alexandra Speedway, the very track that Justin grew up racing on. With the financial support of the family business Healesville Directional Drilling and long-time supporter Fast Freddie’s Tyres, and crewed primarily by just Justin, Kellee, Chloe and Cameron, this is still a modest family operation that punches way above its weight in both performance and presentation. Long term Justin would love to steer a Late Model over in the USA and I’m tipping that once Cameron has had a real taste of one out here there’ll be no way that he is going to let Justin do that without him getting that opportunity as well. RIGHT: Dave Lambert collides with Victorian V22 of Joe Lostictch.
THE MONEY SHOT
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