MICHAEL SLIDES BACK IN
VETERAN Michael van Bremen will make an unlikely return to the track when the Sprintcar Racing Association series kicks off at Avalon tomorrow night.
The Chirnside Park man has fond memories of the Lara dirt track, a venue where it took him more than 13 years to land a feature win.
“There were that many times I led a race and spun out or the muffler broke or an engine failed or whatever,” van Bremen said.
“To finally get that first win, that was a real highlight. I had been a longtime waiting, and the funny thing was, the very next time I came to Avalon I won again. You don’t win for 13 years and then you win two in a row, it’s a funny game.”
The 48-year-old had his first spin in a sprintcar for three years on yesterday after calling it quits in 2014.
“I haven’t been on any off-road excursions like that for three years,” van Bremen said.
“Whether you’ve been out for three months, six months or three years, I guess it’s like riding a bike — if you know how to ride it, you should be able to get back on.
“I never planned to come back, so I always thought I’d be done for good.
“For probably the first two years I was retired, I was comfortably and happily retired. And then probably about a year ago I sold my business and got a bit more time up my sleeve, and mentally I’m in a better space and haven’t got the sort of work pressures I used to work under.”
But van Bremen said he was looking forward to returning.
“Avalon is one of our closest tracks, it’s about an hour-and-a-half away from home, so I’ve done an awful lot of racing at Avalon over my career,” he said. “I’ve had some good results but I’m looking to hopefully build on that as well.
“I think there’s 35 cars entered at this stage, so no doubt it will be tough; the SRA series is as tough as it’s ever been.
“My expectation is if I can make the A-main, that’s what you’ve got to aim for and see what happens from there.
“I’ve certainly got a lot of friends and family coming to cheer me on.”
The night will play host to both the Sprintcar-Eureka Series and the Super Sedans.
For more information, visit avalonraceway.com.au.