It’s a mad, mad, muddy world
A dull night out at the Hidden Valley racetrack? Not muddy likely
THE heady smell of exhaust fumes. The first drops of a cold, refreshing beer on your tongue.
The wet, sloppy mass of mud.
There are many ways to awaken your senses in the Top End but none quite as unique as paying a visit to a monthly mud racing meet at Hidden Valley.
Between the sound of cheering and laughter competing against eager revving engines and a grin from the friendly bartender, you can feel the true Territory spirit within minutes of arriving at the motorsport complex.
Mud racing has been embraced by Territorians of all ages since the association formed about 21 years ago. It continues to be a popular pastime today.
Around 210 members are led by Top End Mud Racing Association president Peter Donovan, who oversees around seven meets a year during the October to April season.
“There is no other club that has a twin track like what we have,” Donovan says.
“Mud racing initially came out of the United States.
“In the early days you didn’t have the spectacle of two tracks going at the same time with two cars going head to head.
“We are the only ones with this format and from a spectator’s point of view, I think it’s what keeps them coming back as you get to witness some very exciting, close finishes.”
Queensland and Victoria are the only other mud-mad places in Australia you can see such racers in action, but according to Donovan, the best place to enjoy the motorsport is right here in the Territory.
Safety is paramount for TAMRA members, and at every race meet, around 40 officials are required to ensure everything runs smoothly.
Of those numerous volunteers is Territorian John Connor, who has been involved with mud racing as the clerk of the course for the last three and a half years.
Connor says it’s not uncommon for vehicles to roll during a race, highlighting the importance of having dedicated volunteers on standby at all times.
“All four islands on the track have a recovery vehicle on it with around three to four volunteers ready to assist if there’s a rollover or a fire,” he explains.
“There are also two very important pieces of equipment on each island — a fire extinguisher and a short plastic hose.
The plastic hose is used to stick in the driver or passenger’s mouth if their vehicle rolls and goes underwater.
“It’s just a safety precaution which I think we’ve only had to use once since I’ve been here. In most cases drivers and passengers can get themselves out of their vehicle quickly and safely anyway.”
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LIKE any motorsport, mud ud racing presents a number of risks. Largely for this reason, it has been dominated by men in years past.
But this hasn’t stopped women giving it a go. In fact, the number of girls getting behind the wheel to experience the thrill of mud racing has rapidly increased in recent years.
For adrenaline junkie Ashlee Modra, mud racing runs in her blood. The long-time local was first introduced to the sport by her father around 11 years ago and has been hooked on it ever since.
“Everyone is a bit of a petrolhead in our family, but I reckon I got it from my Dad,” she laughs.
Driving a brightly spraypainted Toyota Hilux complete with a red Texas
“You might’ve g worked 70 hours flat out during g the w or kingg week so comingg out here is a bit of an escapepw her ether ac ingg is guaranteeg guaranteed ed to put as mile back oon your face”
longhorn symbol emblazoned on the grille, and a giant inflatable crocodile strapped on the top, Modra dominates the 4WD modified class with her offsider Shaquille Holloway.
It wasn’t all smooth sailing for the local competitor though, with her exhaust breaking during the third race of the night.
Back in the pits, Ms Modra and her father quickly switch to mechanic-mode to repair the part in between races.
Wearing a pink, mud-splattered shirt and a fluoro-green racing helmet, Modra peers into the vehicle’s complicated innards at dusk to inspect the damage.
She directs a handheld air dryer over the exhaust to cool it down while her father promptly addresses the prob- lem. l Within a quarterter of an hour, the Toyota is all ready to go for the fourth and final heat of the night.
Despite the exhaust troubles, Modra and Holloway end up taking out first place in all four of the heats. They then go on to win back-to-back finals in the 4WD modified category.
The pair are several of the association’s female competitors who continue to give the men a run for their money.
“Most of the drivers involved are men, but we are getting more women, which is good to see,” Modra says.
“The male competitors don’t intimidate me at all as I feel just as gutsy as they are, and without sounding cocky, I really want the president’s cup this year.”
Another Territorian repre- senting women on the track ki is Rhonda Logan, who has been racing with her husband Greg for the past six years.
Together they have spent many weekends roaring around the slippery track against the clock, and say there is no better way to spend a Saturday evening.
“It’s just a fun and relaxing night with good people, Greg says. “You might’ve worked 70 hours flat out during the working week so coming out here is a bit of an escape where the racing is guaranteed to put a smile back on your face.”
For the adventurous couple, what is on the outside of their vehicle is just as important, if not more important, than what’s on the inside.
Over the years they’ve decorated their beloved mud racing contraption in line with a whole range of themes. Some get-ups have included a ghost for Halloween, a minion — complete with gigantic glasses over the windscreen — and covering the entire vehicle in Christmas wrapping paper to celebrate the festive season.
“Every time we come down for a race meet we like to decorate it with something different — next month the plan is to cover the car in inflatables, so if you can actually see the car you’ll be lucky,” Rhonda says.
“The car started off-white but it keeps getting painted and modified to make it a little bit better each time. It’s definitely a 50m paint jojob,ob, ob because from 50m away it looks good,” Greg laughs.
“Each year, people keep giving you more hints to make your truck better and more reliable, and we’ve been having a lot of success over the last couple of years.”
Other mud racing members thought the decorating duo were crazy when they first started racing, says Rhonda.
“From memory the first comment was ‘if you spend as much time on your actual engine as you do on your decorations, you might actually win’,” she giggles.
As with all the other members of TAMRA TAMRA, t the main reason they keep coming back every month to get covered in mud is to relax and have fun with like-minded people.
“Mud racing is great. You can do it on a shoestring budget all while having a fantastic time,” Greg says.
“Once you line up at those lights before your race, everything else disappears. You’re just waiting for the green light and then bang, you’re off — you don’t think of anything else until you’re back over the line again as you’re too busy laughing and having fun. fun.”