Young guns on track for speedway showdown
‘NextGen’ in Easter showdown
SPEEDWAY: An impressive list of Ultimate Sprintcar racers under the age of 25 will converge on Toowoomba’s Hi-Tec Oils Speedway this Friday with the express goal of usurping the sport’s kings.
In the last four rounds of Queensland competition between Brisbane, Toowoomba and Maryborough, at least two “NextGen” racers have made the top-five at every venue, with Mitchell Gee the standout with three podium finishes from the four events.
The impressive 20-year-old is buoyant about his results, putting the change down to rethinking his approach in January.
“We were really disappointed with our performance at the World Series rounds at Brisbane,” Gee said.
“But the break in January gave me a chance to have a think about what I was doing, and now I’m not necessarily more aggressive with the driving, but just pushing myself harder to get a good result.”
Redcliffe’s Jayden Peacock claimed two podiums from the last three races including a remarkable runner-up finish at Toowoomba’s Pitstop 50, and is determined to keep the good fortune running to the end of the season.
“Our engine program has been the biggest difference for us,” Peacock said.
“We had a motor that was really good on the dyno.
“But just didn’t feel right when we had it on the track, so we switched back to our original KRE and I’ve been really comfortable with the way it delivers the power, so that’s awesome for your confidence as a driver.”
Cornubia’s Callum Walker bagged an astounding second at Maryborough after starting from the rear of both heats from his late nomination, and claimed “going back to basics” as the reason for the improvement.
“We were in a slump for a while but we took a step back and had the opportunity to race a speedcar twice, which really took me back to the basics of my racecraft,” Walker said.
“Plus I had a few conversations with people who’ve schooled me up on things like using my wing more efficiently, so that’s made a big difference and it’s showing in the results.”
Gee, Peacock and Walker will lead a striking entourage of young guns for the first round of the Easter Triple Challenge, before heading to Brisbane on Saturday and Lismore Sunday.
Tickets for the Toowoomba event are available at the gate from 3pm or right now at www.SpeedwayTickets.com.au with the opening ceremony at 6pm.