Auto Trader Fast Friday Blast Off
October 12 - Wingless Sprints return to the Perth Motorplex to open season 2012 / 13 tonight, with the first shots to be fired in the 6 round Friday All Star chase.
A healthy field of 21 cars has nominated for the Auto Trader Fast Friday event, with an intriguing mix of rookies, experienced heads and speedcar regular Dene McAllan once again joining the fray after a successful couple of outings at Ellenbrook Speedway in the Merv Lowther owned Naughty Energy W47.
The field will contain two current state title holders with W.A champ Scotty Elst returning to the high banks where he grabbed the coveted W1 in the striking green Esco Electrical entry, while Michael Keen will run all summer as the reigning Northern Territory champion. Keen will be joined by his brother Daniel in tonight’s field, who last year showed how successfully the momentum from a solid run in the northern racing season could translate to form in the local events. With a very impressive looking 360 sprintcar also now part of the Keen line up, tonight will represent a good chance for even more lap time for Daniel as he enters the winged ranks in conjunction with his wingless duties.
Tom Payet continues his entry into the wingless class after a solid winter driving the W23 of Garry Walsh. Payet picked up a 6th placed finish in the Winter Series, and ‘Budda’ will be another hoping the skills that were sharpened over winter will assist in getting his summer started the right way. Payet has been around the wingless class since the first season of racing in W.A, and is relishing the chance to now join the action.
Another man who has been around the class since day one, albeit with an entirely different journey to Payet, is Benny Migro. While the paint scheme of the W7 heading into season 2012 / 13 remains a mystery, Migro has warned it will be a different look to the predominately blue and white liveried cars he has campaigned in recent years. The recently married, new owner of BM Landscaping and Garden Services, Migro has certainly had a busy winter out of the car in 2012 but nothing has lacked in his preparation for the new season. Migro has consistently become more and more of a threat at the front of the pack with each season, and this could be the season that sees ‘Shrub’ (a nod to Migro’s new business and choice of support in NASCAR) take the final step to his goal of a Perth Motorplex feature race victory.
Also heading down the freeway from the Motorworld Wangara workshop, though likely later in the day than Migro if past habits remain, will be Marshall McDiarmid. McDiarmid will be more than happy of a repeat of last year’s opening night, where after putting the car together on the Thursday night and into Friday, he went on to take out the Friday night feature race. McDiarmid was always up around the lead group in season 2011 / 12, though the sheer speed of the likes of Elst, Keen and Daryl Clayden kept McDiarmid off the top of the podium more than we’ve seen previously in the class. There is no doubting the class of McDiarmid however, so it will be a point of interest to see what kind of package the W22 rolls out with this season.
One man who enters tonight with a definitely different package to last season is Daniel Coleman who rolls into the new season in the ex Daryl Clayden QT. Coleman was quick at the season closing event at the Perth Motorplex in a test drive in the car, and his speed throughout the winter at Ellenbrook suggests he will be more than capable of threatening the podium at every event he enters. With a new sponsor on board for the new season, Fitness Plus 24/7, the former go-kart champion is set to step up this season as a genuine major player in the wingless sprint class.
Amongst the rookies are a couple of drivers entering their first summer in the exciting wingless sprints, but with previous experience in other speedway classes. Ian Woods makes his first appearance in the W10, Ross Millar looks to build on his first outings at Ellenbrook in the Autopro Northam backed W27, while Hayden Wells makes his Motorplex debut in the Tyre Plus Manjimup W62.
As with all the best things in life, the driver line up goes on. Travis Southwell returns for his second season in upgraded equipment and a flash new trailer to get the Coppos Mechanical W39 trackside. Glen Francis returns in the Henleys W50 and you can bet the Transit Clothing proprietor hasn’t spent the winter sitting on his hands, while brother Peter will once again saddle up in the Everlast Store Harbourtown W88. Speaking of family affairs, father and son Phil and Brad Taylor return to action in the Adtech Computers cars after also putting in plenty of laps throughout the winter. Brock Zonca had an up and down winter (literally, after a huge roll over at Ellenbrook) and is set for a taste of Fast Friday action, while Ryan Condren already has a fair mortgage on most kilometres travelled as the dedicated W11 team head up from Albany.
Adrian LaMacchia has recently set his sights on go-karts, but will still be saddling up in the W6, looking to build on a 2011 / 12 season where he became a regular sight at the front of the pack and recorded a round win, while Dylan Buswell is another driver who may not race as regularly as some but is fast every time he sets foot in the W69. Cameron McKenzie rounds out the list of nominations, and is McKenzie could find any luck this season that isn’t bad, is bound to improve on a debut year where he showed a sensible head behind the wheel.
With so many of the state’s leading drivers wasting no time getting their 2012 / 13 campaign started, and some rookies set for their first taste of open wheel action, it’s a mind boggling thought that tonight is not part of the season championship pointscore. While one can only imagine how big the opening round of that will be, for now it’s time to sit back and watch a quality field of over 20 cars get the party started for the new season, at one of the world’s best tracks.