The Best Head to Blake’s Backyard For Boxing Day Bonanza
The upcoming battle for glory in the R2C Competition Filters Pro Dirt Series round on Boxing Night at Coates Hire Bunbury Speedway will be one of the toughest to win this year in Late Model competition on the west coast this summer.
Especially if the last round was anything to go by!
The Late Models turned it on at the Perth Motorplex with plenty of hard and fast racing all night. Lap times were some of the fastest seen this year at the Kwinana high banks and the conditions proved to be ideal for the thundering sedans to put on a brilliant display from the first green light to the final chequered flag. With a nomination list already at twenty four, it will also be one of the biggest fields to contest a round this season and no one would like to win it more than local racer Brad Blake in his Blake Auto Centre #0 Rocket. “To tell you the truth I’d just like to win one full stop” he said light heartedly this week. “Actually it’s been quite frustrating as we have led at least three or four of the rounds this summer only for things to go wrong and let us down.”
“For example last round at the Motorplex we qualified tenth and was about to challenge Jeep (Van Wormer) for the lead when I broke a rear axle. I can’t tell you the last time I broke one of them, so all I need is a change of luck as I believe we have the pace to take a win.”
But it won’t be easy as there will be plenty of others who will be vying for the win as well. Current R2C points leader Craig Vosbergen in his beautifully prepared Ductworks/WCM/ Valvoline #8 Rocket will be another who is looking for his first win this summer. Vosbergen is one of the drivers to watch as his exciting, on the gas style is always one that gets the crowd on its feet and you can guarantee that he will put on a show one way or the other.
Throw in to this mix the Ludlow racing team of Brad, Ben and Ryan as well. Brad has been the form driver in the R2C Competition Filters Pro Dirt Series taking out three wins and only sits fourteen points behind Vosbergen in the Pro Dirt Title. He has been the fastest driver this summer and will adapt to the big Bunbury Bullring with ease.
He will be looking over his shoulder for father Ben who has also been one of the fastest this season and has already claimed a win this year. Little brother Ryan has continued his racing apprenticeship with a steady improvement during this season and sits just inside the top ten in the points and will want to keep working his way forward towards the top in the overall points chase. All three received damage to their pristine DiCandilo Steel City/Lucas Oils GRT machines, especially youngster Ryan who received the most damage of the trio at the last round.
Others to keep an eye on include another Bunbury racer in Mick Hamon in his Valvoline/ACDC Welding #57 Rocket, visiting NSW veteran Ross Nicastri in Allan Blake’s Rocket chassis, the always consistent Jay Cardy (BBT Steel/TL Dozing #52 Cardy Chassis), Mat Goodlad in the beautifully presented #18 Rocket sponsored by Diversified Contract and JRH Signs plus the Oldfield Racing driver in Jamie Oldfield in his striking Ultratune Morley/Shakerz Bakerz #51 Rocket.
Unfortunately Oldfield’s brother Warren wont be making the Bunbury round unless Father Christmas can find another 800 plus horsepower aluminium powerplant for his #15 machine after destroying his primary and only motor at the Motorplex last time out.
On top of this there are plenty more who would love to win this round and stop Van Wormer from making it two wins from two starts for the likeable American, the man Blake named as the one he will have to look out for come Sunday night.
“Big time, Jeep is the one we will be after. He is one hell of a driver on the track and he is such a nice guy off it as well. He is a great ambassador for Late Models and the way he has helped us away from the track, here and in America shows what kind of fella he is.” Commented Blake this week.
So will the Australians be able to stop the USA onslaught, well if the LMRA drivers have any say in it they will. This meeting, plus the one at Manjimup on January 2 next year look to be two of the toughest stoushes this summer so far on the R2C schedule. The fans will be the real winners with the racing these big bodied sedans will bring to Bunbury this Sunday night.
The nominations are as of time of release:
0 Brad Blake Blake Auto Centre
01 Ross Nicastri Franks Auto Parts/Bill Martin Dyno Tune
6 Jason Moyle Moyle Engines/Valvoline
8 Craig Vosbergen Ductworks Australia/WCM/Valvoline
9 Ben Ludlow DiCandilo Steel City/Lucas Oils
10 Lee Watt Katachana Beef/GT Brake & Clutch
18 Mat Goodlad Diversified Contracting/JRH Signs
19 Simon McNab Supatilt/Carbusters
20 Matt Noakes Glenbrae Hay Trans/Diverse Drilling
23 Clint Noakes Glenbrae Hay Trans/Narrogin Freightlines
29 Ryan Ludlow DiCandilo Steel City/Lucas Oils
30 Mark Matthews RACIN/Tillco Engineering
34 Matt Nylander Cars WA/True Core Pilates
51 Jamie Oldfield Ultratune Morley/Carahaul
52 Jay Cardy BBT Steel/TL Dozing
54 Bryn Haythornthwaite AJN Transport/Striking Signs
USA 55 Jeep Van Wormer Bayline Fire/Globe Technologies
57 Mick Hamon ACDC Welding/Valvoline
65 Peter Seaton Professional Interiors
69 Jason Oldfield Litchfield Motorsport/JT Transport
75 Keith Gorman Kawasaki Country/Autosmart Bunbury
77 Jeremy Hale Western Process Controls/Trailstar Caravans
91 Michael Holmes OzMine Drill Consumables/Holmes & Assoc.
92 Brad Ludlow DiCandilo Steel City/Lucas Oils
Ends Release - Prepared for Latemodel Racing Australia by FR Media
