ACRES Speedway Racing

I went to the Gunnedah Speedway Club's Annual Presentation function yesterday. Unfortunately, I was the only member of the Acres Team able to go. Damien of course, is in Newcastle and no longer races. Brooklyn and Kandise were away and Gloria is back home in Townsville. I came down to Warialda to take Brooklyn racing at Tamworth last Saturday and to stay on to animal sit while the two girls were away.
The function was a huge success as always. A good gathering and the food catered by Club Gunnedah was excellent. Yummy!
And the Presentations went off well. A big CONGRATULATIONS to ALL the recipients. ALL were very well earned and deserved. Special CONGRATULATIONS to Justin Partridge on being awarded LIFE MEMBERSHIP of the Club and to Brendon Myers for CLUBMAN OF THE YEAR.
Sophie Partridge, Bailey Jackson and Clinton Hall lined up together for two awards. 3rd, 2nd and 1st in the Junior Sedans and for MOST IMPROVED drivers. And they were. The three have just gone from strength to strength in their racing. Good on them.
And then there was the big surprise AGAIN for the Acres Team. BROOKLYN was awarded the COMPETITOR OF THE YEAR and as this is the ACRES TEAM page, I will talk a little about that. I am biased of course, but I believe it too, was a well-deserved award. Ray Darcy often talks about me and all the support I give to the Team and how I'm "always smiling and happy". Well, if that's so, it's rubbed off on Brooklyn. Brooklyn is just about the most mild-mannered driver at any of the many race tracks where she appears.
If you've noticed, she is always smiling too. She is ALWAYS happy, never gets upset, NEVER says a word out of place to or about anyone or anything. (Although she does tell me when things aren't right with the car). She drives her heart out with the equipment we have. I'd love to see her in a better car but that's all I can give her. We have NO Sponsorships.
She raced 20 meetings at 8 different tracks this season and placed on the Podium 5 times.
I want to THANK VERY MUCH the Gunnedah Speedway Club for recognizing Brooklyn's involvement and of course, she too, when she learns of the Award will be SO appreciative. The Trophy/s are beautiful.
I am so proud to be a member of this Club. Thank you ALL so much.
I'll include a favourite photo of mine which is just typical of Brooklyn's attitude at a race meeting.

Yes, Brooklyn too had a good night at Tamworth last Saturday. No placings but good hard racing. Heat 2 was the highlight when she started on Pole and had a good lead until a stoppage on Lap 2. She got away to a good start on the restart. Thomas Hombsch was the first to get past. The others took a while to run her down but that they did. She finished 5th. A good race.
The photos below show her with friend and Rookie driver, Gabrielle Mittermayer, and Brooklyn leading the way in Heat 2 (photo thanks to Darlene Hall) and then soon after as Thomas Hombsch has passed her.
Overall, we had a good night's racing.
We're hoping to race Sydney on August 23rd if they program the Fast Fours.

We had a great night on Saturday at Tamworth. I put a friend of Brooklyn's, Gabrielle Mittermayer in the Mirage for the Rookie Ladies' races. When I first nominated her, I figured it would be just one or two novelty races like the old "Powder Puff" Derbys back in the day but when I found out it was 3 heats and a Feature, I wondered if I'd done the right thing. After all, Brooklyn was racing too and it was the last race for the season. I didn't want anything to happen to the car and for Brookie to miss out. So, I thought, I'd give Gaby one run and see how she went before committing to the others.
Gaby had never been involved in any sort of motor sport before. She's a Horse person. She'd never even seen a Speedway event until she came with us to Grafton on May 30.
She lives in Inverell and came around to the Acres' place in Warialda on Friday afternoon, sat in the car for the first time and had a few runs around the paddock. I then lectured her on the rules and regs and the ins and out of racing. That was her training.
Another surprise was the number of Rookies nominated. I expected 5 or 6 maybe but there were 10.
To say I was a little nervous when she went out for the first heat is an understatement. She started out of 4. She did everything that I'd told her and drove very nicely and came home in 2nd. In fact, all the ladies drove very nicely.
In the second heat and starting from the back, she did nothing that I'd told her and so she got a nice lecture back in the pits.
It worked. Third heat, she drove great and scored another 2nd.
Feature race out of 3. By this time, all the ladies had improved out of sight and the Feature was a beaut. Gaby mixed it with just about everyone and went real well. A stoppage just before the end and on the restart, she hit the brake instead of the accelerator. Damn! But anyway, she finished a close 3rd behind Yvette Gordon and earned a spot on the Podium.
I was happy. Gaby was ecstatic.
The photos below show Gaby on the outside of Yvette (95) in the Feature and with Melissa Urqhart (8) and on the Podium with Yvette and winner, Donna Marshall. (Thanks to Darlene Hall for the Podium photo).
Brookie had a great night too and I'll talk about her night in another Post.

So looking forward to Tamworth this Saturday night.

Pam Franz has passed away. Pam and Speedway Sedans are one and the same. Pam and I go back to the mid-80s when I became the Secretary of the Townsville & District Saloon Car Club. Pam was an Executive of the Queensland Saloon Car Association, now Speedway Sedans Queensland and has been so ever since. Through my role, I had much to do with Pam and we met on many occasions when I attended the QSCA State meetings in Brisbane and/or Rockhampton.
And of course, whenever I went racing at the many tracks throughout Queensland, Pam was always there. She was just the most nicest, friendliest, helpful person there ever could be.
What she didn't know about Speedway Sedans wasn't worth knowing.
When I relinquished my position in 2005, I didn't see Pam again until 2022 when I took Brooklyn and Damien racing and nothing had changed. She welcomed me like an old friend and as I was new to the changes in Sedan racing, she was most helpful in guiding me through all aspects of the new racing rules and regulations.
Pam was the face of Speedway, not just in Queensland but throughout the whole country. She will be missed tremendously by everyone. I will certainly miss that friendly smile whenever I'm at a racetrack where she would have been. R.I.P. Pam, my friend.

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Brooklyn raced at Grafton on Saturday night. This was a meeting that Grafton only recently added as a finale to their season. And what a beauty it was. As well as Speedway, they had Monster Trucks, Fireworks and a Demo Derby. The place was packed. In fact they "sold out". All the seating was full and the crowd was a few deep around the fence. And I can't imagine that anyone went home disappointed. The Fireworks were great and although there were only about 8 cars the Demo Derby was entertaining too. And the kids of course, loved the Monster Trucks. Personally, I wouldn't walk across the street to see Monster Trucks but I'm not a kid. And the Speedway racing was first class. CONGRATULATIONS to the Grafton Speedway for a tremendous night.
Brooklyn didn't have the greatest of nights but she finished all three heats and the 20-lap feature. The track wasn't to her liking. The Feature was originally to be 50 laps but there were not enough Fast Fours to warrant it. There were only 12 nominated to start with and to me, that was disappointing enough. But then several didn't show leaving only 7 to race. Come Feature time, there were only 5. Jackson Bailey left everyone in his wake but the race between Stephen Keeler and NSW Champ, Brodie King for second place was tremendous. Brodie eventually won out. Wally Rudder was 4th and Brookie 5th.
Our next race meet and the last for the season will be at Tamworth on June 27th. There's a special event on that night, a Ladies' race and we just might put a friend of Brooklyn's in the Mirage. They tell me there'll be 3 heats and a Feature for the Ladies. Well, I didn't really figure on that. I thought one or two races, but not 4. That's a bit risky. I want Brooklyn to have her 4 races as usual. Anyway, we shall see.
A couple of photos from Grafton below. One shows Brodie King about to lap Brookie and the other where he has lapped her and Stephen Keeler is also about to.

Although Damien is not racing with us anymore, I still consider him part of the Acres Team of course. Now, I did this with Brooklyn for her 20th a couple of weeks ago, so I'm going to do the same with Damien and embarrass him. After all, he turns the big 18 on June 3rd. Let's trace some of his life in (a lot of) photos from when he was born in Johannesburg South Africa. The family moved to Australia in January 2011.
I know I'm a bit early, but what's it matter.
After all, I'll have our Grafton meeting to report on after the weekend.
Happy 18th Birthday to MY BEST BUDDY, Damien.

Nice little article in the May Gwydir News. Thanks once again to the Gwydir News

I got back from Townsville last Thursday night and only had Friday to finish off work on the car after the huge wreck in Lismore on Easter Sunday. Everything went well and Brooklyn and I were off to Tamworth on the Saturday morning.
Brooklyn loves Tamworth and the track didn't disappoint as usual. It's so smooth. Heats one and two were ok and then Brooklyn started on Pole in Heat 3. She drove a fabulous race until an incident when she was spun. (Watch the East Coast Motorsport Media's video very closely in Turns 3 and 4 and make up your own mind on who was a little out of control). Thankfully, she was put back in her rightful spot for the restart.
I was so pleased with the car's performance after the damage that had been done in Lismore.
The next day, off to Gunnedah. It was unfortunate that a few words were said to Brooklyn about that incident at Tamworth and that put a damper on her racing for the day. Nevertheless, she got through all heats and the Feature without any dramas despite the track being the complete opposite to Tamworth. It was a shame that only 5 cars fronted for the racing in Gunnedah. (Hunter Smith was there too but had a problem that prevented him from racing).
We were quite happy with the weekend. Next Saturday, we're off to Grafton for the Fast Fours 50-lapper Firecracker.
The photos below show Brooklyn in the action at Tamworth with Brodie King leading and Belle Jenner and Grant Jackson chasing her down and at Gunnedah where Brodie King is about to lap Brooklyn.

With my 80th coming up on the 18th, let's not forget Brooklyn. She was born in Johannesburg on my 60th birthday. Thus, she will be 20 on the 18th. Let's reflect a little on her 20 years. She has always been a little adventurous. Let's go through her 20 years in photos. She was in South Africa 2006/7/8/9/10. She's a beautiful girl of whom I'm so proud.
No, I won't go through my 80 years in photos.