Ron Krikke is looking forward to a big start to the season when the track hosts the fourth round of the AHG Sprintcar Championship this Saturday night.
It will be the first major meeting for the South West venue and Krikke is looking forward to the sprintcars returning - being a combined 410 and 360 Sprintcar spectacle.
Krikke said there had been issues with the track surface in recent years and believed they would overcome that by using the services of renowned track curator Allan Barlee from the Northern Territory. Barlee’s help was enlisted for the Krikke Boys Shootout last March and it produced immediate results, with one of the best track surfaces seen in years.
Krikke said that, combined with the use of the Wormall Civil harrower, would make a world of difference and provide a consistent racing surface.
“For the competitors, if they know Allan is there, the track is going to be good and they know, going forward, it is a really good event,” he said. “With his expertise and knowledge, especially with the way he does it, and the harrower, it is a total change to what we were doing previously.”
Home-track heroes Brad and Jamie Maiolo loom as two of the favourites for this weekend’s round.
Brad is the defending two-time AHG Sprintcar Series champion and finished third in last Saturday night’s round at the Perth Motorplex behind James McFadden and Shaun Bradford.
Jamie finished fifth in what has been a consistent start to the season for the elder statesman of the Myalup-based LJM Racing outfit.
Jason Kendrick is one driver who traditionally has been a strong performer in Bunbury but he will need a turnaround in form if that consistency is to continue.
So far this season Kendrick has crashed out of a round and been plagued by engine gremlins in another.
The only feature race he has finished, saw him claim a second, in round two that was won by Jason Pryde.
Mitchell Wormall is expected to put in a competitive showing in the lead-up to him racing in the eastern states with World Series Sprintcars commitments.
Likewise for Daniel Harding who has been a regular on the WSS tour in recent seasons and is expected to be one of the standouts this season.
One driver that may surprise a few at Bunbury could be Jamie Oldfield who has been one of the country’s most competitive Late Model drivers in recent years.
This year he is driving a sprintcar and despite heading to Bunbury with a smaller 360 motor onboard, is expected to be very competitive this weekend.
