A RECORD full field of 40 cars will face the starter in this weekend’s Wakefield 300 mini endurance race.
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The 137 lap Wakefield 300 is the annual jewel in the crown of the Wakefield Park season and is open to sedan based and invited race cars.
The field is made up of a diverse range of cars from many categories, with high-powered muscle cars through to the smaller cars that will be involved in a battle of their own for class supremacy.
There is a most interesting list of drivers entered, with semi professionals down to complete amateurs, a mother and son combination, father and son duo, Fujitsu V8 Supercar drivers teaming up to get track miles ahead of the following weekend’s Sydney Telstra 500, a well known motoring journalist, a former V8 Ute champion and a cover girl model.
The 1000cc motor cycle powered Future Racers have proven the car to beat in recent 300s, with Canberra’s Nathan Jess chasing his third straight win in the event this weekend when he drives his Canberra Hydraulic Engineering Services Future Racer with Melbourne driver Matt Thompson as co-driver.
Among other Future Racers are entries for Canberra’s Rod and Jade Barnes, a combination that has come close to winning the past two runnings of the 300 but encountered mechanical problems within sight of the chequered flag.
An interesting entry is for Sydney driver Steve Anslow with Mazda specialist Ric Shaw driving the Mazda
RX7. The pair claimed pole with in 2008, with the only difference this year a 6 litre Chev V8 shoehorned into the vehicle.
The youngest driver pairing in the race is Terry Nightingale, 22, and Brad Shiels, 17, both from Bathurst, and considered by many to be among the leading contenders in the Chris Clearihan owned Braddon Auto Marts Future Racer.
Fujitsu V8 Supercar rivals Bruce Oaklands and John Boston will be driving the Bluestone Construction Holden Commodore VL 5 litre and using the race to dial themselves before they race against each other the following weekend.
Jack Elsgood, the 2009 V8 Ute champion, will once again team up with Merrick Malauf in an XR8 Ford Falcon ute and attempt to go one better than their second place in 2008.
Mazda MX5s are strong in the 300, with David Raddatz and Shane Otten making their second attempt together.
As they finished second last year they must be considered a chance.
Roland Rohle is a Sydney slot car proprietor and this weekend will team up with one of Australia’s best known motoring journalists, Michael Stahl, in the formers very fast Mazda RX7.
Shane Smollen and Rob Rubis are experienced campaigners around Wakefield Park. The pair has completed many laps in their AU Saloon Car. Smollen has also won his class in the prestigious Australian GT Championship in a GT3 Porsche.
Victorian father and son team Phil and Declan Kirkham will make their first attempt at the Wakefield 300.
Declan has the honour of being the youngest ever driver to start the 300, just pipping Brad Sheils. They will drive their Ford Fiesta, while the son of former touring car racer Garry Willmington, John Willmington will be in a Mazda 3.
Adam Ronke, no stranger to Wakefield Park, will drive his Nissan Skyline R33 with Ralph magazine cover girl and Miss Summanats, Hayley Swanson.
For the full story, see the print edition of Friday’s Goulburn Post, available from our Auburn Street office and from leading newsagencies across the region.
