YOUNG Penola speedway racer Brad Gartner has finished a successful run at the Victorian Junior Sedans Promotions Association (JSPA) series, claiming the overall honours in the A Grade competition.
The series was run over eight rounds around various speedway circuits in Victoria, with around 40 drivers competing in both A and B Grades.
Gartner held a handy lead mid-way through the series, but from there the points were not known until a recent dinner at Warrnambool, where the placings were announced.
He said he was pleased with the result, which was a bit of a surprise.
“They released the points mid-way through the season and we were 21 in front, but from then it was a guessing game,” Gartner said.
“Towards the end of the season some of the new cars were getting better and everyone was going better.
“Our car was pretty old so we were just hanging in there.
“We won by just six points in the end.”
The achievement was even more impressive considering Gartner runs an older Datsun Sunny, with many other drivers opting for the more recent inclusions of Hyundais and Diahatsu Charades.
The Datsun runs a 1200cc engine with a carburettor, while the later cars are up to 1500cc with fuel injection.
“The first two rounds were smaller tracks so the Datsuns were a bit easier on those,” Gartner said.
“We won those, which gave us a good start.
“Later in the season on the bigger flowing tracks the front wheel drives were better with bigger motors.
“But it was about being consistent.
“If I had made one mistake it would have been the season over.
“The guy who got second was in a Datsun Sunny too and I think we were the only two drivers in the top five who finished every heat and every race for every eight rounds.”
To add to the impressive result, Gartner is just 14 years of age.
The junior sedans are for drivers from 10 to 17 years of age.
Gartner said generally the series winners are from the older age bracket, but this year he managed to claim the honours.
At the dinner Gartner was also announced as finishing in fifth place in the aggregate series, along with drivers’ driver, voted by other competitors in the category.
He said it was good to be recognised by his peers.
Gartner said it was a big result in his career.
“I have always wanted to win the series, but you have to be so consistent,” he said.
“It is a big achievement for me.”
He said he could not have achieved that goal without all the help, which included his father, who helped work on the car in the home shed, his mother and two brothers Jack and Sam.
He said his sponsors had also made the result possible, who had followed him across from Jack’s sprintcar.
