MOUNT Gambier will be well represented at this weekend’s Australian Street Stock title at Timmis Speedway Mildura.
The list includes Australia number one Anthony Beare, Mark Jennings, Jason Duell, Jayden Edwards and Hayden Jolley.
All are capable of walking away with the title, but for Beare it will be a matter of trying to defend his 2018 crown and claim his fifth national title.
The field is one of the biggest in the history of the sport, with 132 cars entered over the three days of practice and racing.
At Ballarat in 2016 there were marginally more cars, with Beare claiming that title.
That puts him in a good place leading into this season’s championship, with a new car and plenty of runs at Mildura over the last 12 months.
The venue has never been a happy hunting ground for Beare, but one he is determined to make work in the biggest race of the season.
“I steered away from Mildura for a few years because I struggled with it and it was so far away,” he said.
“It is not my favourite track and is very demanding on cars.
“But you hear 18 months beforehand where the title is so I made sure we put an effort in to go there and do a few laps.”
Beare said his car was working well, with plenty of time to develop it this season.
He said he was also happy with his own form behind the wheel.
One advantage he has over the remainder of the field is an automatic entry to the A Main as the defending champion.
In a worse-case scenario that would start Beare from the back of the field, which in itself would make for a tough title defence.
For that reason Beare said he would not rely on the automatic entry to make the feature event.
“I want to try to make it a bit easier and qualify well,” he said.
“But it gives me the advantage if I get a tough heat and we have to take some risks.
“If those risks do not pay off it will not burn me.
“For every other car, if you have a DNF with 120-odd cars there you are in trouble.
“But no one wants to come out of position 21 in the A Main.
“You can win it from there, but it is a long way back and there will be only high-quality cars in front.”
The field includes plenty of drivers who are capable of claiming the national crown.
Several drivers will make the trip across from Western Australia, while Victoria also has a large contingent vying for the honours.
But Beare said the Mount Gambier drivers were as much of a threat as any.
He said the class was strong in the region, with every “local” race against some of the best in the country, which in effect ensured the drivers from the region were up to a high standard.
Practice kicks off tonight, with heats on Saturday, then further heats and the A Main feature on Sunday.
That provides plenty of time for drivers to gauge what the racing surface is likely to do over the 40 laps of the final.
Beare said a key to victory was to have a strong car at the end of the weekend.
“You have to have a car that is capable of winning the feature,” he said.
“A lot of people get there and have used up their car in the heats.
“You watch the track all weekend, then you need a car with 10 laps to go.
“The first 30 laps is just a journey pretty much, then the pace goes crazy.
“You have to be there with 10 laps to go and just throw everything at it.”
The chance to claim back-to-back titles is something any driver would desire.
For Beare it has been a focus for the last 12 months.
“All I have done since the last title is think forward to Mildura and work out a way to make my car better,” he said.
“We put everything on this one show.
“If you win you get to have that number one plate for the next 12 months.
“That is what it is all about.”
