AMERICAN racer Kyle Larson is regarded as the most versatile motorsport driver in the USA today.
Seemingly able to win at will on both asphalt and dirt, the Californian racing prodigy headlines a cracking line-up of entrants for Thursday night’s annual Kings Challenge at the Borderline Speedway.
The announcement Larson would race alongside fellow Californian Carson Macedo for Singleton car owner Sean Dyson was somewhat of a shock initially, but makes perfect sense when you look beneath the surface.
Larson is the owner of the Kyle Larson Racing Team which employs Carson Macedo to race in the prestigious World of Outlaws Sprintcar Series.
“He asked Carson if we might be interested in running a second car for the Classic week,” Dyson said.
“We talked about it and agreed that it was a cool thing to do.
“Situations like that do not happen very often so we agreed to put the second car together.
“It’s pretty exciting.”
It is also exciting for the fans who now get to see a bona fide megastar on the rise race at the President’s Cup in Avalon, The Kings Challenge in Mount Gambier and the Grand Annual Sprintcar Classic in Warrnambool.
Larson races NASCAR and is one of the future series champions on the horizon, but it is his passion for dirt racing and his love of racing Speedcars and Sprintcars whenever he gets the chance which makes him a crowd favourite in both the dirt and asphalt world.
But Larson is by no means the only American in the field at Mount Gambier, with no less than five Californians, an Oklahoman and a Pennsylvanian ready to pounce on the $10,000 winner’s prize.
Carson Macedo has been in scintillating form in Sydney, as has Cory Eliason, who won on debut at Parramatta on January 4 in the Diamond Bay Motorsport team and finished a strong second to James McFadden in the WSS Lismore round.
Youngsters Buddy Kofoid and Kalib Henry both make their Mount Gambier debuts driving for iconic South Australians the Downing Brothers (Kofoid) and Trevor Green and the Lewiston Haulage team.
While the Californians are all young guns there is a Pennsylvania legend dubbed “The Steel City Outlaw” who will also be fast.
Tim Shaffer will drive for South Australian Brad Keller and many expect him to one of the cars to beat despite no real experience at Mount Gambier.
There is also established World of Outlaws star Shane Stewart who has many points to prove as he saddles up looking for his first Borderline crown.
But the Australians will not back down in this contest, with some of the country’s best and many of South Australia’s brightest lights aiming for glory.
Local teams and drivers include Scott Motorsport with Brooke Tatnell, plus Steven Lines, Glen Sutherland and Scott Enderl.
Tatnell in particular will aim to repeat his World Series Sprintcars Speedweek win from their last start at home.
Lines is the defending Kings champion and Mount Gambier’s favourite son will have plenty to prove despite a quiet season so far by his own impressive standards.
To add to the heady list, defending Classic champion Robbie Farr, Kerry Madsen, Grant Anderson, Marcus Dumesny, Brock Hallett, Ian Madsen, James McFadden, Jock Goodyer, Luke Dillon and Peter Doukas must all rate as possible feature race winners in 2020.
