WARNING!
Fireball to strike Kalgoorlie!
A Fireball is set to strike Kalgoorlie (WA) Saturday February 2 however government officials don’t need to worry as the only venue in the city affected is Kalgoorlie International Speedway!
The Fireball won’t be falling from the heavens, but rather turning the 510 metre oval into a seething pit of Dirt Late Model action!
More than 20 leading Western Australia Dirt Late Model stars, including a couple of yanks, will be hauling east to compete in the second annual Fireball Derby.
Last years race saw Brad Blake take an all the way victory with US racer Ron Miller second and Brad Ludlow third. All three drivers have once again nominated.
Brad Blake will be looking for a change of luck after misfortune has struck in his last two race meetings. Two weekends ago at Northam Motorsports Park Blake looked odds on to claim another Western Australian Dirt Late Model Championship only to be the innocent victim of a late race crash involving a number of lapped cars. At the Perth Motorplex last Sunday night Blake was once again a contender for victory in the Australian Dirt Late Model Nationals only to see his chances disappear after a component broke on a rivals car, taking both out of the race. The ‘O Show’ would like nothing better than to put those results in the past and win two Fireball Features on the trot.
Veteran US racer Ron Miller, who has toured Australia on a number of occasions, is once again behind the wheel of the Blake family Rayburn. Miller finished third in the Dirt Late Model Nationals last Sunday evening and has shown in the past that he can cut it against racers almost half his age. Miller is a calculating racer, who knows how to get the best out of his machine in a distance race.
Perhaps the competitor everyone should fear is Brad Ludlow. The popular Perth racer has always been the bridesmaid when it comes to big races, but turned that form on its head at the Perth Motorplex Sunday night by winning his 1st Australian Dirt Late Model Nationals. A class driver, who this season has the machinery and support to get the job done, it would not surprise to see Ludlow lay claim to the Fireball trophy as well.
One racer looking to make his mark on the Fireball is Ohio’s Doug Drown. The US racer went out early in the Western Australia Dirt Late Model Championship. He then dominated the Australian Dirt Late Model Nationals A Main before retiring mid race with rear suspension failure on his RACIN Tyres & Accessories Rocket House Car after it was destroyed by a dislodged weight from a rivals car. Drown is a stylish and fast racer, who has cut his teeth on the tough US Dirt Late Model circuits. Victory in the Fireball would make for a good feeling on the long flight home.
Some of the other racers looking to stamp their name on the event include Craig and Bert Vosbergen in their immaculate, and super fast, TVR Rockets, Ben Ludlow, who finished second to son Brad in the Nationals, and Ryan ‘The Black Knight’ Halliday who turned in a storming drive from the rear at the Nationals.
The three Oldfield brothers, Warren, Jason, and Jamie could pull a surprise out of the bag as all three have shown glimpses of top form at various stages this season.
Top female racer Veronica McCann will be making her first Fireball start, and if track conditions are to her liking, could show her male counterparts the way home.
Kevin Bell, Matt Noakes, Clint Noakes, Matt Goodlad, Rob MacGregor, Mark Matthews, Barry Blake, Jay Cardy and Phil Richards can all be expected to keep the pressure right on, meaning this years Fireball is the only place to be!
Get your backside trackside Saturday February 2 as the Fireball whips Kalgoorlie International Speedway into a Dirt Late Model Frenzy
