Australian Champion for the Australian Grand Prix Midgets Anthony Lea watched as a proud father when his sixteen-year-old son won the opening event of the 23/24 season at Lake Liddell Speedbowl for the ‘Gulf Western Oil Super Series’ in what was the first series and points appearance at the venue for the New South Wales Grand Prix Midget club in front of a great crowd on hand to watch the POWRI promoted racing.
Once again as a club, the NSW Grand Prix Midgets delivered an outstanding display of racing with six cars making the trip to the track The event was the debut race meeting in the class for Andrew Walkerden, from the Sydney Speedway Kart Club.
Andrew was the lucky first winner of the three-racing rounds sponsorship drive in a Grand Prix Midget, courtesy of White Ant Racing and Arjan Motors. Andrew piloted the White Ant Racing car, # 25, car along as did sixteen-year-old Tyler Lea in the second White Ant Racing Grand Prix Midgets the # 9 car.
The starting order for the first heat of the day seen Adam Buckley, Gary Bowyer, Riley Bowyer, Allan Black. Tyler Lea and Andrew Walkerden. At the drop of the green flag Buckley got caught on the pole line in the slippery wet allowing Gary Bowyer to move into the lead position through turns one and two on the first lap. Close behind was Riley Bowyer following his father on the outside and moving into second as he passed Buckley. Behind Buckley in third was Black followed by Walkerden and Lea.
Bad luck for Walkerden’s debut as he was labouring around the track and after the race his car was found to be in the wrong race gear after stalling pre-race and needing a push start, where the wrong gear was selected. On lap seven, while attempting to activate his fan, Bowyer Snr (NSW # 5 – Arjan Motors/White Ant Racing) accidentally turned off the ignition and this allowed Riley Jnr to pass for the lead, the race order changed to being Bowyer Jnr, Bowyer Snr, Buckley, Black, Walkerden & Lea. The final three laps passed without incident and the race order remained the same with Riley Bowyer winning the first heat of the new season. Gary Bowyer set the fastest lap time of the first heat in 10.827 seconds and finished second with Buckley in third place ahead of Black, Walkerden and Lea.
Lining up for the second ten lap heat race in a reverse grid of the first draw seen Walkerden an experienced Speedway Kart racer not needing to take a few rookie races from the rear of the field starting from pole position with Lea next to him. Black, Bowyer Jnr, Bowyer Snr and Buckley completed the field.
As the green flag unfurled for the start of the second heat, Walkerden flew into the lead with Bowyer Jnr moving up quickly into second from fourth place. Buckley slotted into third place quickly making track position from sixth. Lea moved back to fourth spot, followed by Black and Bowyer Snr. Bowyer Jnr passed Walkerden for the lead by lap three and Buckley quickly squeezed past Walkerden into second position.
Bowyer Snr passed Black for fifth position a lap later, whilst Lea, Bowyer Snr and Black also passed Walkerden, whose car was suffering from a battery charging issue halfway through the race. On lap seven Bowyer Snr passed Lea for third position, before Bowyer Jnr spun around in turn two, bringing on the yellow caution lights.
The restart race order of Buckley, Bowyer Snr, Lea, Black, Bowyer Jnr & Walkerden took off once again with three laps remaining with Buckley and Bowyer Snr putting distance between them and the field quickly. The two had a terrific race battle for the remaining laps bringing loud cheers from the capacity crowd looking on.
With no change to the order behind them, Buckley held off Bowyer Snr to take the win in heat two, followed by Lea, Black (NSW # 55 – Fifty 5 Motorsport), Bowyer Jnr & Walkerden. Riley Bowyer set the fastest lap time of 11.491 seconds.
A twenty-lap feature event closed out the days racing with highest point scorers starting from the rear of the field in line with club rules. Once again Walkerden began from pole position with Lea, Black, Bowyer Jnr, Bowyer Snr, and Buckley.
The track had slickened up at both ends and set up was going to be crucial to get drive for passing. Unfortunately for Walkerden, his car popped a clutch cable while entering the track for the final after it looked like the battery issues were resolved with a new backup power supply.
This was just really hard luck for Walkerden (NSW # 25 – White Ant Racing), who was loving the chance to get out and have a skid in a Grand Prix Midget in competition for the first time. Walkerden’s misfortune meant that Lea and Bowyer Jnr would form up on the front row of the start grid, with Black and Buckley off row two and Bowyer Snr on his own off the rear row, according to the Track Stewards instructions.
The green flag waved the field off and this saw Bowyer Jnr take an early lead on the high line, from Lea in second, followed by Buckley who was also taking his chances up high. Black settled into fourth with Bowyer Snr at the rear in fifth. The next five laps saw no change in the order, with Bowyer Snr taking fourth position away from Black at the end of lap five.
Bowyer Jnr continued up front in the lead while running high on the fence, while Lea continued to persevere down low in second closely watched in third place by Buckley who at this moment also moved down on the pole line. On lap eight after remaining patient, Lea moved ahead up the inside of Bowyer Jnr and three laps later, an equally patient Buckley also held the inside line to squeeze past Bowyer Jnr (NSW # 50 – White Ant Racing/Arjan Motors) to take second position through turn four on lap eleven.
The front four now Lea, Buckley, Bowyer Jnr, and Bowyer Snr then cleared out, racing tightly nose to tail, striving to gain any drive available from the track surface to make a move. On lap seventeen, the caution lights came on, then the red lights for race stoppage due to an unfortunate incident in the pits that required urgent medical assistance, which required the expertise of the on-track medics.
During a twenty-minute delay and whilst the Grand Prix Midgets sat on track the commentary team had time to come out onto the track and interview race leader Tyler Lea, who thanked his Dad, family, and everyone in the NSW GP Midget Club for giving him the opportunity to race.
Buckley (NSW # 67 – Shore Hire/Beesafe Travel) was also interviewed speaking about the Club’s sponsors, Gulf Western Oil & Arjan Motors and also let the crowd and everyone watching on the free YouTube stream know that White Ant Racing has some Midgets available for hire sharing that the race leader in his words “that little 16-year-old bugger out from there in the # 9 is in a White Ant Racing GP that’s available for hire – just come have a chat with us in the pits”.
Eventually the caution lights reappeared, engines fired up again and the field formed up for a single file restart with the order being Lea (NSW # 9 – White Ant Racing), Buckley, Bowyer Jnr, Bowyer Snr and Black. The green flag saw young Lea hold his nerve & his line for the remaining laps, with Buckley applying all the pressure he could to no avail. Lea passed the chequered flag in first place, followed by Buckley, Bowyer Jnr, Bowyer Snr and Black. Adam Buckley set the fastest lap time of the Feature Race of 12.087 seconds.
The New South Wales Grand Prix Midget Racing Association unanimously offer a huge thanks to Mitch Biner and the crew at Lake Liddell Speedbowl for putting the opportunity to compete. The whole experience was terrific and had a carnival like atmosphere, with a very large crowd in attendance that we enjoyed.
Special thanks to New South Wales Grand Prix Midget Racing Association supporters;
Gulf Western Oil
Arjan Motors
White Ant Racing
Beesafe Travel
AOK Trophies
West Sydney 4WD
Panther Prestige Smash Repairs
Written by
Adam Buckley from New South Wales Grand Prix Midget Racing Association
Edited and distributed by
DMT Sports Media