Roni McCann's Race Notes

First Race

portrait of Roni McCann

10/20/00

A lot has happened lately. The race has been on to get the cars ready for the start of the season. Both Allan and myself are competing in the newly named 'Wild West Sprintcar Series'. The season runs at both of Western Australia's major tracks, the all new Kwinana Motorplex (replacing the long lasting Claremont Speedway) along with Bunbury Raceway.

There are around 20 meetings on my racing schedule for season 2000/2001, including the State Championships, WA versus USA annual Speedweek challenge and the King of The Wings.

I had school the next morning...

The season really kicks off tonight. Allan, the crew and myself were at the workshop till 11:30 last night (yes, I had school the next morning) preparing the cars and making them looking fantastic for the launch of the new controlling body: S.E.G (Sprintcar Entrants Group). The launch will be televised on Foxtels 'NASR World of Speedway'. Both of the teams’ cars are on display at the launch.

Tomorrow night is the one I am looking forward to - the first round of the Wild West series! This will be my first big meet against the 'Big Boys' in those things with wings.... the nerves have already started but I am absolutely ECSTATIC!

Anyway, I'm off...

I will let you all know how the race meeting went

- Roni -

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10/22/00

Well, I'll start from the beginning...

The team left the workshop at 2 and arrived in Bunbury at around 4:15... everyone was impressed with the team’s new look for 2000/2001.

6:00pm was time for two sessions of hot laps - this allows you to do around 5 or 6 laps and dial into the track in preparations for time trials.

Jeez!!!!...

6:30 was time trials, my very first lot of time trials and I drew out 2nd! Jeez!!!! That really got the nerves going. Just in case you don’t know, time trials are two laps by yourself trying to set fast time. My first lap was a 16:50 and 2nd lap was a 16:30.... not the best of times but the team owner was happy.

Because this was only my third race meet in Sprintcars and my first big meeting, I was told to start ROF, which didn’t really bother me seeing as I was the most inexperienced driver there.

Heat one, I started in position 7 and came 7th. Heat two was a repeat of heat one and I started in 9th for the feature and came 6th.

The team overall had a pretty bad night, Allan's car wouldn't fire up for hot laps so he missed his time trials which set him back in points. The car was still not firing for heat one. Then in a re-run of heat two, Allan finally got it going after the crew put the hard yards in. 3/4 of a lap later he hooked up on the curb and rolled the immaculate #51 car tearing off the main wing. His night was over before it started!

a big learning curve...

Overall, Everyone was impressed with my driving and tried cheering me up all night. Going from a 70 horsepower Daihatsu Charade to a 700+ horsepower sprintcar is a big learning curve and a very big jump but the main thing is I'm enjoying myself. Our next round is November 4 at Bunbury speedway again and I'll be a lot more confident and a bit more physically fit (I almost pulled in on lap 15 of the main event cause I couldn’t steer the car anymore but a re-start let me rest and have a drink so I got back out there)

Anyway, I'll keep you all posted

Thanx

- Roni -

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