SWAN Hill’s Sonic Speedway hosted their first race meet of the 2024 season, which included the opportunity for me to jump in a car and see first-hand what drivers experience.
The seeds were planted late last year, when the speedway’s Andrew Ferguson asked me if I would be interested in taking a spin.
Being a 28-year-old who only got off his L-Plates last year, there was some hesitancy in saying yes, but Andrew assured me I would be in safe hands with the driver they had selected.
Arriving at the Speedway for the first time in my life about 4.30pm, I had little idea about what awaited me, and the nerves were beginning to creep in.
After we sorted out my one-day Speedway Australia licence and listened in to the driver’s talk, it was time to meet the beast I would be flying around in, and the man behind the wheel.
Josh Campbell, or Pumbaa to mates, has been racing at the speedway for close to 14 years.
“My brother and I had always been into cars and stuff when we were growing up,” he said.
“Our old man was really into his motorbikes, so he had tried to push us into motorbikes without much luck.
“But as soon as we learnt how to drive a car, that was the only thing we wanted to do, be out there and racing.”
Josh said the class he competes in, the VSC Standard Saloons, was a bit of a “budget class” but big money can be spent on some of the leading cars.
Having worked in the mechanics industry for about the same time, Josh’s racing gives him the opportunity to put his skills to work in racing.
Before getting the car out on track, Josh was considering whether or not he wanted to “square his car up”.
After some recent meets, Josh was looking to change his back tyres so they matched the size of his front ones.
“I was trying to make the tyres narrower to stop the back of the car stepping out,” he said.
One of the things that make Josh’s class so appealing is the small team nature of the sport.
Josh is pretty much the driver, pit crew, and head of research and development for his car.
He has been behind the wheel in his silver and purple 1996 EF Ford Falcon for four years now.
It’s a car he says has “more power than (his) older ones”.
“We are still fine-tuning things to get the maximum power out of it,” he said.
“The reliability is something we’re looking at currently.
“It’s more powerful and we’ve spent more money on it, so we need to be on top of when things are breaking.”
But before I could hop in the car, I was treated to a show in the Standard Saloons first heat, which was taken out by Josh.
That extra power was on full display as Josh, starting in pole, flew around the track with little thought for who was behind him.
From the sidelines, it felt like the rough looking sedans were travelling at tremendous speed, but even that introduction gave me little idea of what I had signed myself up for.
Following the first heat, Josh made the decision to change over the back tyres, leaving he and his usual passenger to remove the old tyres and fit some new ones.
This was the perfect opportunity for me to squeeze into a race suit and helmet, and for the nerves to grow more.
Before I climbed through the passenger window, fellow Saloons driver and the night’s eventual victor Trevor Evans joined in with some tips about Josh’s tyres and some advice for me.
Josh said camaraderie was a big part of motorsport, but the power of the cars was the real drawcard.
“When you go out to meetings, everyone is very friendly,” he said.
“We all have drinks and get along, I think that side of things grows from the junior classes.
“It’s great to get out and see more people, but it’s probably the speed that draws the most people.
“Just being in control of a vehicle with that much power is an amazing feeling.”
And that power was undeniable from the passenger seat, as Josh took me out on the track for the second and third heats of the night.
Tightly strapped into my seat and almost unable to move, the laps flew by at a staggering pace that blew any earlier beliefs out of the water.
Speaking to Josh after the opportunity, he said that I had stood up to the test.
“You did pretty well, actually,” Josh said.
“There were a couple of times where I thought I should probably check in on you, but you were great.
“You had all your gear on properly, and seemed all good. You weren’t shaking or anything which is a good sign.”
But Josh’s form from earlier in the night soon fell away, and I couldn’t help but blame the extra weight in the passenger seat.
Which is why I was relieved when Josh let me know he had found the issue with his car’s rear.
“On Sunday we pulled the diff apart and found that the axle had broken some gear inside, so that’s what the issue was,” he said.
“It was such a relief, because I had been chasing the issue for the past couple of weeks.”
With the issues hopefully resolved, Josh is looking forward to returning to the track at Sonic Speedway’s next meet in mid-March.
