 By MVB Racing
Lilydale’s
Mike Van Bremen has started the 2009/2010 Eureka Garages and Sheds
Series and Essendon Ford Sprintcar Premiership in grand style with his
first feature race win at Geelong’s Avalon Raceway in his 15th season of Sprintcar racing.
In
his third race meeting for the season after contesting the Sprintcar
Jackpot Invitational at Avalon and the Bill Wigzell Battle of the
Bridge at Murray Bridge in South Australia, Van Bremen was in an aggressive mood on the racetrack for the majority of the night to kick off the SRA season.
Starting
from position two for the 30-lap final, ‘The Flying Dutchman’ out
dragged youngster Nick Lacey into the first turn in what he describes
as a “gutsy move”.
Starting
off the front row for the final I wanted to be aggressive, I knew Nick
(Lacey) was fast for the night and he will win some races shortly, but
I gave it everything to be in front at the first turn.
“For the
first half of the final I wanted to be aggressive and set up a lead, it
didn’t really enter my head about winning the final and being my first
one at Avalon in fifteen seasons,” Van Bremen said.
As the laps ticked down and on the final restart with six laps remaining, Van Bremen realised his first feature win at Avalon Raceway was in sight and the nerves kicked in.
”I
was incredibly nervous in the final laps, a lot of people thought we
missed the setup on the car, we didn’t, I was just cautious because the
nerves had kicked in and I can be honest about that,” says MVB.
Van Bremen’s long time rival and friend off the track, Matthew Reed, was closing in late, something Van Bremen was not aware of until after the race.
“I
had no idea Matthew (Reed) or John Vogels or whoever was behind me, I
couldn’t hear any motors or see any cars try and slide by, so with that
in mind I thought I had plenty of room and drove more cautiously, which
nearly cost me the win.
“I would have been devastated to lose,
the pressure is now off. I didn’t really worry about not winning at
Avalon in my first ten years of racing, but the last three to four
seasons, the media have started talking about it, race fans start to
learn about it and then I start to think about it.
“I’ve raced
all over the country with World Series Sprintcars, but the majority of
my racing has been at Avalon. I’ve done anywhere between six to eight
meetings a season there, so that’s around 80 meetings at Avalon and
I’ve probably made the final in most of those,” Van Bremen said.
After the win, Van Bremen did a victory lap waving the chequered flag, with the crowd making plenty of noise in appreciation.
“The
crowd response was amazing actually, I couldn’t believe it. I suppose a
few of them have been waiting fifteen years too,” he laughed.
With the monkey now off Van Bremen’s
back, he is looking forward to consolidating the perfect start to the
season in the next round of the Eureka Garages and Sheds Series at Mt
Gambier’s Borderline Raceway on November 21.
“I haven’t been to
Mt Gambier for around five years to race, but we have won at the venue
and obviously it will be good to put in another strong result and try
and setup our season,” stated MVB.
MVB Racing would like to thank the following sponsors for season 2009/2010:
Action Alliance
CSR Methanol
Quick Race Shocks
Harvey Body and Custom
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