Mr. Modified is Coming!

 

The next few days are very busy for Speedway competitors and racefans alike. Bartercard Lismore Speedway is host to the 1st and the deciding 3rd rounds of the prestigious Mr Modified Series. The series, which is now in it's 5th year, is unique in the way that the feature for the V8 Dirt Modifieds is held over 50 laps. A compulsory pitstop will happen midway through the race on the infield where the crewmembers will frantically repair any damage, refuel, and make vital setup changes to the racecars, to put their driver up front.

Along with the added excitement of a pit stop on the infield comes inherent risks, which is why the Summerland V8 Dirt Modified Club have insisted on some of the most strict safety measures seen at the track.

A full field of cars including 5 from Sydney, many Queensland cars and other states will converge on the North Coast over the holiday period to contest the 3 rounds against our local heroes.

One of the local racers hoping to stamp his dominance on the series is Shawn Mortimer. Shawn is a 2 time winner of the series, taking the title in 96-97 season and again last year.

" Our crew put a lot of thought into races such as this", Mortimer said. "We don't just treat it like a normal race. We have a strategy, and we stick to it."

Mortimers form in long races has been excellent, with consistent lap times in the initial laps, and typically coming on strong at the end.

"Many years ago I actually set the lap record on lap 98 of a 100 lap feature at Lismore in the Sedan class at the time. I still can remember a 16.58 in my VW Fastback".

When asked who his main competition would come from Mortimer replied "Robinson, Reynolds, Cannon, Suffolk are all going to be fast, but I won't hide the fact that the one driver that needs to be put in his place is Stuart Herne. That place can be anywhere, as long as it's behind me."

Stuart Herne was then asked about Shawn Mortimer as a threat " To be honest, I don't consider Mort to be a threat at all. I beat him in the last 50 lap at Lismore, and I'll do it again. He's dreaming."

Stuart was referring to the 50 lap battle between himself and Shawn Mortimer at the final round last year. Stuart managed to be victorious by a very close margin, but Shawn won the overall series on points.

The action will all unfold again this year at Bartercard Lismore Speedway on Boxing Day, FM 104.7 Grafton Speedway on the 28th, and the deciding round 3 back at Lismore on New Years Day.

The racing starts at 6.30pm