For most drivers, spending almost two years out of the driver’s seat would be likely to have an effect on their results, but not for Western Australian V8 Dirt Modified driver Travis Kennedy, whose eastern campaign has recently yielded a slew of impressive results.
Having not competed since February 2017 due to his fly-in-fly-out work schedule, Kennedy returned to the track in a big way this season, after making the decision to travel across to the east coast for the fifth occasion in his career, despite not having ran any local shows leading up to the trip.
Suffice it to say, this was the most successful eastern campaign for the 23-year-old racer, who experienced a massive fortnight of racing, which produced a trio of notable results, the first of which occurred during the Australian Championship at Toowoomba’s Hi-Tec Oils Speedway in Queensland, some 4,200 kilometres away from his home in Kwinana, Western Australia.
Up against a formidable field of the country’s best drivers, Kennedy certainly proved his worth, qualifying on the inside of the second row for the Australian Championship-deciding feature race and ultimately coming home in an impressive and career-best fourth.
Backing up this performance during last weekend’s NSW Title at Lismore Speedway, Kennedy once again greeted the chequered flag in fifth, before going on to secure the runner-up spot in the 50-lap Golden Jubilee event at the same track the following night, after battling for the lead with eventual winner Scott Cannon.
“The past fortnight has been such a massive effort for the whole team and it’s great that we have been able to mix it with Australia’s best drivers,” enthused Kennedy, who has two previous top-10 Australian Championship finishes to his name.
“Having not raced for such a long time, we spent a lot of hours updating our car and rebuilding our engine prior to making our return this season, which has really paid off with some pleasing results.”
With the car being based in Casino, NSW with Mark Owens and his family, who are long-time friends of the Kennedy family, Kennedy may potentially contest the Victorian Title, which doubles as the second 5 Star Dirt Series round, on March 16 at Moama’s Heartland Raceway. He is currently sitting second in the 5 Star Dirt Series point standings after round one, which was run in conjunction with the NSW Title.
Kennedy is proudly supported by the following 2018-19 season sponsors: Brutum Logistics (Dean), Kalmech, West Coast Heavy Haulage (Phil), Paulik Race Engines, and Fox Shock Lab Australia. Special thanks go to his mum and dad (Kellie and Norm), his girlfriend (Briana), his pit crew Adrian, and the entire Owens family.
To find out more about Kennedy and his team, LIKE them on Facebook by searching Team Kennedy Racing.
Photo: 44 Photography
