Prior to last Saturday night’s visit, it had been seven years since Mark Robinson had competed at Sydney’s Valvoline Raceway, but that didn’t stop him from coming away with a podium result.
Having not raced at Valvoline Raceway since late 2011, the Lismore, NSW-based racer had his NSW # 9 Castrol / Southside Truck Centre supported Troyer car displaying front-running pace from the outset.
After two competitive heat-race runs earlier in the night that earned him a place in the pole shuffle, Robinson started from the outside of the second row for the feature race. During the 20-lap distance, which was riddled with stoppages, Robinson certainly didn’t have it easy, suffering a flat left-front tyre on lap eight which consequently wreaked havoc with his car’s handling.
Doing a remarkable job of retaining his position, despite the obvious setbacks, Robinson had made his way up to second place by lap nine. Later taking control of the lead only to be relegated to second when the yellow lights came on, Robinson held on to his position, crossing the finish line in the runner-up spot.
“Although it was only a bit of bad luck that caused the flat tyre, we still displayed winning pace all night,” commented Robinson, who also noted that it was great to get the V8 Dirt Modified class back running at one of country’s leading tracks.
“A big thanks must go out to all of my team for their efforts throughout the weekend, and although it was disappointing to miss out on the win, we still managed to salvage the next best result.”
While Robinson won’t be racing this Saturday night at Brisbane’s Archerfield Speedway (Qld), due to his work Christmas party, he will be back in action on the Saturday night of December 15 at Valvoline Raceway, followed by the opening Mr Modified Series round on Boxing Night (December 26) at Lismore Speedway.
Robinson would like to thank his 2018-19 season sponsors: Castrol, Southside Truck Centre, Global Lubricant Distribution, GSR Suspension Development, Trevan Ford, Northern Truck Coolers, and A1 Signs.
Special thanks must go to Robinson’s hard-working pit crew – Bud, Larry, Micka, Andrew and Jake – along with his mum and dad (Faye and Steve), his wife Chloe and the kids, along with the rest of the team and supporters.
To find out more about Robinson and his team, LIKE them on Facebook by searching Robinson Motorsport.
