In what was a massive coup for Mitchell Randall, the in-form racer’s 2018-19 season went from good to even better last weekend at Toowoomba’s Hi-Tec Oils Speedway when he claimed an impressive runner-up Australian V8 Dirt Modified Championship result.
A model of consistency throughout the two-night event, which featured a 30-strong field of the country’s best V8 Dirt Modified drivers, the 26-year-old displayed solid pace aboard his NSW # 91 Rodney’s Auto Centre / Markulin Consulting supported Troyer from Thursday night’s practice sessions right through to Saturday night’s Australian Championship-deciding feature race.
With just one point separating him from pole position, which was secured by defending and three-time Australian Champion Kevin Britten, following a second and fourth-place finish in his remaining heat races on Saturday night, Randall did a fantastic job of keeping Britten honest throughout the 35-lap distance, crossing the finish line just over two tenths of a second behind first place.
“If you had said to be me at the beginning of the weekend that I’d finish second, I would not have believed you, so to actually achieve it is quite a surreal feeling,” commented Randall, who headed into the second night of competition equal third in points after placing first and second in Friday night’s heat races to qualify on pole position for the second Silver Shootout preliminary feature race, eventually finishing in third.
“My team gave me a great car all weekend and I was able to drive it consistently, and it rewarded us with a result that exceed well beyond our own expectations.
“Being such a small team, this gives us such a boost in confidence that we can mix it with the best racers in the country and it also continues on our great season so far.”
Riding a wave of confidence off the back of his Australian Championship podium, the Grafton, NSW-based racer will now turn his attention to this Saturday night’s NSW Title at Lismore Speedway, which doubles as the opening 5 Star Dirt Series round. While the NSW Title will take place over a single night of competition, this weekend’s visit to Lismore Speedway will be a doubleheader, with drivers contesting Sunday night’s Golden 50.
Randall would like to thank his 2018-19 season supporters: Rodney’s Auto Centre, Castrol, Fox Shock Lab Australia, Speedway Stickers, and Markulin Consulting (for all of your tax and accounting needs). He would also like to thank his grandfather (Cole), his girlfriend (Melissa), his hard-working crew members (Kevin, Gav and Mitch), and Paul Markulin.
To find out more about Randall and his team, LIKE them on Facebook by searching Mitchell Randall Racing.
