Putting no shortage of time and effort into preparing his AMCA National during the off season, Shannon Singleton’s hard work has already proved fruitful, having recently collecting his first podium result of the season.
Returning to the track last season following an eight-year stint out of the driver’s seat, Singleton’s return was an encouraging one, picking up a third-place finish in just his second race meeting.
However, the half a dozen outings he completed aboard his recently-purchased 350 Chev-powered NSW # 39 Diverse Civil Contracting / Xtreme Fuel Systems supported Redline car highlighted the numerous changes he needed to make to the car to suit his driving style.
Spending most of the off season in the shed with his team implementing these changes, Singleton was eager to make his 2018-19 season debut at Sydney’s Valvoline Raceway on Boxing Night, but the event didn’t quite reward him with the results he was hoping for, with an electrical issue bringing his night to a premature end.
Regrouping before returning to the track just a few nights later, Singleton’s campaign commenced in the best possible fashion with a win in his opening heat race, which bolstered him for the 20-lap feature race, where he was set to start out of position four by virtue of a seventh-place finish in heat race two.
Maintaining his composure at the drop of the green flag, Singleton was able to hold on to his starting position, quickly moving into third place by lap three and going on to cross the finish line in the final podium spot.
“The amount of work we did to the car over the off season in order to match its setup with me as a driver was massive, but it’s definitely paid off and I’m feeling much more comfortable in the driver’s seat than I had previously,” explained Singleton, from Pheasants Nest in the Wollondilly Shire of NSW.
“I can’t thank my small team enough for their efforts over the off season. Preparation is so important when it comes to racing and thanks to all of the hard work we put in, we’ve set ourselves up to be consistently competitive for the remainder of the season.”
Planning to race locally throughout the season, Singleton’s next appearance will be this Saturday night at Valvoline Raceway.
Singleton would like to thank his 2018-19 season sponsors: Diverse Civil Contracting, Xtreme Fuel Systems, JMAK Haulage, and Oz Ink Tattoo Studio – Bali. Special thanks go to his wife (Sarah) and their daughter (Dakota), Andrew Ash, Thomas Hazeltine, Nick and Sacha Robbins, and Nigel and Kathleen Whittaker.
To follow Singleton’s racing activities, LIKE his new Facebook page by searching Singleton Racing.
