10/2/2024
Late Model Racing Western Australia
HITTING THE GROUND RUNNING
For Joe Chalmers, the off season has not been an off season.
The Australian Champion packed up and headed to the USA as soon as the regular Australian season was finished to help out the BAR31 Team, and even got a few sneaky races in himself!
“We certainly haven’t had much of an off season this year with the opportunity I had to go back to America and help the BAR31 team!” says Joe. “We even got to run a select few shows on the Summer Nationals tour, claiming an overall quick time and a second place finish to Tanner English. That team has fast tracked my racing programme massively over the past five years and I can’t thank them enough.”
Joe is not only full of praise for the BAR 31 team and the opportunities he got through them, but also those that he got from the Roth family, former Australian visitors themselves.
“From friendships made, the opportunity came for us to head down to Bentonville, Arkansas to hang out with the Roth family” reminisces Joe. “In the month I spent there it was just surreal: from breakfast at Grammies to slip and slides at the farm! Whilst I was there I got a huge opportunity to race oval track karts with the family and burning some extra laps at the end of the night in a three kart race with Rhyse and Brendo… well it’s fair to say rubbin’ was racin’ that night! I also got a huge amount of laps in a Late Model, ticking off some of my childhood dreams by racing at so many tracks I have always wanted to race on. That is one special family and I am so looking forward to getting back there with them next year!”
Joe is now back home in Australia and he has certainly hit the ground running, not just to prepare for the upcoming season, but taking advantage of opportunities that have come about here.
“I’ve had the opportunity arise to do some selected shows for the Croker family team in NSW” says Joe. “On top of heading to the Australian Kart Titles, we have also been non stop building the car for round one of the Pro Dirt Series at Ellenbrook Speedway!”
One would think that with winning the Australian Late Model Title, the new season goals may take a bit of a back seat, but not so for Joe in season 2024/25.
“I’d like to finally win a main event at the Perth Motorplex!” laughs Joe. “It would be a dream to back up the Australia One at our home track, but I’m under no illusions that this season is going to be nothing but tough and I am absolutely looking forward to the challenge.”
Indeed, despite having seven career Late Model feature race wins at six venues all across Australia, a main event Pro Dirt Series win at the Motorplex eludes him, despite claiming a preliminary night feature win there three seasons ago.
History shows that getting a main event win anywhere in Western Australia is tough, and with the centre of Late Model racing, the Australian Title, to be held here in March as part of a huge month of money, the pressure is going to be on like never before.
Joe and the Team BCM Motorsport: team plan to run the full Pro Dirt Series once again this season, with the Albany Speedway Club show at Easter and the Red Dirt Rumble at Kalgoorlie International Speedway also on the radar. Can he retain the #1 and go one better in the Pro Dirt Series this season?
Find out when it all begins at Ellenbrook on the 12th of October!
Release by DTN Media.
Article Credit: DTN Media
