By Dean Thompson
Narre Warren youngster Hunter Carey is excited to be back for the summer speedway season with the St Joseph student set to take to the track in style.
Hunter and his father recently completed a build of a new FGX Ford Falcon race car for the youngster to compete in this season at speedways around Victoria.
Hunter, who has raced in Victorian Speedway Council Standard Saloon Juniors and Junior Open Sedans, has a new Speedway Sedans Australia spec Modified Sedan.
He will now register to compete as a Junior Open Sedan.
Hunter and his father Hohepa Otimi, a New Zealand ex-pat, spend weekends each speedway season travelling around, cutting laps at regional cities such as Swan Hill, Wangaratta, and Bairnsdale and speedway towns like Alexandra, Daylesford, Wahgunyah, Nyora, Rosedale and Drouin.
Occasionally mum Kate tags along also.
While he is one of many youngsters racing each weekend, at just 13 years of age it is still unique to most people at school and around his hometown, friends and family, that he is a race car driver.
“My mates and school colleagues think that what I do is a bit different,” Hunter said.
“Most of them are into football, cricket or basketball, while I am out flinging dirt.
“They are amazed I can actually drive a race car, because some people I know still have not had the opportunity to start their learners.
“I get a lot of questions from people when they find out what I do.”
His love for motorsport is a result of his father being a keen New Zealand Stock Car fan before relocating to Australia many years ago.
Hunter caught the bug just like dad and they decided to go out and have some fun behind the wheel.
This season, as well as getting back to tracks they have already competed at, they hope to get to Mount Beauty, Nagambie, Rushworth, and other tracks that run Junior classes they compete in. Hunter will need to get used to his new car, for however long that takes, and eventually try to compete closely with adult lap times down the track.
Hunter has dreams to compete in one of many national level categories in Australia and is still working on the decision.
It is likely he may first move into Modified Sedans once he is of the required age and head up to Queensland to places like Kingaroy and Gympie to compete.
However another class of interest is the Mod Lites, although the class currently does not have a foothold in Victoria with racing in South Australia and Mildura.
Hunter and 3KRT (3 Kiwis Racing Team) would like to thank the following businesses for their support; Miles Mechanical, Ramsdale Wreckers and Melbourne IT.
