Track Schedules

DECATUR, ILL (Mar 11) – Nineteen year old sprint car driver, Kaley Gharst, is having a blast in his first visit ever to Australia. He’s torn up the racetracks in Bunbury and Perth, but that hasn’t helped him in trying to rent a street car. You have to be 21 to do that “Down Under”. That’s the only thing that has slowed him down, as he has turned heads and left a good first impression with Australian fans.

Kaley teamed up with the John Farrell family in Western Australia. It was a bit of a favor returned, as “Flyin’” Ryan Farrell joined the Gharst team last August for a few spins in the States, primarily at Knoxville Raceway. The plans included four nights of racing in Western Australia over the last two weekends. The first event was the “Krikke Boys Shootout” held Saturday and Sunday, March 1 and 2. It was held at the 3/8 mile Bunbury City Speedway near Bunbury.

Things started well in the Saturday night prelim with a fifth place run in qualifying in his first race on Australian soil. “I felt good about qualifying that well,” says Kaley. “We were back in the heat race, so we had to go to the B main.” From there he gained a transfer to the main event. “We got the car pretty nice for the feature,” he says. “We started in the back row and passed a bunch of cars on the first lap. Everyone was bottlenecking on the bottom, and I was able to cruise around the top.” Kaley ended up seventh (from 20th), putting him in good position for Saturday’s finale.

Starting on the front row of his heat, he ran second and then led start to finish in the dash on Saturday night. That put him outside the front row beside eventual winner, Robbie Farr, for the feature. “Farr just checked out on us. We never really had a chance at him,” says the Decatur, Illinois driver of his outstanding debut. “It ended up being a decent second place run, so we can’t complain about that a whole lot. It was one-lane, and never really got a cushion on it. It got a little rough, but we got through there.”

Qualifying didn’t go so well when the venue changed to the Perth Motorplex for the Friday and Saturday, March 7 and 8 “King of Wings” showdown. The likes of Kerry Madsen, Brooke Tatnell and Farr made the 42 car field stronger. “We seemed to go back to our old qualifying ways (27th) on Friday, unfortunately,” says Kaley. “We didn’t go anywhere in our heat race, so we started in row five for the B.” A run from 9th to 5th was enough to start the main event in the 23rd position in the high-banked 3/8 mile oval.

Kaley made the most of his opportunity. “Everyone was on the cushion, so I just kinda slid around the bottom and was able to get by some cars and work my way towards the front. Perth is a fun track!” Work forward he did, crossing the finish line seventh. He was awarded sixth when his teammate, who took the checkers in first, was deemed light at the scales. “I’m sure we were light too, we just didn’t get weighed that night,” jokes Kaley. “The weight rule here is 1500 pounds (compared to 1375 in most US races), so that makes it tricky.”

The solid finish put him in the front row of one of Saturday’s heat races. “We had a good starting spot there in the heat race, getting to start up front, but we screwed that up (finishing fourth), and that moved us back in the dash.” The result was a starting spot outside row five for the finale.

Again the young hotshoe surged forward. “We had a great start in the feature, and we were quickly up to fifth,” he says. “I went to pass (teammate) Farrell for fourth, and missed on a slide job. Another car got beside me, and we got together and that took us both out of the race.” The resulting DNF put an end to his Australian tour.

Soon, he will be back home to prepare for a rigorous stateside campaign. Kaley is definitely enjoying his little vacation, though! Surely, he’ll find a way around to see the sights this week. “We’ll be coming home a week from today,” he says. “I could stay here a little longer!” With a temperature peaking over 90 degrees in Perth today, surely he’s in no real hurry!

Keep an eye on Kaley’s progress this week and beyond at www.KaleyGharst.com !

Kaley would like to thank the following sponsors: Maxim Racing, Phillips’ Floors, Bell Racing, ProShocks, McKenna Truck Center, Charlie Fisher Racing Engines, Karl Chevrolet, Wilco Heating and Air Conditioning and HostIowa.net - Your Complete Internet Solution.

If you would like to receive Kaley’s weekly releases, send an e-mail with the subject line “Kaley” to sprntcar@iowatelecom.net .