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s29 "Mumbo" Matt Egel
Ride onboard with Matt Egel in Sprintcar s29
Matt Egel Speedway Sprint 410 Photo Highlights
Name: Matt Egel
Age:25
Born:1985 Lives: St. Agnes
Nicknames: Mumbo-Matt
First Job: Brake mechanic
First Race: Age 8 in a go-kart
Career Highlights: Winning 4 A-mains, podium in Speed Week WSS and setting quick time at Warrnambool and Mount Gambier
Four people you would invite to dinner: Valentino Rossi, Adam Sandler, Tony Stewart and the President of the
Favourite Circuit and Why: Warrnambool, fast and racy
Favourite Motor sport Identity: Valentino Rossi
Biggest Career Influence: Donny Schatz
Career Ambitions: Full time racer
Some thing you would never do: Wrestle a croc
Favourite things:
Movie: The Hangover
TV Show: Rove
Music Artist: Powder Finger
Drink:
Food: Steak and chips
Chassis: XXX
Engine Builder: PM Race Engines
Sponsors: T & S Refrigeration & Electrical of Tanunda, Speedway City, PM Race Engines, D.J. Mun-Yard Services,Gulf Western Oil, XXX Race Parts, BR Motorsport, PROTEC,Total Tools, Ian Jones Auto Parts & Hoolagators All American Diecast.
Team Members: Sean,Gary
Team Members: Sean,
Coming Soon to Speedway near you.
The art work and concept was done by Graphic Artist Stephen at SP Visual.
Come and say "Hello" to Matt and T&S Race Team in the pits and have a poster signed.
19/07/10 - The Barossa Can Claim Fine Wines and Now Egel!
Author: John Burton
The Barossa Valley township of Nuriootpa can be somewhat sleepy at this cold and damp time of the year, but the air was hot around the T&S Refrigeration & Electrical Business premises on Friday, July 16th, when invited guests were 'coming in out of the cold' to take a firsthand look at the newest thing to hit town!
As major sponsors of the Egel Racing, S 29 "Quick Time" Sprintcar, T&S principal Tony Whitehair & company accountant, Chris Lee, proudly introduced fellow workers, customers, suppliers and other business partners to one of Australia's emerging speedway stars, in Matt Egel and the new s29 sprintcar.
Chris Lee said " I really feel that the Barossa will take to young Matt and the team, and with local backing (from T&S) they can be proud of the fact that there is a fully dedicated race team originating out of Nuriootpa".
Peter Michaels of PM Race Engines was on hand to talk to the 'prospective rev heads' who all just had to know "how much horse power does this thing produce"?? Peter inevitably responded with "the average Sprintcar is developing around 850hp". One able mathematician quickly worked out that with the weight ruling of 657Kgs for car and driver that this was "around 1.25HP per Kilo" !! This likeable local added.." These things are like a Jatz Cracker with an Outboard"!
Not only being the teams engine builder, PM Race Engines will now also be supplying Egel Racing with the brand new "Quick Time" Chassis and spare parts, owned by long time campaigner Allan Woods.
David Grose from Hoolagators, All American Diecast was present too, and displayed a fabulous 1/18th scale model of the s29 Egel Sprintcar, built by Jason Taylor of Winged Wonders and with a new range of Matt Egel collectables, including coffee mugs, mouse pads, new posters and key rings, designed by Stephen Purchase of SP Visual and the gathered throng were totally impressed with both the professionalism and enthusiasm of the entire race team. Crew members Gary & Darren were on hand to talk to guests, and to give them an insight into sprintcar racing in Australia today.
A touching speech by Kevin Egel, Matt's Dad, had the gathered group quiet, as Kevin thanked Chris & Tony, their wives, families, employees and friends, for their faith and foresight in backing the 25 year old in his quest to take on both Australia and America's best, when the 2010/11 season gets underway, come September. "You can all see the professional way in which Tony & Chris runs this great business, and it's that professionalism, backed with fun, that we will take racing this year". Kevin said. He finished with " We have always known that Matt has the ability, the natural talent, and with the backing of T&S, he now has the equipment to move further ahead in with his career."
Matt also thanked all those present for showing an interest in his racing, and a special big thank you was saved for Chris & Tony, and of course, his Mum Jenny.
A highlight of the afternoon at Nuri (Nuriootpa) was when Matt presented 7 year old Ben Lee (Grandson of Chris and Pam) with a replica s29 remote controlled sprintcar. To simplify a long story, it was young Ben that first got "grandad" (Chris) interested in Matt Egel, when Ben asked Chris to get him a photo of Matt's car. The end result was Chris got the photo, and ended up being a major shareholder in the race team! Matt thanked Ben for his insistence on grandad getting that photograph.
With pledges of support being shown from other local business houses, Chris Lee is very confident that the team will run a very full schedule of racing for the season ahead, and apart from supporting events at Adelaide's Speedway City, the team will also travel a large amount, to ensure that they all gain the experience and the exposure that both they and their sponsors require, and after seeing the new equipment available to the team this year, feeling the enthusiasm amongst team principals and the crew, the name Matt Egel will be amongst Australia's high ranking speedway competitors for the season's to come.
For more information on Matt Egel / T&S Racing contact either Chris Lee on 0488 503 405 or Andrew Carlier on 0417 880 525.
Author: John Burton
The Barossa Valley township of Nuriootpa can be somewhat sleepy at this cold and damp time of the year, but the air was hot around the T&S Refrigeration & Electrical Business premises on Friday, July 16th, when invited guests were 'coming in out of the cold' to take a firsthand look at the newest thing to hit town!
As major sponsors of the Egel Racing, S 29 "Quick Time" Sprintcar, T&S principal Tony Whitehair & company accountant, Chris Lee, proudly introduced fellow workers, customers, suppliers and other business partners to one of Australia's emerging speedway stars, in Matt Egel and the new s29 sprintcar.
Chris Lee said " I really feel that the Barossa will take to young Matt and the team, and with local backing (from T&S) they can be proud of the fact that there is a fully dedicated race team originating out of Nuriootpa".
Peter Michaels of PM Race Engines was on hand to talk to the 'prospective rev heads' who all just had to know "how much horse power does this thing produce"?? Peter inevitably responded with "the average Sprintcar is developing around 850hp". One able mathematician quickly worked out that with the weight ruling of 657Kgs for car and driver that this was "around 1.25HP per Kilo" !! This likeable local added.." These things are like a Jatz Cracker with an Outboard"!
Not only being the teams engine builder, PM Race Engines will now also be supplying Egel Racing with the brand new "Quick Time" Chassis and spare parts, owned by long time campaigner Allan Woods.
David Grose from Hoolagators, All American Diecast was present too, and displayed a fabulous 1/18th scale model of the s29 Egel Sprintcar, built by Jason Taylor of Winged Wonders and with a new range of Matt Egel collectables, including coffee mugs, mouse pads, new posters and key rings, designed by Stephen Purchase of SP Visual and the gathered throng were totally impressed with both the professionalism and enthusiasm of the entire race team. Crew members Gary & Darren were on hand to talk to guests, and to give them an insight into sprintcar racing in Australia today.
A touching speech by Kevin Egel, Matt's Dad, had the gathered group quiet, as Kevin thanked Chris & Tony, their wives, families, employees and friends, for their faith and foresight in backing the 25 year old in his quest to take on both Australia and America's best, when the 2010/11 season gets underway, come September. "You can all see the professional way in which Tony & Chris runs this great business, and it's that professionalism, backed with fun, that we will take racing this year". Kevin said. He finished with " We have always known that Matt has the ability, the natural talent, and with the backing of T&S, he now has the equipment to move further ahead in with his career."
Matt also thanked all those present for showing an interest in his racing, and a special big thank you was saved for Chris & Tony, and of course, his Mum Jenny.
A highlight of the afternoon at Nuri (Nuriootpa) was when Matt presented 7 year old Ben Lee (Grandson of Chris and Pam) with a replica s29 remote controlled sprintcar. To simplify a long story, it was young Ben that first got "grandad" (Chris) interested in Matt Egel, when Ben asked Chris to get him a photo of Matt's car. The end result was Chris got the photo, and ended up being a major shareholder in the race team! Matt thanked Ben for his insistence on grandad getting that photograph.
With pledges of support being shown from other local business houses, Chris Lee is very confident that the team will run a very full schedule of racing for the season ahead, and apart from supporting events at Adelaide's Speedway City, the team will also travel a large amount, to ensure that they all gain the experience and the exposure that both they and their sponsors require, and after seeing the new equipment available to the team this year, feeling the enthusiasm amongst team principals and the crew, the name Matt Egel will be amongst Australia's high ranking speedway competitors for the season's to come.
For more information on Matt Egel / T&S Racing contact either Chris Lee on 0488 503 405 or Andrew Carlier on 0417 880 525.
05/06/10 - Egel Is A Part Of The New Young Brigade
Author: John Burton
After qualifying on the fourth row of the A main grid, in 7th position, for the Australian Sprintcar Titles at Darwin's Northline Speedway, Adelaide's Matt Egel is part and parcel to a "new regime" of younger and hungrier drivers, which is emerging onto the Australian Speedway scene.
Author: John Burton
After qualifying on the fourth row of the A main grid, in 7th position, for the Australian Sprintcar Titles at Darwin's Northline Speedway, Adelaide's Matt Egel is part and parcel to a "new regime" of younger and hungrier drivers, which is emerging onto the Australian Speedway scene.
Looking at the top 4 place getters, starting with 20 yr old James McFadden, followed home by Steven Bell and Jamie Maiolo, put Egel on the end of that pack, and the future of Sprintcar racing in this country is looking very healthy.
Egel, who was a last minute nomination for the titles, drove the team transporter to Darwin in two days from his base at St. Agnes in South Australia, with the newly liveried T & S Refrigeration & Electrical sponsored race car, and knew that he had one big job in front of him to get to grab the opportunity to challenge for the win.
Kevin Egel, Matt's father, told me last week...Matt knows he has a big job in front of him, and he and I discussed the fact that no-one will win this unless they make the A main, and that is all Matt is out to do, as his first goal."
After setting a top ten time trial time, Egel continued to work hard at his race craft on Saturday night, and finished the night in a strong 6th position overall.
Taking the T & S S29 car back to their Darwin base, the workshop of Julie & Terry Carew, the team had only routine maintenance to do to have the XXX car ready for Sunday night's final heats and features.
The PM race engine was "given a polish" and allowed some fresh oil, and the rest of the car was given the luxury of a soapy wash.
"We worked till 6am and there was really nothing to do except some standard checks and stuff". .Matt told me yesterday, and added..."because it's too hot during the day, so it's better to get some sleep then, which I have managed to do".
Egels 4th heat of the titles saw him go out of pole and dominate the 10 lap journey from green to checker. Matt was entrenching himself into the A Main.
The 5th heat saw S29 off the back and driving with the maturity, which we have come to see in the 24 year old, Matt took few risks, and consolidated himself into the A main with an impressive 6th placing.
Going into the final, Egel knew he had some good company with the likes of Farrell, Madsen, McFadden, Bell and co. in front of him and Green, Brazier, Dumesny and Farr behind, and he planned his drive to survive.
As we all know the final results, and the controversy which appears to have plagued the finals, Matt Egel can return to his Adelaide base, head held high in the knowledge that he and the T & S Team achieved all the goals that they had set, and exceeded them to boot.
Kevin and wife Jenny were disappointed to not be in Darwin for the final night, but like many, got caught up in the "weather" which saw them have to leave Darwin in the early hours of Sunday morning, and they got to see and hear of Matt's progress on the internet, courtesy of Streaming Australia.
"Unfortunately work commitments brought us home, but hey, nothing you can do about the weather, and we are just over the moon with the results, and with Matt�s cool headed driving all weekend." Kevin said today. "And when you consider, after April, and the final Speedway City meeting, the team was sold, and the thought of Matt even able to get to Darwin was out of the question. If it wasn't for new team partners, T & S Refrigeration & Electrical, Tony and Chris and the crew, Matt would never have been a part of it and to come home 4th out of that many good competitors is fantastic."
One thing that Kevin omitted to point out was that Matt had come down with the flu on Saturday, and was suffering dehydration, due to both the illness and the heat of the NT.
Chris Lee from T & S told me today... He (Matt) did a fantastic job considering that he wasn't well, and the mere fact that he had 40 grueling laps in front of him, just didn't seem to faze him."
PM Engines worked to a very tough time restraint to get the S29's motor ready, due to the last minute decision to be a part of the titles and Chris Lee from T & S said.. "Without the effort that Peter put in, we had seriously thought we were going to go to Darwin without that new killer 410 and we had a contingency plan in place just in case we needed a back up motor. T & S and everyone involved can't thank Peter Michaels enough".
Dave Grose of Hoolagators fame, was equally impressed and simply stated "Well that's the Matt we know, he will never give up."
Hoolagators have some new and exciting promotional products lined up for the 2010- 2011 season, for fan's to grab, and as one of Egel's long term supporters, Dave is always very happy to show and demonstrate any speedway merchandise when he visits a speedway near you.
I asked Dave what he thought of the new team look and potential and his answer was predictably Dave......."Young Matt has always been a fierce competitor. It's instilled in him, and he always give's 100 percent. T & S Refrigeration & Electrical have come along at the right time, and they have recognized Matt's talents and decided to get on board and support this guy and all in all, I recon this is the real start to Matt's career".....Dave finished by saying.."People have to remember that as of April 19th, Matt was literally unsponsored and potentially looking for a drive somewhere, so to be able to take the new partners (T&S) on board to the Aussies and do so well, is absolutely fantastic."
The team is yet to touch base with a number of previous sponsors to outline the teams program me for the season ahead, and this will all go to ensuring a successful campaign. T & S will also be addressing some other prospective sponsorship issues before the start of 2010/2011 season and have a lot of interest already and I think Matt's great effort in Darwin has helped no end.
On April 19th, 2010, the previous naming rights sponsor withdrew from part ownership of the team, as he had announced early in the new year that his involvement would only run through to the last meeting in South Australia.
"Tony Whitehair (CEO of T & S) and I looked at the option of purchasing a sprint car out of Sydney while we were there on business and either way, I was going to get involved in a sprint car and Tony was very supportive for me to do so. One way or another we were going to put Matt into a sprint car to go racing even if it meant starting from scratch. Chris Lee stated today.
At no time previous was there any discussion of the team even contemplating being in Darwin, so when the opportunity was afforded Egel by T & S, needless to say he jumped at it.
Matt would like to thank T & S Refrigeration & Electrical, Hoolagators, Ian Jones Auto Parts, PM Engines, XXX Chassis, Smileys Race Parts, Blair Athol Auto Parts, Speedway City and all his crew who found the time and the energy to be a part of the Australian Sprintcar Title's, in Gary, Darren & Brendan Quinn, Brendon Guerin, Kevin & Jenny (Dad & Mum), Tony Whitehair, Chris Lee and the T&S team. Thanks to Paul Carruthers for supplying the great photos, and to all that assisted Matt in the NT. Special thanks must go to Makin Traks Tours, Palmerston Powder Coaters and Darwin Windows.
29/05/10 Egel Takes T & S Team To A New High In Darwin.
Author: John Burton
Matt Egel is the hot shoe at the 2010 Australian Sprintcar Title and the leading South Australian driver with an impressive 6th position in the points after the first nights racing at the Australian Sprintcar Titles in Darwin�s Northline Speedway.
Author: John Burton
Matt Egel is the hot shoe at the 2010 Australian Sprintcar Title and the leading South Australian driver with an impressive 6th position in the points after the first nights racing at the Australian Sprintcar Titles in Darwin�s Northline Speedway.
After setting an impressive quick time in open practice on Thursday night, which saw Egel 6th and only .195 of a second behind eventual "Quick time" man, Danny Reidy, Egel felt that he had the car under him to do well in his heats.
The 1st heat for Matt was race 4 and it had him starting out of Position 6 where he came home in 4th spot, with Ricky Maiolo taking the honors.
Race 9 was his 2nd heat and Matt started out of Position 5 and came home second behind Mt Gambier�s, Steven Lines.
In the preliminary 20 lap "A" Main, Egel started out of Position 7 and with a blistering pace and nicely set up race car, was sitting in 2nd place with two laps to go. A big accident saw the car of Dobson flip heavily and with the two laps left it was always going to be a challenge to keep both the determined Ryan Farrell and James McFadden behind him.
At the restart, Egel pushed wide, allowing both these drivers to pass, but the even more determined Egel managed his way back past McFadden, but didn't have enough time left to run Farrell down again.
In the end it was Kerry Madsen 1st, Ryan Farrell 2nd, Matt Egel 3rd & James Mc Fadden home for 4th.
Egel goes into Sunday nights heat and finals in a very promising 6th position overall.
The T & S Commercial & Industrial Refrigeration & Electrical sponsored S29, with Matt Egel at the wheel has run faultlessly so far and the entire team are very upbeat over the "new found" power, focus and reliability that they now have at their disposal.
04/05/10 - Egel Fly's The Nest!
by John Burton
by John Burton
After finishing the 2009/10 season second outright to Luke Dillon by a mere 28 points in the Speedway City, Revolution Race Gear Track Championships, Adelaide's Matt Egel, now readies his "new team" for the Australian Sprintcar Championships, to be held in Darwin this month.
The familiar White, Black and Red S29 will no longer be a feature of Aussie race tracks again, as Egel has signed a deal with Barossa business, T & S Refrigeration & Electrical, who will be naming rights sponsors of the team for the 2010/11 season.
"I didn't expect to be in a position to contest the Aussies, but T & S Refrigeration & Electrical have ensured that we get there." Matt told me.
T & S Refrigeration & Electrical have purchased a big percentage of the team and company principal's Chris Lee and Tony Whitehair have seen the potential that Egel displays, and is very keen to see the young driver achieve a new level in the sport.
Refreshed engines, a considerable amount of new spare parts and of course the new livery, should see a "new" Matt Egel on track, not only in the NT, but back on familiar race tracks for the seasons ahead.
"Our previous sponsors, JR & RT Walker, did a great job and we gave as much as we could with what we had, but now, it's time to get into a different gear and with T & S Refrigeration & Electrical, they can give me the tools to go that bit further"...Matt said recently.
Like many competitors in motor racing, Team Egel has suffered from a "lack of finance" at times, and had to rely on an 'under powered' engine, and even, used tyres to get through a series of meetings, and frankly, this hasn't been able to provide the talented youngster with the tools to show what he can ultimately do in a sprintcar.
"The secondary engine has been refreshed, and we now wait for the primary motor to be rebuilt, which PM has under control." an enthusiastic Egel exclaimed recently.
PM Race Engines has maintained Egel's motors for a time now, and will continue to be the team�s engine builder for the future. Something that Egel is very happy about.
"With around 60 cars in Darwin, and the fact that it appears that the championship will be the first meeting of the season up there, it should be interesting." Matt said. He continued...�I don't know if the track needs to settle after the wet season or not, but it's the same for everyone, so it will be an interesting weekend I recon."
Matt will announce the other team sponsors soon, and even though the focus now is on getting the s29 XXX ready for Darwin, he is working with a number of current sponsors, including HOOLAGATORS, All American Diecast to ensure that they continue to get the exposure that they deserve, and that season 2010/11 is a successful one for all.
The familiar White, Black and Red S29 will no longer be a feature of Aussie race tracks again, as Egel has signed a deal with Barossa business, T & S Refrigeration & Electrical, who will be naming rights sponsors of the team for the 2010/11 season.
"I didn't expect to be in a position to contest the Aussies, but T & S Refrigeration & Electrical have ensured that we get there." Matt told me.
T & S Refrigeration & Electrical have purchased a big percentage of the team and company principal's Chris Lee and Tony Whitehair have seen the potential that Egel displays, and is very keen to see the young driver achieve a new level in the sport.
Refreshed engines, a considerable amount of new spare parts and of course the new livery, should see a "new" Matt Egel on track, not only in the NT, but back on familiar race tracks for the seasons ahead.
"Our previous sponsors, JR & RT Walker, did a great job and we gave as much as we could with what we had, but now, it's time to get into a different gear and with T & S Refrigeration & Electrical, they can give me the tools to go that bit further"...Matt said recently.
Like many competitors in motor racing, Team Egel has suffered from a "lack of finance" at times, and had to rely on an 'under powered' engine, and even, used tyres to get through a series of meetings, and frankly, this hasn't been able to provide the talented youngster with the tools to show what he can ultimately do in a sprintcar.
"The secondary engine has been refreshed, and we now wait for the primary motor to be rebuilt, which PM has under control." an enthusiastic Egel exclaimed recently.
PM Race Engines has maintained Egel's motors for a time now, and will continue to be the team�s engine builder for the future. Something that Egel is very happy about.
"With around 60 cars in Darwin, and the fact that it appears that the championship will be the first meeting of the season up there, it should be interesting." Matt said. He continued...�I don't know if the track needs to settle after the wet season or not, but it's the same for everyone, so it will be an interesting weekend I recon."
Matt will announce the other team sponsors soon, and even though the focus now is on getting the s29 XXX ready for Darwin, he is working with a number of current sponsors, including HOOLAGATORS, All American Diecast to ensure that they continue to get the exposure that they deserve, and that season 2010/11 is a successful one for all.
09/04/10 - Can Egel Take A Trick?
by John Burton
by John Burton
After what seemed like a night of racing straight out of the text book, Adelaide's Matt Egel is still asking himself "What do I have to do to win one at the moment"?
The S29 XXX Egel / Walker Sprintcar was obviously "on song" last Sunday night ( April 4th ) as after going out of position five in heat one, Egel challenged and passed the second place car of Jason Sloan twice in two laps, only to have yellow light conditions see him relegated back to third spot each time.
In his second heat race of the Easter Sunday event, Egel passed John Cobby and Alice Springs resident Mick Goryan to move again, from fifth to third, and the S29 and its pilot were both looking "racey".
The two third place finishes saw Egel qualify for pole position for the 25 lap A main event, and at the green light it was Egel all the way.
Looking as though this race could go the full distance nonstop and moving away from both Justin Sloan and Terry Pitt, it was always going to be down to lapped cars playing a role. Phil March was moving forward at a great rate of knots, as Egel descended upon the lapped cars of Goryan, Bowey and Agars.
On lap 17, as the S29 exited turn two of the Speedway City Clay way, Scott Agars in the S13 car spun, and unfortunately for Egel, the out of form Agars simply did not find his brake pedal and the S13 car rolled straight into the path of the race leader, seeing them collide heavily, and eliminating the pair of them from any further role in the race.
A disappointed Matt told me after the incident...� I thought I was clear, but then Scott (Agars) just rolled back up the track and I had nowhere to go", Matt continued "The car in the feature was on rails and I knew we had good car speed against the rest of the field. I feel like I have really got a handle on this new XXX car in the last few shows, and I have not gone without a win in a season since starting in sprintcars and I don't want that to stop anytime soon either, so to not get that win on the weekend even though it was only a club show is frustrating very frustrating."
Maybe a change of scenery will reflect better luck for this young competitor, as he intends to compete in the Australian Titles in Darwin, come this May.
New team sponsors, T & S Refrigeration & Electrical of Tanunda have been strong supporters of Egel's NT challenge, and after talking to Matt last Sunday night, I got the feeling that he and the entire Egel / Walker Race Team are looking forward to tackling a new race track and hopefully some "new luck".
With the final round of the Revolution Race Gear / Speedway City Track Championships being held this Saturday (April 10th) Egel is determined to get himself forward of his existing third position. After the disappointing start to this season, Egel has done well to climb back into the top three and with his gutsy driving style and a bit of luck on his side; he should better his outright standings.
Team Egel Walker Racing is proudly sponsored by: JR&RT Walker, NHP, Speedway City, Control Automation Concepts, Consolidated Power, PM Race Engines, ARMOR ALL, D.J. Mun-Yard Services, Gulf Western Oil, XXX Race Parts, BR Motorsport, PROTEC, Total Tools, Ian Jones Auto Parts, Hoolagators All American Diecast & T & S Refrigeration & Electrical of Tanunda.
Photography by Mike - JDMPhotos
Photography by Linda Savage
25/10/10 - Egel Almost In the GT Cup As the Crowd Is On Its Feet.
Author: John Burton
Author: John Burton
An invigorated Matt Egel went into the George Tatnell Cup at Adelaide's Speedway City last Saturday night, March 20th, and had a fight on his hands that proved to be a monumental finish to the exciting 30 lap A main feature race.
The night started out well for the St Agnes young gun, when he came in for second place in his first heat, just behind the highly experienced David Murcott and was followed home by Track Championship leader, Jamie Cobby.
In his second heat, Egel managed a strong sixth spot at the chequers after going out of position ten. Both Cobby and Murcott failed to finish the heat and this all went to assist Egels cause for a solid A Main start, but first he had to do well in the "Dashes" to secure a pointy end of the grid start.
The dashes were a six car affair, with the four front cars being alternatively given a top four starting spot. Egel won two of the dashes, one from position two, with Robbie Farr on pole, and the second from pole, with Ryan Jones out of two. This ultimately set him up for a third spot start on the A Main grid.
Going out of third spot, with Robbie Farr on pole, Ryan Jones out of second and Luke Dillon from four, the 30 lap journey looked from the outset, to be a race to remember. Farr had chosen the outside starting position, and later commented that in hindsight it wasn't the way to go as Jones took the early lead and with both Farr and Egel on his heels, Jones looked as though he would run a faultless race.
Mid race, Egel took a shot, and did a slide job on Farr, moving Egel into the second spot and now, right on Jones's hammer.
The pair of Egel and Jones went about their business of racing each other hard and fast, when with a couple of laps to go, Egel seized his best opportunity, and following a restart, caught Jones "napping". Going across the start finish line the "yellows" came on again and Egel was deemed to have not been in front of Jones, so at this restart, Egel was relegated back to second spot.
This time Jones was not going to be caught out again, and defended his track position well. Egel, who by now had lost effective braking, due to a touch earlier in the race, found himself literally climbing all over the back of the S63 of Jones. Maintaining good car control, Egel continued on, but Farr had retaken his second position on the race track.
With only two laps left in it, this was probably one of the most exciting 410 Sprintcar races we had seen in years, and as Jones headed for the chequered flags, waved with his usual enthusiasm, by Scott McIntosh, Farr challenged Jones to the line, by running up against the wall off of turn 4.
Jones was finishing with a deflating tyre, and as they neared the finish line Farr touched the wall and turning infield, rotated the Q7 J&J across the track backwards, taking the second spot in reverse!
Egel, who was closing on the front two cars, and still carrying his brake deficiency, climbed over the top of the Q7 car of Farr, and the entire Speedway City crowd was on its feet.
�I had no-where to go".Matt told me after the race...�I lost brakes early, and that is part of the reason I climbed up Jonesy on that restart, but when Robbie came across the track backwards, I could only manage to get infield, but we still made contact".
Maybe it was a god send that the two cars did make contact, because Farr's car was heading towards clerk of course, Scott McIntosh at a very fast rate, and following the contact with Egel, both cars changed directions.
Matt is confident of finishing higher than his current 3rd spot in the Speedway City Track Championships in a few weeks, and with new sponsors, T & S Refrigeration and Electrical of Tanunda on board, the team are looking to finish 2009/10 well, and then prepare fully for the 2010/11 season, which is holding much more promise than has the past couple of seasons. Prior to this event Egel was sitting a distant 5th spot in the series but is now 16 points behind Mark Reuter and a father 2 points from Luke Dillon.
PM Race Engines were delighted to have two cars on the podium, with Ryan Jones' motor and Matt Egel's motor both heralding from the PM workshops, and PM told me after the race...� I thought "OH NO" when the two guy's touched after that restart, and I thought it was going to be "hero to zero", but these two guys do know what they are doing, and they are responsible race drivers, so it was great to see them both up on the podium". .PM finished by saying "Matt has had an up and down year so far, and people don't realize that he is not running his top engine and hasn't since January, and to do what he has done with the "baby" motor, is pretty good".
With very promising sponsorship coming the team�s way for next season, we will get to see the talent that Egel truly possesses, and it's literally been a funding problem all along with Matt�s performance and at times he has driven "around" that problem.
I am sure no fan's left the venue disappointed and even George Tatnell himself, would have been smiling at the tenacity of the three podium getters, and the unbelievably race finish.
TSR Racing is proudly sponsored by: PM Race Engines, ARMOR ALL, D.J. Mun-Yard Services, Gulf Western Oil, XXX Race Parts, PROTEC, Total Tools, SMILEYS Race Patrs, Ian Jones Auto Parts & Hoolagators All American Diecast.
Team Egel Walker would like to welcome T & S Refrigeration & Electrical of Tanunda to the team.
The night started out well for the St Agnes young gun, when he came in for second place in his first heat, just behind the highly experienced David Murcott and was followed home by Track Championship leader, Jamie Cobby.
In his second heat, Egel managed a strong sixth spot at the chequers after going out of position ten. Both Cobby and Murcott failed to finish the heat and this all went to assist Egels cause for a solid A Main start, but first he had to do well in the "Dashes" to secure a pointy end of the grid start.
The dashes were a six car affair, with the four front cars being alternatively given a top four starting spot. Egel won two of the dashes, one from position two, with Robbie Farr on pole, and the second from pole, with Ryan Jones out of two. This ultimately set him up for a third spot start on the A Main grid.
Going out of third spot, with Robbie Farr on pole, Ryan Jones out of second and Luke Dillon from four, the 30 lap journey looked from the outset, to be a race to remember. Farr had chosen the outside starting position, and later commented that in hindsight it wasn't the way to go as Jones took the early lead and with both Farr and Egel on his heels, Jones looked as though he would run a faultless race.
Mid race, Egel took a shot, and did a slide job on Farr, moving Egel into the second spot and now, right on Jones's hammer.
The pair of Egel and Jones went about their business of racing each other hard and fast, when with a couple of laps to go, Egel seized his best opportunity, and following a restart, caught Jones "napping". Going across the start finish line the "yellows" came on again and Egel was deemed to have not been in front of Jones, so at this restart, Egel was relegated back to second spot.
This time Jones was not going to be caught out again, and defended his track position well. Egel, who by now had lost effective braking, due to a touch earlier in the race, found himself literally climbing all over the back of the S63 of Jones. Maintaining good car control, Egel continued on, but Farr had retaken his second position on the race track.
With only two laps left in it, this was probably one of the most exciting 410 Sprintcar races we had seen in years, and as Jones headed for the chequered flags, waved with his usual enthusiasm, by Scott McIntosh, Farr challenged Jones to the line, by running up against the wall off of turn 4.
Jones was finishing with a deflating tyre, and as they neared the finish line Farr touched the wall and turning infield, rotated the Q7 J&J across the track backwards, taking the second spot in reverse!
Egel, who was closing on the front two cars, and still carrying his brake deficiency, climbed over the top of the Q7 car of Farr, and the entire Speedway City crowd was on its feet.
�I had no-where to go".Matt told me after the race...�I lost brakes early, and that is part of the reason I climbed up Jonesy on that restart, but when Robbie came across the track backwards, I could only manage to get infield, but we still made contact".
Maybe it was a god send that the two cars did make contact, because Farr's car was heading towards clerk of course, Scott McIntosh at a very fast rate, and following the contact with Egel, both cars changed directions.
Matt is confident of finishing higher than his current 3rd spot in the Speedway City Track Championships in a few weeks, and with new sponsors, T & S Refrigeration and Electrical of Tanunda on board, the team are looking to finish 2009/10 well, and then prepare fully for the 2010/11 season, which is holding much more promise than has the past couple of seasons. Prior to this event Egel was sitting a distant 5th spot in the series but is now 16 points behind Mark Reuter and a father 2 points from Luke Dillon.
PM Race Engines were delighted to have two cars on the podium, with Ryan Jones' motor and Matt Egel's motor both heralding from the PM workshops, and PM told me after the race...� I thought "OH NO" when the two guy's touched after that restart, and I thought it was going to be "hero to zero", but these two guys do know what they are doing, and they are responsible race drivers, so it was great to see them both up on the podium". .PM finished by saying "Matt has had an up and down year so far, and people don't realize that he is not running his top engine and hasn't since January, and to do what he has done with the "baby" motor, is pretty good".
With very promising sponsorship coming the team�s way for next season, we will get to see the talent that Egel truly possesses, and it's literally been a funding problem all along with Matt�s performance and at times he has driven "around" that problem.
I am sure no fan's left the venue disappointed and even George Tatnell himself, would have been smiling at the tenacity of the three podium getters, and the unbelievably race finish.
TSR Racing is proudly sponsored by: PM Race Engines, ARMOR ALL, D.J. Mun-Yard Services, Gulf Western Oil, XXX Race Parts, PROTEC, Total Tools, SMILEYS Race Patrs, Ian Jones Auto Parts & Hoolagators All American Diecast.
Team Egel Walker would like to welcome T & S Refrigeration & Electrical of Tanunda to the team.
Bring on the SWC Track Championship Final
Photography by Linda Savage
25/02/10 - Egels season is turning in his favour.
Author : John Burton
Adelaide's Matt Egel felt that last Saturday night's round 9 of the Revolution Racegear Sprintcar Track Championship at Adelaide�s Speedway City, saw both he and the S29 XXX Armor All car perform just that little bit better.
"We had the speed in the final, and Luke (Dillon) and I were not only dicing for positions, but we were doing it without losing ground to Murcott." (the eventual winner), Matt told me today.
He continued..."It's always good to get a podium with the sort of company that we had, and as you know, our good engine let us down during speedweek, and we have managed to get the "baby" motor working quite well, thanks to PM Race Engines".
After finishing 2nd from a 3rd place start in the first heat, and a 5th out of an 8th start, Egel was out of position 3 in the feature race, and missed 2nd spot and a front row start by just one point.
The track was regarded by many as a good race track, with two fast racing lines, all night, and the feature race track was just as good.
At the start 2nd postition starter, Jason Loveday brought his car down behind Murcott, and Dillon siezed the opportunity to go round both he and the 'stranded' Egel, but after the 3rd corner, Matt managed to get S29 in front of Loveday and go out after both Dillon and Murcott.
"Yellows on lap 9 and lap 15 just seemed to take any momentum away, and even though Dillon knew I was there, there wasn't a lot I could do" Matt said, and finished by saying.."with 3 to go I passed Luke, but he got straight back and that's pretty much how we ran to the chequer".
In the end it was Murcott from Dillon then Egel.
Matt Egel would like to thank his generous sponsors, JR&RT Walker, NHP, Speedway City, Control Automation Concepts, Consolidated Power, PM Race Engines, ARMOR ALL, D.J. Mun-Yard Services, Gulf WesternOil, XXX Race Parts, BR Motorsport, PROTEC, Total Tools, Ian Jones Auto Parts & Hoolagators All American Diecast.and Team Egel Walker would like to welcome T & S Refrigeration of Tanunda to the team.
Also a big thanks must go to the "boys" that do all the spanner work on S29, team member's, Sean, Gary, Dad (Kevin), Darren & John.
"We had the speed in the final, and Luke (Dillon) and I were not only dicing for positions, but we were doing it without losing ground to Murcott." (the eventual winner), Matt told me today.
He continued..."It's always good to get a podium with the sort of company that we had, and as you know, our good engine let us down during speedweek, and we have managed to get the "baby" motor working quite well, thanks to PM Race Engines".
After finishing 2nd from a 3rd place start in the first heat, and a 5th out of an 8th start, Egel was out of position 3 in the feature race, and missed 2nd spot and a front row start by just one point.
The track was regarded by many as a good race track, with two fast racing lines, all night, and the feature race track was just as good.
At the start 2nd postition starter, Jason Loveday brought his car down behind Murcott, and Dillon siezed the opportunity to go round both he and the 'stranded' Egel, but after the 3rd corner, Matt managed to get S29 in front of Loveday and go out after both Dillon and Murcott.
"Yellows on lap 9 and lap 15 just seemed to take any momentum away, and even though Dillon knew I was there, there wasn't a lot I could do" Matt said, and finished by saying.."with 3 to go I passed Luke, but he got straight back and that's pretty much how we ran to the chequer".
In the end it was Murcott from Dillon then Egel.
Matt Egel would like to thank his generous sponsors, JR&RT Walker, NHP, Speedway City, Control Automation Concepts, Consolidated Power, PM Race Engines, ARMOR ALL, D.J. Mun-Yard Services, Gulf WesternOil, XXX Race Parts, BR Motorsport, PROTEC, Total Tools, Ian Jones Auto Parts & Hoolagators All American Diecast.and Team Egel Walker would like to welcome T & S Refrigeration of Tanunda to the team.
Also a big thanks must go to the "boys" that do all the spanner work on S29, team member's, Sean, Gary, Dad (Kevin), Darren & John.
04/01/10 - Egel's Hopes Of An SA State Title Get Deflated After Good Qualifying Pace.
Author : John Burton
After suffering an engine failure in the final round of the East Coast Pipelines Speedweek, Adelaide's 24 year old Matt Egel took the opportunity offered to him by Andrew Cox and drove the S 44 Cox Rural Sprintcar in the R&B Excavations, 410 South Australian State Title hosted by the Moore Engineering Murray Bridge Speedway, tonight, Sunday, January 3rd and managed to put the car on the third spot of the grid.
American "Crowd Pleaser" Craig Dollansky sat in the second position on the grid, alongside pole sitter, and local and long time crowd pleaser "Jim Bob" -Jamie Cobby.
Alongside Egel in position four was Terry Pitt and taking up position five was another genuine "local" in twice 360 Champ, and Murray Bridge resident, Ryan Jones. Adelaide's Mark Reuter rounded out the top six cars.
In his two heats, Egel managed to bring the S44, Cox Rural car home in second and sixth spot.
Starting the "Dash" for the top six point's scorers, Egel went out of position 4 and managed to come home in third spot, putting him in some very good company with Cobby and Dollansky occupying the front row.
Some of the "favourites" failed to complete feature race distance, and they included Jamie Cobby, Daniel Petska (roll over), Phil March, Hayden Pitt, Glen Sutherland and sadly for the Cox Rural Team, and after holding his position three for a few laps, and with eleven to go, Matt Egel succumbed to a flat tyre and withdrew.
In the end it was Lines, Dollansky, Jones, Dillon, Terry Pitt and Dave Murcott making up the top six positions. Alan Barlee, Dylan Jenkin, Mark Reuter, Steven Caruso, Nick Lacey and Ron Dalton completed the distance.
Both Lines and Jones are to be considered very 'lucky" as they both stopped to avoid contact with the rolled S 27 car of Daniel Petska, but as neither the orange nor red lights had been displayed at the time that they both stopped, both drivers were put back into their original positions of 1st and 3rd respectively.
Matt and the entire Egel Walker Racing Team would like to thank Andrew Cox and his generous sponsors for affording Matt the opportunity to take part in the 2010 State Title, and at such late notice.
Author : John Burton
After suffering an engine failure in the final round of the East Coast Pipelines Speedweek, Adelaide's 24 year old Matt Egel took the opportunity offered to him by Andrew Cox and drove the S 44 Cox Rural Sprintcar in the R&B Excavations, 410 South Australian State Title hosted by the Moore Engineering Murray Bridge Speedway, tonight, Sunday, January 3rd and managed to put the car on the third spot of the grid.
American "Crowd Pleaser" Craig Dollansky sat in the second position on the grid, alongside pole sitter, and local and long time crowd pleaser "Jim Bob" -Jamie Cobby.
Alongside Egel in position four was Terry Pitt and taking up position five was another genuine "local" in twice 360 Champ, and Murray Bridge resident, Ryan Jones. Adelaide's Mark Reuter rounded out the top six cars.
In his two heats, Egel managed to bring the S44, Cox Rural car home in second and sixth spot.
Starting the "Dash" for the top six point's scorers, Egel went out of position 4 and managed to come home in third spot, putting him in some very good company with Cobby and Dollansky occupying the front row.
Some of the "favourites" failed to complete feature race distance, and they included Jamie Cobby, Daniel Petska (roll over), Phil March, Hayden Pitt, Glen Sutherland and sadly for the Cox Rural Team, and after holding his position three for a few laps, and with eleven to go, Matt Egel succumbed to a flat tyre and withdrew.
In the end it was Lines, Dollansky, Jones, Dillon, Terry Pitt and Dave Murcott making up the top six positions. Alan Barlee, Dylan Jenkin, Mark Reuter, Steven Caruso, Nick Lacey and Ron Dalton completed the distance.
Both Lines and Jones are to be considered very 'lucky" as they both stopped to avoid contact with the rolled S 27 car of Daniel Petska, but as neither the orange nor red lights had been displayed at the time that they both stopped, both drivers were put back into their original positions of 1st and 3rd respectively.
Matt and the entire Egel Walker Racing Team would like to thank Andrew Cox and his generous sponsors for affording Matt the opportunity to take part in the 2010 State Title, and at such late notice.
03/01/10 - Matt Egel To Drive For Cox Rural In State Title This Sunday, Jan 3rd...
Author : John Burton
After "losing" his motor in the time trials of the final event of the East Coast Pipelines Speed week at Warrnambool on January 1st, Adelaide young gun. Matt Egel has been offered a "life line" by Keith business man and fellow Sprintcar competitor Andrew Cox.
Egel will pilot the Cox Rural backed S44 race car at the Moore Engineering, Murray Bridge Speedway tonight (Sunday night, January 3rd) in the South Australian 410 Sprintcar State Title.
"Andrew offered me his car to complete Speedweek". Matt told me tonight, "but I would have been off the back and been lucky to make the C main, so the team took another option opened to us by Maxwill Motors, who generously lent us a spare motor". Matt finished the A main in 10th position.
On lap 2 of his time trial, Egel suddenly found the car lost all drive, and Matt shut the motor down quickly. Thinking initially that it was another drive line drama until inspection by the team revealed that the engine was in fact damaged. As I write, the engine has not been assessed as to the extent of the damage.
It looked as though Egels attempts to go one better than his two second places in two years in the State Title has gone "west", until Matt received a phone call from Andrew Cox yesterday, offering him his S44 car.
Matt and all the team at Egel Walker Racing would like to thank Andrew and his team for the opportunity to take up the drive in the Cox Rural race car.
After "losing" his motor in the time trials of the final event of the East Coast Pipelines Speed week at Warrnambool on January 1st, Adelaide young gun. Matt Egel has been offered a "life line" by Keith business man and fellow Sprintcar competitor Andrew Cox.
Egel will pilot the Cox Rural backed S44 race car at the Moore Engineering, Murray Bridge Speedway tonight (Sunday night, January 3rd) in the South Australian 410 Sprintcar State Title.
"Andrew offered me his car to complete Speedweek". Matt told me tonight, "but I would have been off the back and been lucky to make the C main, so the team took another option opened to us by Maxwill Motors, who generously lent us a spare motor". Matt finished the A main in 10th position.
On lap 2 of his time trial, Egel suddenly found the car lost all drive, and Matt shut the motor down quickly. Thinking initially that it was another drive line drama until inspection by the team revealed that the engine was in fact damaged. As I write, the engine has not been assessed as to the extent of the damage.
It looked as though Egels attempts to go one better than his two second places in two years in the State Title has gone "west", until Matt received a phone call from Andrew Cox yesterday, offering him his S44 car.
Matt and all the team at Egel Walker Racing would like to thank Andrew and his team for the opportunity to take up the drive in the Cox Rural race car.
Matt would like to thank the generous support of his 2009-10 sponsors:
JR&RT Walker,NHP,Speedway City,Control Automation Concepts,Consolidated Power,PM Race Engines, ARMOR ALL,D.J. Mun-Yard Services,Gulf WesternOil,XXX Race Parts,BR Motorsport,PROTEC,Total Tools,Ian Jones Auto Parts & Hoolagators All American Diecast.
Foot Note:
Good Luck Matt in your quest to become South Aussie Champion in the Andrew Cox owned sprintcar S44 from Hoolagators and all of your fans as the team has had to endure only what can be described a very tough season so far. Maureen and I will be under the veranda at Murray Bridge Speedway selling our merchandise as usual giving you are full support.
Go Matt!!!
Foot Note:
Good Luck Matt in your quest to become South Aussie Champion in the Andrew Cox owned sprintcar S44 from Hoolagators and all of your fans as the team has had to endure only what can be described a very tough season so far. Maureen and I will be under the veranda at Murray Bridge Speedway selling our merchandise as usual giving you are full support.
Go Matt!!!
28/12/09 - Egel Was Determined For A Change Of Luck With Wss Speedweek
Author : John Burton
Round one of the Performance Wholesale World Series Sprintcars was held on Boxing day at Adelaides Speedway City in front of a record crowd and St Agnes "young gun", Matt Egel was looking for a severe change of fortune after the "unlucky" run that he has sustained so far this season.
Returning to his pit from the drivers briefing and time trial draws, Matt said to me " I don't know when my luck is going to change, I've drawn the last car on track to time trial.! "
Qld's Robbie Farr took out the quick time of 12.194 secs, and Egel qualified 30th with a time of 12.964 on the now slick and blackening track.
Heat two was Egels first run for the night and after going out of position three, and trying the "upstairs and downstairs" way around the fast clayway, Matt managed to bring the S29 home in fifth spot. The win went to contract driver, Ricky Maiolo.
Determined to get valuable points and make a position in the "B" Main, Egel was out of grid four for heat five, and when the lights went green, the S29 shot to the outside and rounded up the front three car's by turn one, on the now 2 lane raceway.
One lap had been completed when the USA 4 car of Danny Smith and the S 25 of Justin Sloan came together, resulting in Sloans car being tipped over, and try as he may, Smith was also eliminated from the event through damage.
A full restart was called and once again, the cheeky manouver that had worked so well on the 1st start, was not only attempted, but pulled off again by the determined Egel.
Leading the heat all the way, Egel brought his car home ahead of Phil March and the hard charger from the rear, Robbie Farr.
Egel qualified 13th for the "B" main, which shows the amount of importance put on qualifying well in the time trials, but he was in good company, with March, Murcott, Scheuerle and McFadden there as well.
With the top 4 cars going through to the "A" main, and with some of the best in the field, it was always going to be a tough job for the youngster, and sadly, Matt only managed 11th as the chequered flag fell.
Team Egel Walker Racing would like to thank their generous sponsors and wish everyone a Happy and safe New Year.
JR&RT Walker, NHP, Speedway City, Control Automation Concepts, Consolidated Power, PM Race Engines, D.J. Mun-Yard Services, Gulf Western Oil,
XXX Race Parts, BR Motorsport, PROTEC Paint, Total Tools, Ian Jones Auto Parts, Hoolagators All American Diecast - All American Diecast & Armor All
Returning to his pit from the drivers briefing and time trial draws, Matt said to me " I don't know when my luck is going to change, I've drawn the last car on track to time trial.! "
Qld's Robbie Farr took out the quick time of 12.194 secs, and Egel qualified 30th with a time of 12.964 on the now slick and blackening track.
Heat two was Egels first run for the night and after going out of position three, and trying the "upstairs and downstairs" way around the fast clayway, Matt managed to bring the S29 home in fifth spot. The win went to contract driver, Ricky Maiolo.
Determined to get valuable points and make a position in the "B" Main, Egel was out of grid four for heat five, and when the lights went green, the S29 shot to the outside and rounded up the front three car's by turn one, on the now 2 lane raceway.
One lap had been completed when the USA 4 car of Danny Smith and the S 25 of Justin Sloan came together, resulting in Sloans car being tipped over, and try as he may, Smith was also eliminated from the event through damage.
A full restart was called and once again, the cheeky manouver that had worked so well on the 1st start, was not only attempted, but pulled off again by the determined Egel.
Leading the heat all the way, Egel brought his car home ahead of Phil March and the hard charger from the rear, Robbie Farr.
Egel qualified 13th for the "B" main, which shows the amount of importance put on qualifying well in the time trials, but he was in good company, with March, Murcott, Scheuerle and McFadden there as well.
With the top 4 cars going through to the "A" main, and with some of the best in the field, it was always going to be a tough job for the youngster, and sadly, Matt only managed 11th as the chequered flag fell.
Team Egel Walker Racing would like to thank their generous sponsors and wish everyone a Happy and safe New Year.
JR&RT Walker, NHP, Speedway City, Control Automation Concepts, Consolidated Power, PM Race Engines, D.J. Mun-Yard Services, Gulf Western Oil,
XXX Race Parts, BR Motorsport, PROTEC Paint, Total Tools, Ian Jones Auto Parts, Hoolagators All American Diecast - All American Diecast & Armor All
09/11/09 - Egel Puts Up The Fight Of The Night In The Masters
Author : John Burton
St. Agnes based Sprintcar Driver, Matt Egel had a top three start to the Australian Sprintcar Masters at Adelaide's Speedway City last Saturday, November 7th, when he qualified third fastest in the time trials behind two other local drivers, in Trevor Green and Jamie Cobby. Behind Egel were some well established Sprintcar competitors in Max Dumesny and Mark Reuter and it was apparent that Matt was confident in both his car set up and the track.
After going out of pole position in heat three, event five, Egel dominated the fast clayway and took the win easily from Ricky Maiolo and Victoria's Grant Anderson.
Heat six, event eleven, saw Egel off the back of the pack and with the # S81 of Dillon for company, he brought the JR & RT Walker, ARMOR ALL XXX car home in 7th spot.
Matt had done enough work for the night to qualify eighth for the 18 car "A" Main, and with the # S29 car running like a clock, it was fast approaching "pay day" and Team Egel Walker Racing was confident that they had the setup for the now fast, multi lane race track.
At the green flag Egel "barnstormed" his was from his eighth position to claim fifth spot in a masterfull move as the only driver to use the highline at the start of the race.
By lap six of the 35 lap journey, Egel had manouvered his car into fourth spot behind Green, Cobby and Murcott, and was looking very threatening to the # S12 car of Cobby when on lap 7 the # S95 of Mark Reuter took a tumble.
Restarts occurred again on lap 15, when the # S81 of Dillon spun and again on lap 17 when the # S20 car of Glen Sutherland took an end over end tumble in turn 4.
Lap 22 saw the # S81 of Dillon around again, and the field was bunched up again for the restart. At the start Egel found himself being pursued by Dumesny, the two of them raced side by side down the front straight and entering turn one the two cars, # S29 and # V5 touched, sending both up to the wall in a spin. Dumesny was fortunate not to have any damage and was in the restart, whilst the # S29 car of Egel sustained front end damage and was withdrawn from the race.
A reflective Matt Egel told me after the race."It was no-one's fault really, I tried to run with him (Max) in to turn one and we just touched wheels, and that was it", and finished with, "Those yellows really hurt us tonight, we had a good run happening each time, until the last few yellows, when my right rear tyre sealed up."
Egel was genuinely looking at a podium finish in the Masters, and was being both brave and conservative in making the outside passes that he made, and it's just the "luck" of dirt racing that brought his charge to the front to a premature ending.
Holding both the 25 and the 8 lap records around Adelaide's Speedway City Race Track doesn't come from being afraid to tackle the easy and the tough tracks and I am sure if Matt could have last Saturday all over again, he would tackle the race the same way again.
With Arnie ARMOR ALL in the pits after the meeting, the fan's, especially the younger ones, had a ball, and with Arnies help, the # S29 will be back ontrack on November 21st at Speedway City.
Team Egel Walker Racing would like to ackowledge the sponsors of # S29 and thank them again for their ongoing generosity and support:
JR&RT Walker,NHP,Speedway City,Control Automation Concepts,Consolidated Power,PM Race Engines, ARMOR ALL,D.J. Mun-Yard Services,Gulf WesternOil,XXX Race Parts,BR Motorsport,PROTEC,Total Tools,Ian Jones Auto Parts & Hoolagators All American Diecast.
JR&RT Walker,NHP,Speedway City,Control Automation Concepts,Consolidated Power,PM Race Engines, ARMOR ALL,D.J. Mun-Yard Services,Gulf WesternOil,XXX Race Parts,BR Motorsport,PROTEC,Total Tools,Ian Jones Auto Parts & Hoolagators All American Diecast.
01/11/09 - Egel Finds Halloween Harrowing!
Author : John Burton
Itwas all looking rather positive for the young pilot and going into his second heat, Egel was now sure that his run of bad luck, halloween or no halloween, was over, but unfortunately that was not to be.
After going out of position five, Egel was going "upstairs & downstairs" on the Speedway City "clayway" looking for the best passing opportunities, when after hooking a rut on lap eight, the XXX S29, made heavey impact with the turn two wall.
Both top and front wings, both right hand side wheels & tyres, plus the front axle beam on the JR&RT Walker, Armor All car were destroyed and it took a huge effort from the team, again with the help of Wayne Bunker & co, to get the car back on track for the A Main. Egel's night had seen him qualify 13th (Halloween influence?) and being ever cautious after his horrendous run so far, Egel simply brought the S29 home in one piece in 11th position.
"From back there, I figured that there was no point in doing anymore damage on one night"..Egel said after the meeting. "It was a hooky race track, with a few ruts, and the back of the car felt like it was "chattering" through the corners, so we will take it back to the workshop and have another look".
It will be a busy week for Team Egel, as they get the S29 car readied for the running of next Saturdays (Nov 7th) 24th Anniversary, Australian Sprintcar Masters, at Speedway City, which will feature legendary driver Max Dumesny plus all the top SA & interstate competitors, and if determination is needed to get Egel back to the front, then it's a season's start like the one he's had, that will set the mold for next week.
I gues it's time to say a big GET WELL KEV, as Matts father Kevin, has been laid up ill, and when Kevin isn't at a Sprintcar meet, especially with his son is in it, we all know Kev is not 100%.
I strongly recommend that you be at Speedway City, next Saturday (Nov 7th) to witness the running of the 24th Annual Australian Sprintcar Masters.
Pictures takne by Matts partner Kylie at a recent photo shoot to be featured in one of Australia's top selling Speedway Racing Magazines
Matt and the Team from Egel Walker Racing give the XXX Racer a good shake down
On Saturday night (Oct.10) Matt and the Team from Egel Walker Racing gave the XXX racer a good shake down ready fOR the next big meeting on the calender - The Bill Wigzell Battle of the Bridge for 410 Sprintcars to be held at Riverview Raceway Murray Bridge on Sat Oct.24th
According to Matt the track prepared by Tim and the team at Riverview was very fast and he noticed that the track now has more banking on it as well.
The PM 410 powered XXX racer ran flawless all night during the hot laps and looked very fast from out side the fence.
So we can expect a great showing from Matt and the Team in the 2009 -2010 season.
Matt would like to thank the generous support of his 2009-10 sponsors:
According to Matt the track prepared by Tim and the team at Riverview was very fast and he noticed that the track now has more banking on it as well.
The PM 410 powered XXX racer ran flawless all night during the hot laps and looked very fast from out side the fence.
So we can expect a great showing from Matt and the Team in the 2009 -2010 season.
Matt would like to thank the generous support of his 2009-10 sponsors:
JR&RT Walker,NHP,Speedway City,Consolidated Automation Concepts,Consolidated Power,PM Race Engines,D.J. Mun-Yard Services,Gulf WesternOil,XXX Race Parts,BR Motorsport,PROTEC,Total Tools,Ian Jones Auto Parts,Hoolagators All American Diecast.
Season 2008-2009
Season 2007-2008
copyright 2008 Hoolagators