Meet teen sensation Tyler Burnham, making moves through the Queensland sprintcar world

A superstar Gold Coast teenager is on his way to being the next Max Dumesny of Australian sprintcar racing, with the skills, passion and support to back him. See the full story:

Tyler Burnham

Tyler Burnham is on his way to being the next Max Dumesny of Australian sprintcar racing, with the skills, passion and support to back him.

The 17-year-old grew up around cars, racing go-karts since the age of seven, and has forever dreamt of making it big time.

After two years of go-karting from 2014-2016, Burnham took his career to the next step and moved into the junior sedan racing division.

But it was the move from Sydney to Ormeau in 2020 that brought his dream closer to reality.

“It was a big move considering we were in the same house for 13 years down in Sydney,” Burnham said.

The Parramatta speedway closed in late 2019, forcing the family to look elsewhere.

Tyler Burnham at the end of junior sedan season, June 2023

“It pushed us to look at where the tracks were … we looked at Queensland and there were quite a few (tracks) for us.”

While the move meant better opportunities for Tyler and his two sisters, who both had racing experience, it was far from an easy transition.

“We had two sheds full of spare parts, so a lot to pack and a lot to move,” he said.

The then 14-year-old was three years into his six-year stint of junior sedans, but differences between Queensland and New South Wales racing guidelines made for weekly logistics battles.

“It was a big change … I’d never gone to that extent in junior sedans.

“I was switching cars each week, sometimes racing two cars in one night.,” Burnham said.

In 2022 he became eligible for sprint car racing at 16, the minimum age for an individual to start, but had some serious considerations to make.

“It’s an expensive sport and there’s no cheap way about it.

“Every time we crash a car we can easily throw away $150,000,” he said.

But the teen’s love for cars and the sport made it impossible to turn down the offer.

Tyler Burnham races in Toowoomba for 'Pink NIght'

A MILESTONE STEP 

In September 2023, Burnham raced his first sprintcar at the first of three weekends in the Red Hot Summer Shootout.

Speaking ahead of the event, Burnham was eager to get out on the track.

“It’ll be a big event and my first time in the sprint car … first time ever turning a lap.”

Being the youngest on the track added to his excitement.

“There’s a bit of nerve to it,” he said.

“If you talk to any sprint car driver, they’ll say you can’t think about the money you put into it.”

“When you think about the money, that’s what makes you nervous.”

Burnham’s two older sisters and father all have racing experience, which is where he got his love for the sport.

“It’s in the family, in my blood,” he said.

“It’s also a big pride thing, seeing what you’ve got and how far you can go with it.

“It’s a big accomplishment and gives you something to work towards.”

Tyler Burnham sponsored by LJ Hooker in 2023

A FULL TIME GIG 

Burnham said the time and effort put into his cars makes for a full time job, which is why he opted to get into the workforce early.

“I was never one for school … with racing and being involved in cars I was always in the shed.”

After two weeks of being enrolled at Ormeau Woods State High School, the teen set himself the task of finding a job.

“I always loved working on classic and custom cars,” he said.

“I put out a call on the local (Facebook) page … and had a lot of businesses, probably 10 or so who wanted interviews and resumes.”

He picked up an apprenticeship at Atomic Custom Fabrication and soon scored a full time role.

“I worked there for two weeks with another apprentice … they obviously loved me so I got the job and have stayed there since day 1.”

THE DREAM

With youth on his side and a bright future in the sport, Burnham has his eyes set on the big stage of sprintcar racing.

“The end goal is the Knoxville Nationals, probably the biggest race in sprint cars.

“To get over there you’ve got to be racing at a pretty high level,” he said.

“It would be awesome to score a couple of podiums under the belt too.”

But it’s not all about the prize money for this teen, who in the short term just wants to be known in his industry.

“In five years time I’d love to be recognised in the sprint car world.

“You get a lot of guys going out there for fun, and you have to enjoy your sport, but I want to be able to go out there and everyone knows my name.”