Hi-Tec Toowoomba Speedway hosting Red Hot Summer Shootout with international and Darling Downs drivers racing for $20,000

A blue-ribbon event, champion drivers, regional talent and more than $20,000 in prize money up for grabs, Toowoomba Speedway is getting ready for the Red Hot Summer Shootout event.

Title contender Brock Hallett's race car. Photo: Contributed by GW Racing Team.

Toowoomba Speedway is revving up in anticipation of the Red Hot Summer Shootout as the biggest field in the speedway’s history prepares to burn rubber on Friday and Saturday night.

With 40 entrants in the Sprint 410 category comprising of international, interstate, national and local drivers, the Darling Downs will be well represented with eight drivers, from supporting categories up to the main event.

“This weekend is history in the making,” speedway spokesman David Budden said.

“We have more than 40 cars nominated which include the current Australian champion Marcus Dumesny, his brother Matthew and Tasmanian Jock Goodyer who won the Australian Sprintcar open in Brisbane last weekend.

“Both the nights are going to be wild and do not miss level entertainment.”

Anthony Lambert

Showing age is merely a number, at 54-years-old Lambert will be one of the oldest drivers competing in the sprint over the competition.

Toowoomba born and bred, Lambert has been involved at some level with motorsport for almost his whole life.

“I’ve been racing for over 20 years,” Lambert said.

“We used to go all around Australia in the late 1990s and early 2000s competing in the World Sprint Car Series.

“The adrenaline rush you get while racing, especially from the sheer speed, as the car is 750 kgs with 900hp, nothing compares to it.”

The danger definitely contributes to the thrill and adrenaline but its as safe as an F1 car so you know you’ll be all right.”

“I may be at the back end of my career but I still can compete with the young kids coming through, that’s for sure.”

Tarhlea Apelt

Toowoomba teenager Tarhlea Apelt will be out to continue her rise in the Formula 500 ranks at Toowoomba Speedway on Saturday night.

At the age of 20, Apelt is showing that speedway is for everyone.

Competing in a male dominated sport, Apelt is keeping her own, developing her trade each race.

Involved in motorsport for more than 13 years, staring with quarter midgets, progressing to formula 500s to now being an established sprint driver, she has shown a lot of promise in her 18 months in the sport.

Tarhlea Apelt, looking foward to the season ahead.

Working a 40 hour week as a dental nurse, on the weekends Aplet spends her time at the track, reaching speeds upwards of 130km/h.

“I’ve grown up racing my whole life, so it’s just normal to me,” Apelt said.

“Transitioning from the 500s to the sprints was definitely daunting, the size difference, horse power and weight all are drastically different. It meant at the start positioning it (car) on the track was difficult but now after 18 months it’s second nature.”

Nic Whell

Toowoomba driver Nicholas Whell races in the Junior Formula 500 speedway class.

Racing in formula 500s before advancing to sprintcars, Whell, also 20-years-old, is another young-gun from the region, competing in motorsports since a kid.

Winning his first podium last summer and notching up a couple of B Mains wins, he has shown promise and demonstrated that he can race with the best.

GW Racing and Brock Hallett

Graham Erhart and his wife Wendy of GW Racing Team are a stalwart of the speedway scene, based near Withcott.

GW Racing sponsor half a dozen drivers from the region, with Erhart explaining he “wants to support local talent and provide opportunity to those in the region”.

Erhart’s main driver is 31-year-old Victorian Brock Hallett, who has been with GW Racing for the past two seasons.

Competing in the Sprint category, Hallett is one of the best drivers currently in the nation. At the top of the QLD/NSW Sprint State Series following his two second place finishes and first place finish in he past month.

“I like to think I can win, we (GW Racing) class ourselves as one of the best,” Hallett said.

“We travel all around during the season, which we are half way through, we actually just got back from Lismore where we finished second.”

“We are definitely ready for the races ahead.”

Schedule for the event:

Friday (20 Jan)

– Sprintcars (Red Hot Summer Shootout)

– Wingless (King of the Ring)

– Formula 500s (Highbanks Shootout)

– Junior F500s

Saturday (21 Jan)

– Sprintcars (Red Hot Summer Shootout)

– Wingless (King of the Ring)

– Formula 500s (Highbanks Shootout)

– Junior F500s

– Fireworks (for 4-Wide)

Pits opens – 1pm

Spectator Gate #1 opens – 2pm

Spectator Gate #2 opens – 3pm

Pit Walk – 1pm to 3pm (online tickets)

Wheel Pack – Approx 4.45pm (TBC)

Racing – Approx 5pm (TBC)

List of drivers set to race in the Red Hot Summer Shootout main event:

A1 Marcus Dumesny (NSW)

USA1 Justin Sanders (USA)

Q2 Brent Kratzmann (QLD)

D2 Ben Atkinson Jnr (NT)

Q3 Karl Hoffmans (QLD)

NS4 Ian Madsen (NSW)

Q5 Brock Hallett (VIC) Withcott Team GW Racing

NQ7 Lachlan McHugh (QLD)

NQ9 Nathan McFarlane (QLD)

NQ10 Jy Corbet (QLD)

N10 Luke Stirton (NSW)

USA14 Cole Macedo (USA)

Q17 Luke Oldfield (QLD)

Q21 Nic Whell (QLD) Toowoomba Driver

T22 Jock Goodyer (TAS)

USA25 Sheldon Haudenschild (USA)

Q27 Cody Maroske (QLD)

V35 Jamie Veal (VIC)

Q40 Jared Desmares (QLD)

N48 Jackson Delamont (NSW)

NS48 Black Darcy (NSW)

N49 Jamie Matherson (NSW)

Q49 Cody O’Connell (QLD)

Q51 Tim Farrell (QLD)

N53 Jessie Attard (NSW)

NS53 Alex Attard (NSW)

Q54 Randy Morgan (QLD)

USA56 Aaron Reutzel (USA)

N57 Matthew Dumesny (NSW)

Q66 Ryan Newton (QLD)

NQ73 Libby Ellis (QLD)

T77 Brooke Tatnell (NSW)

Q83 Steven Lines (SA)

Q91 Taylor Prosser (QLD)

N92 Sam Walsh (NSW)

Q97 Tarhlea Apelt (QLD) Toowoomba Driver

V98 Peter Doukas (VIC)

NS96 Brett Hobson (NSW)

USA99 Carson Macedo (USA)