The speedway family

By Ben Hope
FOR the Whitings, speedway is a family affair.
And just as well for Officer teenagers Mitch and Brooke who will both compete in the Australian Saloon Car Federation (VSCF) Victorian Junior Sedan Championship in Hamilton on 24 and 25 April.
Without driver’s licence, the pair rely on their parents to get them to their speedway events across the country.
“It’s a bit annoying being able to drive in a speedway but not on the road,” Mitch said.
The 15-year-old will be a strong contender in the finals after he placed second in both the Tasmanian and Australian junior speedway championships in January.
“I went down a week earlier with mum and dad to race in the Tasmanian state title and came second,” Mitch said.
“I started twelfth after I dropped a heat, which set me back from the start.”
The Australian Championships were also held at Tasmania’s Latrobe Speedway the following week, and Mitch again proved he was an emerging talent in the sport. He came second behind Queensland’s Cody Maroske.
Mitch races a Datsun Sunny that his dad purchased for him from Warrnambool.
“We have done some work on it since then including a new motor, bar work and seat,” Mitch said.
After placing well in the Tasmanian and Australian championships, Mitch is looking forward to a good result in his home state in April.
“I am hoping to start at the front for the final after the five heats and get a good start,” he said.
“We will be competing against most of the fastest guys from the Austral-ian title so we know what we are up against.”
This will be the last year Mitch will race in the junior sedan category before moving up to the formula 500 once he turns 16.
“I’m looking forward to moving up to the formula 500. I’ll have to get a new car,”
Junior Sedans are a nationally recognised division of speedway racing for youths between the ages of 10-16 years. The juniors can only race in a sedan, coupe or hatchback with a maximum engine capacity of 1200cc.
16-year-old Brooke will race her Toyota Corolla in her first Victorian Championships after being introduced to the sport after her brother’s success.
“I haven’t raced in a title before, so it’s pretty exciting,” Brooke said.
“I am just going into my second season racing.
“I wasn’t really interested in it from the start, but once Mitch started coming home having won races, I got more into and finally decided I wanted to race as well.”
“Dad got me a car as well but he wasn’t too keen on the idea at first as I have always been the erratic one.”
Brooke works on her driving skills on one of the two practice tracks on the family’s Officer property.
“We have a few paddock bombs that we use in the paddocks to get a bit more experiences,” Brooke said. “There is nothing in the paddocks except a few fences and I have hit a couple of them as well as the shed.”
Brooke now has her learner’s driving licence and doesn’t think she will continue in the sport next season.
“I’ve got my L’s now, but it’s completely different from speedway,” she said.
“Mum worries about it now, she is in the car with me, but it’s totally different from the road to the track.
“This is my last season in the juniors and I’m not planning to carry on in the formula 500. I think I’ll just watch Mitch.”
Dad Jason also raced speedway when his children were born so the family connection to the sport was a natural progression according to mum Nicole.
“Mitch came running to us when he was 10 after hearing the 10-year-olds were allowed to race,” Nicole said.
“Brooke’s interest grew because we went so often with Mitch.”
“I think its great, because the safety rating of the juniors is really high for kids that have left and gone on to get their licences; they’ve had a really good road safety record.
“Other than the competitive side is the road safety aspect, hopefully they will be able to handle a car when that time comes as well.”
Even though the whole family goes along to events, Nicole’s involvement ends at the barrier.
“I’ve never been in a speedway, they all like going sideways, but I don’t. I’m just there for support,” she said.