While he’s been racing Late Models for the past two seasons, the 2018-19 season will see Daniel Moon contest his first full campaign; a campaign which has already gotten off to a promising start.
Stepping into the exciting class in the 2016-17 season with no prior racing experience under his belt, Moon has made quick work of building up his race craft aboard the NSW # 88 United Acreage Marketing supported 2007 Warrior car, owned by his stepdad Col Robinson, making the decision to put it into practice this season with an action-packed schedule.
Having already completed just over a handful of race meetings so far, four of which took place at Sydney’s Valvoline Raceway and one at Toowoomba’s Hi-Tec Oils Speedway in Queensland, the 26-year-old driver’s most recent outing at Goulburn Speedway saw him reach new heights during the Frank Nicastri Memorial, which was run in conjunction with the fifth NSW Club Championship round.
Hoping to make amends after a disappointing showing in last season’s running of the event, Moon well and truly achieved what he set out to, holding off formidable contender Ben Nicastri to claim the feature-race victory, which has certainly bolstered him for the season ahead.
“Winning the Frank Nicastri Memorial has definitely given me a world of confidence for the rest of the season, and it’s also earned us some valuable points in the NSW Club Championship,” expressed Moon, who resides in the south-west Sydney town of Camden (NSW).
“Having Col in my corner has played a huge part in what we’ve been able to achieve. He’s got so much knowledge around car setup in addition to his significant experience as a driver, which has been invaluable to me.
“Our goal throughout the rest of the season is to consistently improve in order to keep up to speed in the chase for the NSW Club Championship, as well as put in a good performance during the Australian Title.”
With 40 years of speedway racing in his arsenal, having been one of the leading Grand Nationals (now Late Models) drivers throughout the 1970s, ‘80s and into the early ‘90s, winning multiple NSW Titles, Robinson was unlucky not to clinch an Australian Title crown during his career due to being taken out by a lapped car while leading on one occasion.
Stepping away from driver duties in 1998, Robinson travelled to America with his family in tow where he began working with NASCAR drivers such as Jeff Gordon and Kenny Wallace, basing himself in Concord, North Carolina for the next five years, while also working as the engineer and crew chief for leading IndyCar driver Christian Fittipaldi during the NASCAR Busch Series.
Returning to Australia in 2003 due to illness, Robinson eventually returned to the driver’s seat in 2011, contesting around a dozen Late Model shows over a couple of seasons, before Daniel eventually stepped in.
For his next appearance, Moon will be returning to Valvoline Raceway on December 1 to contest the sixth NSW Club Championship round in his battle to take top honours in the newly-introduced pre-2016 car NSW Club Championship point score.
Moon would like to thank the following 2018-19 season sponsors for their support: United Acreage Marketing, Oakworth Homes, Letter Art Signs & Graphics, Funnell’s Electrical, TS Auto Electrical, Tyrepower – Campbelltown, and Blake’s Mobile Automotive. Special thanks go to Moon’s stepdad, crew chief and car owner Col Robinson, along with his mum Megan, his fiancée Ashlee, and his pit crew Johnno Murphy Mick McCoy and Tom Moon.
To find out more about Moon and keep up to date with his 2018-19 season campaign, LIKE the Col Robinson Motorsport Facebook page.
