After spending significant time and effort in the shed building their own AMCA National, there was much satisfaction to be had for Sean Mazzuchelli and his dad Norbert in last Saturday night’s WA AMCA National Title as Mazzuchelli steered the machine to victory.
Working with a shoestring budget, manufacturing their own parts and panels was not something that was unfamiliar to the father and son duo, but the turning point for Mazzuchelli came two seasons ago when he destroyed his car during a crash, forcing him to take the opportunity to rebuild the car, putting into practice his experience in order to upgrade it.
Having already tasted feature-race success this season during the second Action Series round at Bunbury Speedway, in addition to a few minor podium finishes, the 42-year-old driver felt relaxed heading into last Saturday night’s WA Title.
While it wasn’t the best of starts for Mazzuchelli, suffering a flat tyre in hot laps, he was pleased to have gotten that misfortune out of the way prior to his heat races, which saw him progressively improve as the night wore on, picking up a third, second and first-place finish.
Sitting equal highest in points with two-time WA Champion David Boyes heading into the 30-lap WA Title-deciding feature race, Mazzuchelli lost out in the coin toss, cementing his outside front-row start, which later turned out to be a blessing in disguise, with the inside of the track offering slippery conditions.
Getting superior traction to Boyes off the starting line, Mazzuchelli immediately launched himself into the lead, and from there, there was no stopping. Being careful not to overdrive, Mazzuchelli continued to hit his marks throughout the distance, eventually greeting the chequered flag well clear of his rivals by over five and a half seconds aboard his WA # 48 Mazzuchelli-built car.
“Knowing the type of talent and fast cars we were up against, we’re over the moon that we were able to come away with the win, particularly in a car that my dad and I built ourselves,” expressed Mazzuchelli.
“So many late nights in the shed have gone into making this car what it is and it’s an amazing feeling that it’s all starting to pay off. When you’re working on such tight budget, these types of results definitely make it all worthwhile and I’m extremely proud of both dad and myself for what we’ve been able to achieve.”
Commencing his competitive racing career in Junior Sedans in the late 1980s aboard a Morris Mini, Mazzuchelli then spent a season in Modified Productions in 1994, before taking a year off.
Changing pace and trading dirt for tar, Mazzuchelli then spent the next 10 years competing in go karts on the tar circuits, sporadically racing around the country and impressively placing third in the 1999 National Title in the Senior National Heavy class. Other highlights during his go karting career include racing against now Formula 1 driver Daniel Ricciardo.
Coming back to his speedway roots in 2012, the Kalgoorlie-based racer was drawn to the AMCA Nationals class, being attracted to the rules and the opportunity to build his own car with Norbert, who also raced speedway, competing in raced Super Sedans and Modified Sedans throughout the 1970s and ‘80s.
Currently sitting inside the top five in the State Series, Mazzuchell’s next appearance will be on the Saturday night of March 30 at Esperance Speedway for the third round of the Action Series.
Mazzuchelli would like to give special thanks to Kalsigns, his dad Norbert, WA AMCA Nationals, and the rest of his family and friends.
