It most certainly wasn’t easy, but Troy Bolton managed to come out on top in last Saturday night’s Australian Legend Cars Title thriller at Leeton’s Brobenah Raceway in the Riverina district of NSW.
After a minor podium finish (third) in last season’s running of the event, Bolton managed to overcome a poor qualifying run during what was his first visit to the massive 940-metre Brobenah Raceway track and consequently starting from position 12 in the Australian Title deciding feature race to pull off a last-lap pass to score a breakthrough win.
The Belconnen, ACT based racer had it all to gain and nothing to lose in the Australian Title feature race starting from so deep in the field, and he laid it all on the line throughout the 15-lap event and it rewarded him with the win in what was a thrilling finish. Bolton had moved his way inside the top-five runners by the middle stages of the race and with a lap to go he was sitting in fourth. From there with the top-four runners closely following one another, the top two collided in turn three, which allowed Bolton and arch rival and nephew John Egan to get a run on them and saw himself and Egan drag race their way to the chequered flag, with Bolton picking up the win by the narrowest of margins.
“It was certainly an action-packed night and to win the Australian Title the way that I did made it all the more memorable,” expressed a jubilant Bolton, who loved the fact that his speedway racing is family oriented with the Egans and they can share special moments, such as an Australian Title, together as a family.
“My night didn’t start in the best way after I was disqualified from my opening heat race, which was due to my one-way receiver not functioning, and from there it was all about trying to fight my way back.
“In my remaining two heat races, I worked on getting a hold of a better car setup and also learning a track that was like nothing I’ve ever ran on before, and by the time the feature race rolled around, I was confident of being able to work my way to the front of the field from so deep in the field.
“I’d be lying if I said that I envisaged the feature race playing out the way that it did, but I’m thrilled that I was able to finish with the Australian Title in my grasp.”
With the Australian Title now in the bag, which adds to his previous blue-ribbon wins in both the NSW and Victorian Titles, Bolton is now focused on his remaining two race meetings on his 2020-21 season calendar: May 8 at Bega’s Sapphire Speedway and June 13 at Wahgunyah Speedway on the NSW-Victorian border.
Bolton’s team-mate and son Brock Bolton also contested last Saturday night’s Australian Title and after a solid qualifying performance earlier in the night his feature-race run was brought to a premature end due to a battery malfunction.
Bolton would like to thank the following 2020-21 season sponsors:
Capital Auto Paints
Kelley Bodyworks
Goodyear – Fyshwick
P1 Australia
Nulon Oil
Uniglide Lubricants
Capital Precision Powdercoating
Special thanks go to Bolton’s wife Tammy and their two kids Brock and Brittany, along with John and Sam from Legend Cars Australia.
