FOR the Krikke Motorsport team and their driver Dayne Kingshott, last Saturday night’s King of Wings at the Perth Motorplex was certainly a challenging one, but it was one that saw them play their Maddington Toyota Sprintcar Series JOKER card on the night and come away with a winning result.

In what was their second win from three Maddington Toyota Series rounds so far this season, with the other round that they didn’t win being a second-place finish, the Krikke Motorsport team and Kingshott fought hard throughout the night, and it rewarded them with the team’s first King of Wings victory since Brooke Tatnell back in the 2009-10 season.

“It certainly wasn’t the easiest of nights, but the team and I dug in and manage to have a really strong car for the feature race, and it rewarded us with my biggest win in Sprintcars so far,” Kingshott expressed.

“I messed up our qualifying run at the beginning of the night and consequently missed our heat race invert, which saw us fight hard to get a top-four finish in our heat race and book ourselves a spot into the feature race. After the heat races, there was a driver ahead of us in the points who had pulled out for the night, and it saw us take their place in the B Dash.”

Kingshott continued by saying that the touch of luck to get a B Dash spot, which saw him go on to finish third in the event and lock in a position six feature race starting spot, played a massive part in contributing to the team’s eventual King of Wings victory.

“To be honest, I had a fair bit of anxiety heading into the night, as I was playing my joker card and it can certainly either make or break your series winning hopes, but although we had a tough start to the night, everything fell our way on a few occasions during the night,” said Kingshott, who had moved from his third row start early on in the feature race and then took control of the lead on lap 11 after leader and Maddington Toyota Series arch rival James Inglis tangled with a lapped car and was sent ROF for the restart, which was a position Kingshott held through to the fall of the chequered flag.

“For the feature race, we had a strong car, and the team and I were a little concerned that we were too good too early, but it didn’t play out that way, as the team had nailed the car’s setup. Even during the pit stop in the middle stages of the feature race, the team didn’t change anything setup wise, as we were confident with it, and I was able to control the rest of the race and take out the win.”

Kingshott’s latest win has now consolidated his Maddington Toyota Series point standings lead, and he heads into the upcoming fourth Maddington Toyota Series round, which is also the running of the Western Australian Title, at the Perth Motorplex on December 2 confident of being able to defend his Western Australian Title crown.

“The team and I are really enjoying a strong start to the season, and it’s quite a surreal feeling at the moment, but we are trying to keep a lid on it and are just taking each night as it comes,” he enthused.

“I couldn’t ask for better form heading into the Western Australian Title, and our goal is to of course defend it, but it’s certainly not going to be easy, and the team and I will spend the next two weeks preparing in the best possible way back in the workshop to try and give us another winning chance.”

Latest Maddington Toyota Series Point Standings (after three completed rounds):

1 Dayne Kingshott – 746 points
2 James Inglis – 722
3 Brad Maiolo – 692
4 Jason Kendrick – 690
5 Andrew Priolo – 674

The Krikke Motorsport team would like to thank their 2023-24 season supporters:

• Mobil 1
• Bunbury Toyota
• Maxwill Racing Engines
• PWR Advanced Cooling Technology
• Redline Media
• Hough Cabinets
• RPM Race Products
• Taralea Farm Macadamias
• Performance Racegear
• P1 Advanced Racewear Australia and New Zealand
• Number 4 Composites
• AFCO Shock Doctor
• Resolve Automotive Spraypainters
• Blackbeard Custom Designs
• JP Signs
• www.krikkemotorsport.store

To keep up to date with the Krikke Motorsport team, visit their website at krikkemotorsport.com.au or follow them on their social-media channels – Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter – by searching Krikke Motorsport.

Photo: Richard Hathaway Photography