By Phil Michell

 Dylan Jenkin said driving Sprintcars is like a drug you get addicted to, Clinton Oliver hopes that the Government will subsidize Sprintcar racing so everyone can buy one and Jamie Hendry wants to invite every race fan on the hill to drive his car so they can experience the buzz as well. Well luckily for me Jamie did just that and I recently got behind the wheel of his SA Kerbing #42 Maxim and I took to the track for eight breathtaking laps of the Murray Bridge Speedway.

 Having driven two V8 Dirt Modifieds last year I had an idea of how an open wheeled car behaves but having said that nothing could really prepare me for an experience like this. Prior to getting into the car I have got to say I was extremely nervous but once Jamie had run through the starting procedure with me and I was strapped into the cockpit the butterflies began to disappear as I began to feel more confident inside the 360ci beast.

 As I sat on the infield waiting to be pushed away Jamie lent into the car and asked me did I have any final questions but I had none, well I couldn’t think of any as I was in deep concentration. The last thing he said to me was “The car in gear so just watch the oil pressure gauge, hit the ignition switch and enjoy the ride” but he was probably thinking “Please bring it back to me in one piece!”

 As the push vehicle gently nudged the push bar I knew there was no turning back and as we began to roll across the infield all I could do was think about the starting procedure. Watch the gauges, “Done”, flick the switch, “Done” and before I knew the engine was alive and I was in turn one driving across the concrete gutter and entering the race track.

 As I rolled down the back straight awaiting the green I removed a tear off from the helmet that had been strategically left in place from the previous race meeting to ensure that I got the entire Sprintcar experience. As I made my way through turn four I gave the guys on the infield the thumbs up just to let them know that everything was OK and as I looked up at the starters stand the green flag was waving.

 From this point on I wasn’t really able to enjoy the ride as I was concentrating so hard but one thing I really took notice of was the way the car handled, especially when you applied the brakes. For the first two laps I was reluctant to use the brake, simply rolling off the throttle as I entered the turns. But on lap three, or perhaps four, I went into turn one a little hot, so I jumped on the brakes and the car responded immediately. It moved to the left and hugged the turn and I could really feel the left side of the car drop as I turned in. Having discovered this fact the car became easier to drive therefore the reaming laps felt so much quicker that the previous few.

 As the chequered flag dropped on my solo run the next thing to worry about was getting the car stopped. As I exited turn two I steered to the infield, pulled the car out of gear, turned off the ignition switch, pushed down hard on the brakes and turned off the fuel, mission complete.

 As I unbuckled from the car and took off the helmet all I could think of was “Man that was awesome”. Having sat on the hill for over 28 years watching the likes of Kinser, Swindell, Rush, Dumesny, Brazier and co. drive these cars it was a dream come true to finally experience what it is like. But having now driven a Sprintcar, at a reduced speed I might add, I don’t know how they can drive with 20 other cars around them, removing tear off’s in the middle of a turn while searching for the fastest way around an ever changing track surface. I will leave that to the guys and girls who posses this unique skill and I will continue to enjoy watching them from the hill and the commentary box for several more years to come.

 Once again I would to thank to personally thank Jamie Hendry, and the entire Hendry Motorsports Team, for allowing me to drive their SA Kerbing / Sandy Creek Engineering #42 Maxim.

Thanks also to Ray Ritter for the Photos (more in gallery pages), Sandy Creek Engineering, Chooks Custom Grafix and SA Kerbing.