03 Aug SPEEDWAY CHAMP TO MAKE CIRCUIT RACING DEBUT WITH APC BONANZA
Not only will Casino’s Mitchell Randall be making his Australian Production Cars debut this weekend at Queensland Raceway (August 5-7), it will also be his maiden circuit racing outing.
Randall will compete alongside Prime Motorsport owner Chris Holdt in the #25 Prime Motorsport Astra in Class C this weekend, in what is round two of the 2022 APC season.
The entry represents a car change for Holdt, who in round one drove the #50 Prime Motorsport BMW 130i that Chris Gunther will drive for the team this weekend.
While it may be his first time circuit racing, Randall has no shortage of experience behind the wheel of race cars with a very successful background in V8 Dirt Modifieds on oval tracks.
Over a sixteen-year Speedway career, with four of those years being in the V8 dirt modified category, Randall has been a runner-up in the Australian V8 Dirt Modifieds Championship, and he also has laid claim to numerous victories in New South Wales.
He is also the current Mr Modified Champion after claiming back-to-back titles in this series.
Currently in-between speedway duties with one season done and the next not commencing until later in the year, now is the perfect time for Randall to make his circuit racing debut.
“Chris and I have been friends for around twelve years, and I have crewed for him in the past in speedway and in circuit racing,” Randall said.
“He has been hounding me to have a go and this year the stars aligned!”
In preparation for the transition from dirt to bitumen, Randall recently completed his Motorsport Australia Observed Licence Test at the Norwell Racing School under the tuition of acclaimed driver coaches.
“It is certainly a lot different to what I am used to, and the training is a ‘must do,’” Randall said.
“Norwell worked really well with the one-on-one coaching and so on.”
Randall says that the Prime Motorsport Astra is a unique package that Prime Motorsport has prepared and built in house.
“I am a mechanic by trade, and I have never seen one like this before,” Randall said.
While 300km of circuit racing in the dark for Saturday evening’s Fight in the Night will be a new experience for the speedway champ, driving under lights is something he is familiar with.
“I originally thought the Fight in the Night was in the afternoon!” he laughed.
“But I have no qualms about racing at night, after all, I have done most of my racing at night.”
Round two of the 2022 APC will hit Queensland Raceway across August 5-7 as part of the latest event for the Shannons Motorsport Australia Championships. It will feature two 30-minute races (Saturday morning and Sunday morning) and one 300km night race on Saturday evening for all APC competitors.
For more information on the Australian Production Cars, visit www.ausprodcars.com.au or contact Troy Williams on troy@ausprodcars.com.au
2022 APC DATES:
Round one – Sydney Motorsport Park – May 27-29 – two x 30-minute races, 1 x 300km race
Round two – Phillip Island – June 25-26 – four x one-hour races
Round three – Queensland Raceway – August 5-7 – two x 30-minute races, 1 x 300km race
Round four – Tailem Bend – October 21-23 – four x one-hour races
Round five – Mount Panorama – November 11-13 – four x 30-minute races