Beau Riley certainly made his presence felt on his ‘racing holiday’ to Victoria, claiming a production sedan state title and a top-five finish in the national title.
Riley’s month started with the Victorian state title event at Bairnsdale Speedway, where he was the sole WA competitor taking on a field of Victorians.
Riley said it took a bit of time to get used to the smaller track, but everything came together as he claimed the win with a pass of the national champion on the final lap.
“It was a very small track compared the tracks we’re used to in WA, so we had a practice session and the first race was a bit sloppy but after that I got used to the track and it suited me and the car quite well,” he said.
“The bloke (Trevor Mills) who was leading for most of the race was the Victorian and national champion so to pass him on the last lap was special.”
Riley’s confidence was high as he prepared to contest the national title at Hamilton’s Western Speedway a fortnight later.
After starting out of position four, Riley endured constant battles for position, doing very well to hold his position and cross the finish line in fourth place, capping off what was a successful eastern campaign.
“Prior to heading over east, the goal initially was to just make it into the feature races, but to be able to win a state title and claim a top-five finish in the national title was certainly something that well and truly exceeded our expectations,” he said.
“I can’t thank my partner Felicity enough for all of her support throughout the whole trip, and it was great that we were able to have a bit of a holiday around Victoria in between race meetings.
To win a state title and claim a top-five finish in the national title was certainly something that well and truly exceeded our expectations.
- Beau Riley
“Without the support of my valued sponsors this trip just wouldn’t have been possible.”
Prior to his great start to 2019, Riley’s standout results had been a third-place finish in the 2017 WA title at Broome Speedway and a seventh-place finish in the 2013 national title at Collie Speedway.
For the remainder of the 2018-19 season, Riley plans to contest the WA state title at Ellenbrook Speedway in April.
Riley said he was also looking forward to competing in the Race of Champions at Collie Speedway on April 6.
With the event only being eligible to drivers who have previously won title events, Riley has never previously been able to participate, with Shane Brittan having piloted his car in the past few seasons.
Riley also said he wanted to thank his father Graeme, who travelled east to crew at the national title, and his family and friends for their support and help.
“Felicity and I would also like to thank both Bairnsdale and Hamilton Speedway tracks for the mammoth efforts of hosting the titles,” he said.
“We met so many wonderful people on this journey, everyone was so welcoming and offered their homes and workshops to us.”
