Mates go racing

Mark Crutcher, John Hobson and father-son duo Ian and Hugh McAlister are out to leave their mark on the track in what will be a big weekend of racing.

What initially started as two mates lending the McAlisters a hand at race meetings has turned into a thirst for adrenaline as Mark and John also caught the racing bug. Both men said the thrill they get from behind the steering wheel is unlike anything they’ve experienced before.

Mark – a novice driver – will debut his new Nissan Pulsar in the Nissan Pulsar Series on Saturday, meanwhile John will get his first taste of competition in Mark’s old car. The pair will compete in the same series against 38 other cars in two one-hour endurance races.

While they may not have experience on their side, Ian said Mark and John offer intimidation as both have aggressive driving styles. Mark has hopes of finishing within top 10, while John looks forward to seeing how he compares in the field.

“My biggest fear is if I beat Mark he’ll take the car off me,” John laughed.

Meanwhile Ian and Hugh will compete against each other in the Stock Cars Australia Series consisting of four 10-lap sprints in 600hp Nascars. With 30 years experience of semi-professional racing under his belt, Ian hopes to finish ahead of his son. Although, Hugh – a novice competing in his third race meeting – has proven to be quite the talent after placing second in his debut.

“I just want to beat Hugh and he will want to beat me,” Ian said. “He beat me last time but I was having car trouble.”

Ian is also looking to promote a new TA2 Class which currently consists of 14 competitors. He hopes to build the class in Australia to 30 cars by early 2017 which would eventually run at bigger meetings when established.