Queenslander Brendan Palmer made his International debut over the Christmas / New Year period when he competed in all four nights of the International World Midget Series at Western Springs Speedway (Auckland, New Zealand) with satisfying results.
Over the four nights of the International World Midget Series Palmer finished just outside the Top 10 of the feature races on three nights with a 12th, 11th and 14th place. The highlight of the whole trip was his outstanding fifth place in the feature race on December 30 during the World 30 Lapper.
“I wouldn’t say that I thought that it was going to be easier, but it was definitely a lot harder than what we were expecting,” Palmer admitted. “We had to fight hard for each and every one of our results over the four nights and that itself taught us a lot and we are certainly going to be better off for the experience.”
Palmer’s fifth place in the World 30 Lapper, aboard his # 41 Super Geek supported Ed Pink Ford powered Breka, was a very rewarding result and the unknown Australian showed the International stars that he wasn’t over there just to make up the numbers.
“To come away with a Top 5 finish was to us as good as a win when you consider the fierce competition,” explained Palmer. “Not only are there New Zealand’s best Midget drivers, but there are a number of America’s best thrown into the mix as well, so there is certainly nowhere to hide and you have to earn every spot out there on the track.”
The opportunity to contest the International World Midget Series came about after the opening round of the Speedcar Super Series (SSS) earlier this season at Brisbane International Speedway in Queensland.
“We lost our engine at the opening round and that put us out of the running for the Super Series and there were a number of guys from New Zealand over that weekend and they saw how devastated we were about it all,” explained Palmer. “Since we weren’t able to afford to fix the engine straight away we missed the next few rounds of the Super Series and that was when Bill Buckley from Springs Promotions offered us a chance to compete in the International World Midget Series and it all went from there.”
Arriving back on Australian shores last weekend Palmer is aiming to put all that he learned in New Zealand into practice during the remainder of the 09/10 season.
“We learned so much over there and it wasn’t just out on the track, but you pick up so much by just listening and asking questions,” said Palmer. “The goal for the remainder of the season is to have a consistent finish to the season and put a lot of the knowledge that we picked up during our two weeks over in New Zealand into practice.”
Special thanks must go to Bill Buckley from Springs Promotions, BSL Racing, crew chief ‘Murf’ aka Paul Murphy and major sponsor Super Geek for making the trip possible.
Palmer would like to thank the following supporters in the 09/10 season: SuperGeek – Chris, Tony and the girls www.supergeek.com.au , Naylor Painters, Wreck or Mend Panels, Michael Naylor, Ripper Lube Service, Kador Engineering, Showpiece Signs and Designs, Tim Clark for all his endless help and advice, Dan Occhipinti, Mark Holt, Jamie Williams, Mum, Dad and Dave Palmer.
To find out more about Brendan Palmer visit his official website: www.q41racing.com
