By Daniel Powell
In what was his first Sprintcar race meeting in six months; James McFadden made a return at Brisbane International Speedway during the second round of the Winter Sprintcar Series recently, as he continued his road to recovery from his shoulder injury.
Driving the QLD # 2 Todd Wanless owned car, McFadden was on the pace from the outset despite not having stepped into a Sprintcar since the final round of the World Series Championship back in February of this year. He kicked off the night by topping the time sheets in qualifying, but then had mixed results in his two heat races later on. McFadden finished fourth in his opening heat race and then was black flagged from his second heat race after accidental contact with another competitor as he attempted to make his way through the field.
For the feature race, McFadden started out of position nine in the field, but his run was basically over before it had a chance to begin. He moved quickly into the Top 5 within the opening laps, only to be involved in someone else’s accident that resulted in his DNF.
The wash up from McFadden’s Sprintcar return was that his ongoing shoulder injury wasn’t too much of a hassle early on in the night. However, as the night wore on it started to play up, especially during the feature race.
“I was pleased with how I performed, considering that I hadn’t raced a Sprintcar in six months,” commented the 21-year-old. “A lot of the time when I was out there racing it didn’t really bother me, as I had the adrenaline running, but the injury caught up with me and I struggled towards the end of the night.”
The plans for McFadden now is to try and fix this shoulder injury in time for when he contests the annual Mackay Sprintcar Challenge at Mac’s Speedway on September 2 and 3 aboard the Scott Milling owned WA # 25 Totally Workwear supported KRE powered Cool car.
“I’m currently seeing a new therapist to treat my shoulder injury, and he’s confident that I’m going to be ready for my first appearance of the 2011/12 season,” McFadden enthused, who has a brand-new car and engine package in readiness for the upcoming season. “With the Mackay Challenge being over two nights, it’s no doubt going to be a big test for my shoulder, and hopefully I came out of it all right and I can look forward to a solid season.”
McFadden will this season be joined by team-mate, Taylor Milling, who is the son of team owner, Scott Milling. This will see the pair, who have not committed to running any of the point scores during the season, tackle all the major shows together. Taylor is set to make his East Coast debut aboard a Sprintcar at the Mackay Challenge event.
McFadden would like to thank his car owner Scott Milling, parents Dave (crew chief) and Tania, along with his valued sponsors Totally Workwear, Western Diamond Drillers, KRE Race Engines, OMP, Racer Industries and Cool Chassis for all their ongoing support.
To find out more about James McFadden visit his official website: www.jamesmcfadden.com.au