By Daniel Powell
Leading into his maiden World Series Sprintcar (WSS) Championship as a full-time contracted driver, Grant Anderson is as confident as ever of enjoying a successful campaign, especially since the acquisition of former World of Outlaws crew chief Kevin Loveys to the Anderson Motorsport team.
From Toronto in Canada, Loveys has in the past been a crew chief on the World of Outlaws tour with Jeremy Campbell for four years, but has also worked with drivers like, Shane Stewart, Tony Bruce Jnr, Jessica Zemken, and now currently works with top Canada based 360 sprintcar racer Steve Poirier.
A mechanic by trade, Loveys has been working on sprintcars since the age of 16, after he had prior to that just been a keen follower of the sport as a spectator and also dabbled in a bit of go kart racing. In the ensuing years, he has worked his way up to being a respected crew chief and has travelled throughout his home country and also America working with a range of sprintcar teams. Although life is tough on the road travelling from track to track for 10 months of the year, he continues to enjoy every minute of it.
“I’ve always had a passion for sprintcars and when I realised from a young age that I probably wouldn’t be able to afford to race one properly, I still wanted to remain involved in some capacity and pit crewing was the next best thing,” he explained. “I love the constant challenge that sprintcar racing offers, as no matter how good of a night you have, there is always room for improvement. There are so many elements that play a part in a successful sprintcar team and I love being a part of all of that.”
After spending the season working with Shane Stewart in the Roth Motorsport team in 2008, Loveys achieved a childhood dream. At the age of 32, he started racing sprintcars and spent the entire 2009 season racing around Canada in the 360 competition.
Loveys strongly believes that racing a sprintcar has certainly helped make him a better crew chief.
“It helped tremendously, as it actually gave me a better understanding of the car and what a driver goes through out on the track,” he said. “I believe that my transition into driving a sprintcar racing was made easier, as I was able to setup the car a lot better and kind of knew a lot more about the cars than compared to a lot of other newcomers.”
With a season of sprintcar racing under his belt, Loveys stepped away from the driving duties and joined the 360 sprintcar team of Steve Poirier as manager and crew chief. Poirier is one of the front runners in Canada and a two-time Canadian Nationals champion. Loveys first joined up with the team at the beginning of the 2010 season and has been with them ever since. In terms of success, under the guidance of Loveys, they have won a total of 19 feature races across Canada and America together.
In what is his fourth trip to Australia, where on previous occasions he has worked with the Anderson Motorsport team (twice) and the Maiolo Motorsport team (once) out of Western Australia, Loveys, who landed in Australia a fortnight ago, will spend the next three months with the Anderson Motorsport team as their crew chief, starting with the entire World Series trail and wrapping up with the Australian Title at Speedway City in South Australia at the end of January.
“I’m very excited about working with the Anderson Motorsport team again and I’m confident that Grant will have a good season,” Loveys enthused. “The World Series championship is a tough deal and it’s all about being consistent. If you look at the top guys like Robbie Farr and Brooke Tatnell, they are always fast and that all comes down to their experience and being consistent. There is no question about Grant’s pace; he just needs to find that consistency night in, night out. I’ve come over here to help the team and I am really looking forward to knuckling down and enjoying a successful run on the road.”
This Saturday night (November 27) at Archerfield Speedway in Queensland, the World Series Sprintcar Championship begins and it’s where the Anderson Motorsport team intend to make their presence felt aboard their VIC # 37 Wagga Mobile Cranes & Heavy Haulage supported Foster.
Grant Anderson and the Anderson Motorsport team are proudly supported during the 2011/12 season by the following organisations:
• Wagga Mobile Cranes & Heavy Haulage
• Latrobe Valley Bandag
• Fuchs Lubricants
• Bockman Batteries
• D&F Racing Products
• Foster Chassis
• Townsend Service Centre
To find out more about Grant Anderson visit his official website: www.grantanderson.com.au