Speed Event Series

Driver Profile: Blake Scantlebury

Have you ever seen a shopping trolley go so fast?!

If you’ve been to any of the recent Collie SES rounds you’ll likely have seen Blake and his Honda Jazz, on two wheels, having more fun than almost anyone else, and setting blistering times for what is a very basic car with 100hp (1:24s on long track) 🚗💨

Blake’s been in the series for a few years now, and has constantly chipped away at his car (quite literally, the thing weighs 850kg!) as well as his driving, proving that you don’t need a whole lot of car to go fast and have a tonne of fun. Though rumour has it that 2027 might see some straight-line-handling upgrades for the little Jazz 🤔

2026 has seen the introduction of the Outright under 1.6L class, and Blake has had a super tight battle with Shane’s Mazda 2 all year, currently only 0.7s separating the two cars if you add up all their fastest times from each round. The final rounds will be bangers, especially with the dark horse Ben Antonelli getting much quicker in his Mazda MX5, and the potential return of the Excel king Lachlan Cove.

Off the track Blake is a great guy to hang around too, and easily has the strongest handshake out of the whole paddock. The series is glad to have you Blake, see you at the next round!

**1. What was your first car?**

2000 Honda Civic (in Nanna Beige)

**2. How did you get started in racing?**

Started off co-driving for a mate in his Honda Civic in the Rallysprints series. He wasn’t going to run the car the next season, so I asked if we could trade places. I almost hit the barrier on the first run after doing a pirouette, had a much better night after that.

**3. What’s your best memory on track so far?**

Weirdly enough, crashing into one of the barrier chicanes at the Rallysprints in my Honda Jazz after telling my co-driver I could brake later. The reason being that after I came back in to the pits, we had about 10 people surrounding the car fixing the damage to get us back out for the next run. A great example of why I love the racing community.

**4. Why do you keep coming back to the Speed Event Series?**

The Speed Event Series is great mix of competition and lighthearted banter. It strikes a good balance where the events just feel like you’re hanging out with friends and you just happen to be out on track. Everyone is friendly and welcoming.

Long awaited Round 9 is upon us!

Competitors will be testing their skills at MotorMall Wanneroo Raceway through a technical Point to Point Circuit that utilises the track and the infield to create a challenging course that will level the playing field.
Cold tyres, sharp corners and little room for error will test our competitors to really know their car and push themselves to score top points as we edge to the end of the season!

The scores on the leaderboard are getting closer each round, lets make this one count!

A few contestants have made enquiries about magnetic door numbers.
If you require some please contact myself ( Andrew Ball ) and I will try to get these for you before the next round.
They are $50 a set to be paid for up front.

Message from Chris Sprigg for SES competitors, volunteers, and friends of the series:

I’m looking at putting together a downhill Soapbox Derby — build your own cart, point it downhill and see what happens! 😂

It’ll be all about fun, creativity and bragging rights, with pretty relaxed rules. Build whatever you like, as long as it rolls, steers and stops!

🏁 Different classes & prizes
🛠️ Free-design carts
🏆 Fastest, best build & best-looking/most ridiculous cart
😂 Plenty of laughs. This will be open to all ages within reason (newborns probably excluded)

Who would be interested in having a crack? Comment below or shoot me (Chris Sprigg) a message so I can get an idea of numbers! I also have a set of rules and regs ready for those intrested. Date to be set but will be out near the Collie Motorplex.

Driver Profile: John Hart

Next on our list of people who make SES a great series to be a part of is John Hart and his Toyota 86. John joined the series a few years ago, and stood out from the start thanks to his unfailingly positive and friendly attitude; he’s always someone you want to have a chat with on race day.

John now shares driving duties with his son Cameron, both in the highly competitive Modified Road Car under-2L class. The 86 has picked up a couple of minor battle scars along the way (evenly distributed between John and Cameron), and John has nabbed a couple of class wins in 2026 leaving him currently 2nd in points. We can’t wait for the remaining rounds, it will definitely be a close battle for class honours!

**What was your first car?**
Holden HZ Kingswood Sedan.

**How did you get started in racing?**
In 2020 I purchased a second hand Madza MX-5 and started to do a few grassroots motorsport events in that car. I came across the Speed Series and bought the Toyota 86 to compete in the 2023 series. I have been in the Series ever since.

**What’s your best memory on track so far?**
My first time at the Albany Windfarm Hill Climb. The course is both thrilling and scary.

**Why do you keep coming back to the Speed Event Series?**
My main reason for coming back to the Speed Event Series is the people. Everyone is always happy to share advice and expertise. There is healthy competition between the drivers, and everyone is very supportive.

Entries open - Speed Event Series Round 9

Round 9 takes us back to MotorMall Wanneroo Raceway for their Tarmac Sportz Point 2 Point event on Saturday 5th Sep. These Point 2 Point courses are always a blast, with a great mix of technical and flowing corners taking you all over the Wanneroo and Jacks Hill courses.

Get your entries in now via the Motorsport Australia portal! Make sure you enter early, as the portal has been “upgraded” and you’ll likely need to add all your vehicle details again…

See you there!

https://motorsport.org.au/

Driver Profile: Ross Holland

Anyone who’s spent any time with the Speed Event Series knows that it’s the people that make it special, so we wanted to highlight some of our drivers and show the wide range of cars entering each event.

First up is Ross Holland in his hard-to-miss Ford Falcon XR8. Ross joined the series last year as a beginner, and has made progress in leaps and bounds since. He’s a trooper, making the long drive up from Albany for each event, and capturing his experiences for his YouTube channel (https://youtube.com/).

Ross is currently 3rd place in the Outright Sedan over-3L class, showing that consistency is the key to success in what is a very mildly-modified car compared to others in the class!

Keep up the good work Ross, see you at the next event!

**What was your first car?**
1972 Toyota Celica TA22

**How did you get started in racing?**
I got my racing start at 8 years old in Soapbox racing!

**What’s your best memory on track so far?**
Anytime I’m around Johnny Morrell in his Civic 🤣 It’s always exciting in some way, and a good battle!

**Why do you keep coming back to the Speed Event Series?**
The people! One of the best communities I’ve been a part of! Along with the love for the craft of racing itself.

Safety Check: Is your harness actually doing its job?

Whether you’re prepping for your first event or you’ve been on the grid for years, harness and FHR setup isn’t an arbitrary task. Using guidance from Motorsport Australia and harness manufacturers, here’s what you need to get right when installing and setting up your harness. For more detail, see Schedule I in the Motorsport Australia Manual - Technical Appendix.

1. Use the Hardware.
Harnesses must be mounted using properly rated eye bolts, or wrapped around a harness bar or roll cage. Make sure you use either the stock seatbelt mounting holes, or a properly-sized reinforcement nut plate when mounting to the body. All of this hardware is readily available from any motorsport parts shop.

2. Watch the Angles.
Ideally, your shoulder straps should mount between 0° and 20° below the horizontal, though Motorsport Australia allows up to 45° below the horizontal as a not-recommended worst case. Set the shoulder strap lengths so that the adjuster buckles are just above the bottom of your FHR, or around the height of your ni***es if you're not wearing a FHR.

3. Keep it Narrow.
For FHR users, your shoulder anchors should generally be closer together than the width of your neck (roughly 100-150mm apart). This keeps the belts locked onto the device so they don't slide off your shoulders mid-corner.

4. Through the Slots.
Your belts must pass through the seat's designated harness holes, not over the side bolsters or the top of the headrest. If the belt isn't in direct contact with your body, it can't hold you in the seat.

4. Lap Belts First.
Always buckle up and pull your lap straps tight across your pelvis before you touch the shoulder adjusters. If your lap belt is sitting over your stomach, you’re at risk of "submarining" under the belt in an impact.

Take five minutes in the shed this week to check your mounting points and straps. Scrutineers will be checking, but more importantly, you want it right for your own safety.

Laine is locked in for WTAC 2026! Despite an unfortunate breakdown at Round 7, he will be showing up and representing WA. Let's get behind him and support our fellow competitor really turn it up in September!

https://www.facebook.com/share/188QHq9waZ/

We are in. Its a thing. Get on it

Big challenges ahead!

Round 8 at Collie Motorplex last Sunday was a great day of Motorsport. With the rain incoming, competitors were getting worried about a wash out. Our fantastic volunteers and Clerk of Course called that we would squeeze the third run in before the rain and push out their mid day break. Their support meant we were able to run 3 of the 4 scheduled sessions by 1 o'clock!
The rain did show up and we called the event, with the downpour forcing everyone to pack up and head home after a great weekend of racing!

Congratulations to our top three, Justin, Andy and Andreas for their outright wins.