Monday, May 21, 2007
MD Media
The year was 1982, and Max Dumesny was having the kind of year you dream about in his final season as a Formula 500 driver.
He won the Australian Championship at Bibra Lake that season, leading home the screaming two stroke green machine number #43 of Des Ferris and he won the NSW F500 Championship at the Newcastle Motordrome that same summer.
It was the last time he’d race the pocket rockets as a Sprintcars career beckoned the following year and the rest, as they say, is history.
So 25 years on, an offer comes across the Dumesny table to drive a Formula 500 (600) in the NSW Championship once more, and take a crack at yet another piece of history to head Max’s way.
It only took one look at the car that Steve Caunt had offered the 7 times WSS Champion to drive and Max was convinced it was worth taking a punt.
“You could tell just by looking at it that it was a great racecar,” Max smiles, “both myself and Mouse (Green – crew chief) couldn’t wait to get our hands on it. It was beautiful.”
Ironically enough the 600cc Stallard chassis owned by Caunt that was originally going to be pedaled by American Travis Senter occupied the same piece of factory floor space as Max’s all but restored #1 Honda from 1982 and the contrast could not have been more extreme.
Max would go on to win the NSW title at Parramatta, making it a long 25 years between NSW Championship drinks, and do it in style.
“I had an absolute ball,” Max recalls, “I have to say a big thank you to Steve Caunt and his team for making it possible, I really enjoyed myself. The little car was very quick; it was just a little slow in the steering perhaps. The feature race went for 25 laps but I’d have been happy if it had been 23. The car was a Rolls Royce.”
So would he do it again?
“Well Steve has asked me to do it again next year but I need to think about it before answering. It certainly was a lot of fun though, and I can’t thank everyone enough for the opportunity.”
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