Teenager Jock Goodyer exceeded even his own expectations by finishing well inside the top 10 of last weekend’s Australian Formula 500s Championship at Murray Bridge Speedway in South Australia.

Achieving his initial goal of qualifying directly into the Australian Championship-deciding feature race, lining up out of position 12, Goodyer, who has only raced in his home state against local competitors in his previous four race meetings in the class, quickly set himself the new goal of finishing inside the top 10 against some of the country’s best; a feat he more than accomplished, working his way forward into sixth place by the fall of the chequered flag and being just short of cracking into the top five.

“We went into the Australian Championship just hoping to qualify for the feature race, so to have been able to do that and also finish where we did against the country’s best drivers is an amazing feeling,” said the 16-year-old from Launceston.

“It was a lot of effort to make it over to the mainland to race and this result makes it all worthwhile. A huge thanks to my team for their amazing hard work and support, because none of this would be possible without them.

“This definitely gives us some more confidence in racing on the mainland, but we’ll definitely continue to learn and improve, and gain as much experience as possible while we’re over here.”

Despite being the second fastest driver in Thursday night’s practice session, it was a nerve-racking start to the Australian Championship for Goodyer, who slipped back to eighth from fifth in his opening heat race and finished fifth in heat-race two, before regaining his composure to win his remaining heat race. Starting third in the preliminary feature race by virtue of being the third-fastest driver during the heat races, Goodyer delivered a solid performance, coming home in fourth

Heading into the final night of competition, a determined Goodyer ran second in his final heat race from sixth, before lining up 12th for the 30-lap Australian Championship-deciding feature race. Quickly making his way up to seventh in the opening five laps, Goodyer was embroiled in a battle for position with his more experienced counterparts throughout the middle stages of the feature race, but was able to work his forward into sixth with 10 laps to go, thanks to keeping a cool head and producing consistent laps.

Carrying added confidence into his next appearance on the mainland, Goodyer will hope to continue his strong form when he heads to Sydney’s Valvoline Raceway (NSW) this Saturday night.

Goodyer would like to thank the following 2016-17 season sponsors for their valued support: D&B Goodyer Developments, Joinery Products, Select Plumbing, MK Excavations, and JP Signs. He would also like to give special thanks to his mum and dad (Belinda and Darren), sisters (Brooke and Abbi), his sister Brooke’s fianc� Callum Zizek, his sister Abbi’s boyfriend Louis Maney, Allan Joyce, Craig Munday, and Marcus Kelly.

To find out more about Goodyer and his team, LIKE them on Facebook by searching Jock Goodyer Racing #7.

Photo: Savage Shots Photography