Goodyer will start favourite for 30th anniversary King’s Challenge

In any form of sport confidence is a major factor.

If you’ve got it that’s great, if you don’t it’s going to be an uphill battle.

Tasmanian Sprintcar driver Jock Goodyer seems to have it by the truckload. And it’s telling.

The current Australian Champion and recently crowned back-to-back recent Clayperview.com Sprintcar Speedweek champ is almost untouchable in his gleaming #1 Daniel Trucking Maxim and shows a polish and a maturity that belies his young age.

“I feel like every time I go out on track my crew have the car perfect and it’s up to me to finish the job,” he said. “That makes a huge difference.”

Goodyer comes into the historic 30th running of the Kings Challenge at Borderline Speedway on January 18 as a raging hot favourite having won in Mount Gambier for the Speedweek round on December 28 to complete a clean sweep of the first three nights.

“I like Borderline,” he said. “It’s a racy and Bill Barrows and all the track crew always do a great job. They always get a great crowd here and we love coming here.”

The field for this year’s Kings Challenge is once again a ‘who’s who’ of Australian and American superstars with defending champion James McFadden looking for a rare hat-trick of Kings’ victories.

The Alice Springs born USA based World of Outlaws star is widely regarded as one of the top ten drivers on the planet and he regards Mount Gambier as his third home.

It will be up to McFadden and the stacked field of Americans and Aussies though to see if they can stem the flow of Tasmania Goodyer.

Even McFadden concedes that Goodyer’s team are the ones to beat.

His ability to qualify well, to pass from the back and to keep point perfect racing lines make him a deadly adversary for anyone in the field.

The Launceston based screen printer wrapped up the super-competitive Speedweek Series for the second year in a row by the time the fourth round was completed at Avalon Raceway.

He then barnstormed to second place behind final round winner Jamie Veal at Premier Speedway Warrnambool to cap off a near faultless Speedweek performance.

He picked up $40,000 for five nights racing to lead second placed Brock Hallett and Texan Aaron Reutzel in the Speedweek series podium.

As the month of big money rolls into action throughout January the impetus steps up a notch and the biggest teams take on the privateers for the Kings Challenge, the President’s Cup and the Grand Annual Sprintcar Classic.

Previous Kings Challenge winners that will compete on January 18 include back-to-back winner James McFadden, two-time winner Kerry Madsen and Lockie McHugh.

WORDS COURTESY OF WADE AUNGER & PHOTOS COURTESY OF RAY RITTER