Ray Bartlett Racing

Only 8 days to go. Then season 2013/2014 kicks off.

410 is ready.

360 is close.

Cars look great

One driver is ready to go.

The other is cruising around Europe (Back in time for the Masters).

Spending more time in the workshop than at home (Wife keeps reminding me of this !).

Got to love this time of year, Bring on Murray Bridge 05 OCT.

23 NOV 2012

All packed and ready to go !!!!!!!!!!!!!! Murray Bridge Speedway bound this Saturday night for the Allstars with the SA-67 Sprintcar. New Car, New look, New Driver (Luke Dillon), ......... Can't wait.

Well done to Nicole and the team last night at Speedway City. All the hard work put in during the past 2 weeks to bring the car back on line was worth it. End result started A-Main from position 11 and finished 20 laps later in 6th. Cars good, Drivers good, teams good, just need a little luck to fall our way in the heats and then we can start more towards the pointy end !

Bring on Murray Bridge next Saturday Night ...............

The Ray Bartlett Racing Team also has a Facebook page up and running now as well. So if you are on Facebook feel free to visit.

Cheers Ray Bartlett.

Well that was Different !! It felt like we were involved in the beginings of a new type of sport last night ----- WWE meets AMCA Racing. Everytime we hit the track last night, we were getting hit by other AMCA Nationals. The highlite being, having the "Smackdown" delivered to the SA-67 in Heat 3 after Nicole had crossed the finishing line and recieved the flag to end the heat! Well done to Nicole and the crew though for pushing on and getting the car back out to eventually bring it home 9th in the feature regardless. We have a couple of weeks now to give the little SA-67 AMCA National its mid season freshen up before we race again. Maybe after last night - we will have to fit some "body armour" so we can go out and enjoy "this new hybrid" version of AMCA Racing too.

ADRIAN BRIEN SPONSORS SPRINTCAR DRIVER TIM SLADE

Adelaide boy Tim Slade has been devoted to motor sports since he was a boy and his dedication has paid off, with him recently making an impression in the Wilson Racing Falcon which is run by V8 Supercar team Stone Brothers.

However his boyhood passion for Speedway City and sprintcar racing has him filling his summer break with a stint in Ray Bartlett’s 360-engine, six-litre V8 car, which carry’s the Adrian Brien name.

‘They’re completely different to a V8 Supercar,’ said Slade.

‘On a bitumen racing circuit you try not to slide; you always try to look after the tyres.

‘The sprintcars can have quite a lot of grip on a clay surface but it will be fun to slide them.

‘Every race driver gets enjoyment out of driving sideways.’

There’s no gearchanging, no mirrors and sliding sideways on dirt is all in a day’s work for Slade!

With any luck this weekend will be the start of what promises to be a great racing week for Tim Slade.

Tim will start off this weekend running the Adrian Brien Ford backed, Ray Bartlett Racing Sprintcar at the Australian 360 Title at the Murray Maching & Sheds Murray Bridge Speedway and then end the week driving the Lucky 7, Stone Brothers Racing, V8 Supercar at the Adelaide Clipsal 500.

'Firstly I would like to thank the Stone Brothers for allowing Tim to race for us at an event that is so close to the Clipsal weekend,' said team owner Ray Bartlett.

'The demands on V8 Supercar teams before one of these events is very high, so for them to allow Tim to run the Sprintcar the weekend before is great for us.

As this conversation began to unfold I could tell that Ray was slightly excited as we talked about the weeke coming.

'Now with only a couple of days to go until the title, it's time for me to get nervous. As a race team we have raced at heaps of events, but i still get nervous before having a go at an Australian Title,' said Ray.

So I asked Ray the obvious question, Mate you have as a car owner won this event before, what is there to be so nervous about?

'In the last week alone, I think I have rebuilt the car about 10 times in my sleep just to start off with! There is something about this race, I don't know what it is but it's different. As a team we won this race with Jamie Cobby back in 2006. We then went on to loose 2 that we thought at the time we had in the bag. As a team owner that's the thing about this race, it can provide the best feeling one minute, then "stomp your guts" the next,' answered Ray.

So what does this year hold for you?

'Buggered if I know?, ask me late Sunday Night! All I do know at this point in time is, I have a driver in Tim Slade who is hungry for success in a Sprintcar. A team that has felt the "stomps in the guts" before. A great team of sponsors and corporate partners behind us, and 41 other teams that say we can't beat them this Saturday /Sunday night at Murray Bridge Speedway,' said Ray in an upbeat fashion.

Ray you are never short of a word so with this being your last chance before the weekend is there anything you would like to say?

'I have made a career out of never backing down from a challange. so this should be fun. There are some around who think that putting Tim in a Sprintcar was just a bit of a "publicity smoke and mirrors job". Well if you get a chance this weekend to get up to Murray Brige Speedway you will see just how hard we are trying to win this thing again.

Hope to see you there!,' said Ray in closing.

Ray Bartlett Racing is proud to be associated with;

Adrian Brien Ford

Adelaide Coachlines

Saxon Engineering

Protec Paints

Sign-A-Rama Melrose Park

Brentons Mechanical Workshop

Rick Cobby Transport

Pt Noarlunga / Christies Beach RSL

Reliance Petroleum

Penrite Oils &

Starfire Pizza

Tim Slade - Ready for 360 Sprintcar action this weekend

As a race team we looked forward to finally running a “local club show“ at Adelaide’s Speedway City on January the 8th. After two rounds of the 360 All Stars Series and two rounds of World Series Sprintcars for our first four events, the “less hectic” club show seemed the way to go. But for a club show it attracted another high quality list of entrants including the return south of Australia 360 number 1 Allan Barlee.

The heats went well and we locked in a 12th starting spot in the A-Main. Tim once again showed all in attendance that he is really starting to come to grips with this Sprintcar racing bit by moving through the field to eventually finish the 20 lap A-Main in a creditable 6th place. The racing between Tim and young SA driver Tregan Gates for 5th was probably the race of the A-Main event, with the two trading places numerous times throughout the race.

This night was also used to announce our new sponsors in “Reliance Petroleum”.

As a team we are very happy to be able to take the Reliance Petroleum brand to the greater speedway community. The caps they provided for a half time “give away” that Tim also signed were a great hit with the fans that were lucky enough to get one. Thanks also to Paris Charles who interviewed Tim during this time.

So after another successful Saturday night under our belt, the team now starts the preparation to back over the border for another shot at the 360 All Stars at Simpson Raceway.

Cheers

Ray Bartlett.

V8 Supercars News

Tim Slade hungry for more Sprintcar action

Wednesday 19th January, 2011

Author: SpeedCafe ©

After getting a taste of dirt track action over the summer piloting a Ray Bartlett-owned Sprintcar, V8 Supercar driver Tim Slade is hungry for more.

What started out as a bit of fun in the off season has turned into an adrenaline rushing training camp, and after five races the 25 year old is looking to see what he can wrangle for more time behind the wheel.

Slade indicated to Speedcafe.com.au that he will be speaking to the ‘powers to be’ about squeezing in a couple more Sprintcar races between the breaks early in the V8 Supercars season.

“Last weekend at Simpson was probably the first time in my five races that the racing actually felt like it was normal speed in my head, and I was starting to get used to the characteristics of the car, so it’s disappointing the fun has to come to an end – for now,” said Slade.

“It has been great fitness training and has really given me a workout and an appreciation of the comforts that we do have in a V8 Supercar. When I get back in the car later this month I think it will feel more like a lounge chair rather than a race seat.

“There are a couple of races in Adelaide in between Abu Dhabi and Clipsal that I would love to do to get some more experience, so I’ll be asking the question of what I can fit in, and what the boss will let me do.”

Slade’s best result on the dirt track came last weekend during a round of the All Stars Series at the Simpson Speedway in Victoria where he crossed the line in eighth position.

“I started 12th alongside Mark Caruso and moved up the order at the start but I then had someone drive into the side of me which took my front wing off. It was then a handful to drive and Caruso went on to finish third, so who knows what could have happened if I’d been able to keep out of trouble,” said Slade.

“Overall though, I’ve had an absolute blast and have got some great memories thanks to Ray Bartlett and his group of supporters.”

The team headed back over the border into “the badlands”, (some would call it Victoria - but I like “the badlands” better) for round 4 of the 360 Sprintcar All Stars at Mildura on Sunday 2nd of January 2011. After running an All Stars show for Tims debut in the Sprintcar at Murray Bridge in early December, the team was looking forward to this event as we would not have to start at the back of everything. The night tossed up some mixed results in the heats - started off pole in heat 1 only to spin on the first corner and rejoin in position 9th, eventually finishing 8th.

Second heat Tim started out of position 9 and ended the heat in position 5, although the car was a bit of a handful to drive (Tim told me in more detailed language exactly what he thought of the car at the end of the heat).

So after going back to an original set up, we started the B-Main from possie 4, remembering that we only needed a top 6 finish to make the transfer into the A-Main.

As he has done every time when he straps into the car, Tim drove with his head and brought the car home in 3rd, and therefore getting us through to the main show.

That put us out of position 15 for the A-Main, but with 30 laps the journey, I was sure Tim would go forward.

Therefore after 30 laps, a bit of excitement, and a bit of dust - Tim bought the SA 67 home in 11th place.

So in only his 4th race in a Sprintcar, Tim had not only made the show, but he finished it as well.

A huge thanks to Tim’s mate Jack Perkins, who helped us out all night with the car as we were running a couple of normal crew short, and a big thanks also to my Dad. The old boy well and truly earned his keep on the night.

Cheers

Ray Bartlett.8)