Ray Bartlett Racing

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