Following a character-building debut 410 Sprintcar season where he struggled just to qualify for feature races, Luke Stirton’s increase in confidence is certainly being reflected in his results so far this season, with Stirton not only qualifying for feature races, but impressively challenging for top-10 finishes.

Stepping into the class at the beginning of the 2017-18 season, with his only prior racing experience being a couple of race meetings driving a Wingless Sprint owned by the late Peter Craft, Stirton had much to learn during his first season, making his way into a single feature race aboard his family-owned NSW # 10 A-One Charge Air Coolers / Pepper Money supported Maxim car.

That has all changed this season. With the 19-year-old racer’s confidence continuing to grow with each lap, he has well and truly reached new heights, qualifying for five feature races so far, along with being able to convert his qualifying speed into pleasing results.

Scoring a career-best sixth-place result during the Ultimate Sprintcar Challenge round at Sydney’s Valvoline Raceway back in November, Stirton has managed to continue his momentum, most recently coming home just outside of the top 10 in the Harbour City Deal, also at Valvoline Raceway, which doubled as the seventh Ultimate Sprintcar Championship NSW round.

“I’m very happy with how the season’s going so far and the results we’ve been able to achieve are really encouraging,” commented Rouse Hill, NSW-based driver, who has two experienced former Sprintcar racers – Adrian Maher and Justin Mineeff – providing valuable behind-the-scenes support.

“Each time we race, we gain more knowledge and experience, which has helped me with my confidence in the car. The biggest improvement for us has been learning how to qualify strongly in order to put ourselves in a better position for the feature race, which is already paying off.”

This Friday and Saturday night, Stirton will be back in action at Valvoline Raceway for the annual Scott Darley Challenge event. He will then be travelling to Victoria to participate in the coveted Grand Annual Classic at Warrnambool’s Premier Speedway and having already ventured to the track to contest the annual Max’s Race last month in readiness for his Classic debut.

In the 2018-19 season, Stirton is proudly supported by the following sponsors: A-One Charge Air Coolers, Pepper Money, Motoradco Industrial Radiators, and Total Care 4WD.

Special thanks go to his dad (Paul), and his pit crew Evan Holborow, Andrew Williams, Alex Bowman, Cooper Hepenstall, along with Adrian Maher and Justin Mineeff. Apart from being Stirton’s engine builder, Maher is his driver mentor, a family friend and a driver for the family team before Stirton jumping behind the wheel.

To find out more about Stirton and his team, LIKE them on Facebook by searching Motoradco Motorsport / A-One Racing.

Photo: Crashy's Photos