Waldens head back to the mountain
8/10/2004 22:06 (Press Release) -
After moving away from Central Western New South Wales five years ago, Walden Motorsport will be heading to familiar territory when the 2004 Bob Jane T-Marts Bathurst 1000 commences this coming weekend at Mount Panorama.
Whilst this may be the first year that 22 year old Garth Walden will be racing in the 1000 kilometre endurance event, the infamous mountain circuit is by no means unfamiliar territory for the lower Blue Mountains based racing team.
As a 15 year old in 1997 Garth began his racing career on Mount Panorama in the Hill Climbs and Super Sprints – for his sixteenth birthday he drove a VP ‘Group A’ Commodore to third outright (first in class) and sixth outright (third in class) respectively.
Early in 1998, Garth entered an LJ Torana into the 60th Annual Easter Meeting at Mount Panorama where he finished 9th outright (3rd in his class) ahead of 84 other entrants.
Later that year Garth was given a VL Commodore Sports Sedan, with mid-mounted chev motor, to compete in the super sprint, where finished 2nd outright and 1st in his class.
Garth returned to Mount Panorama in 1999 for the Easter Meeting, where he finished first in his class for all three events and sixth overall racing a VS ‘Group A’ Commodore.
Garth’s father and team manager Brian Walden is also no stranger to ‘The Mountain’.
Beginning his career in a mini sports sedan, with relative success that includes winning the 1992 East Coast Mini Challenge, Brian built a VL Commodore in 1995 and entered the sports sedan series.
In 1997, after purchasing an ex-Holden Racing Team ‘Group A’ Commodore, Brian teamed up with Steve Williams to finish fifteenth outright and sixth in the privateer class, for what was then called the Primus 1000.
For the second of the major endurance rounds Walden Motorsport will again be taking Wollongong local Grant Elliott to co-drive with Garth Walden after the two posted solid results at the recent Betta Electrical Sandown 500.
For Grant, the Bathurst circuit and the upcoming endurance event will not be unfamiliar territory either.
In 2003, Grant made his V8 Supercar Championship Series debut in the 1000 kilometre event for Sydney Star Trucks and Buses in an AU Falcon, finishing in 23rd position.
Grant also finished the 2004 Konica Minolta Supercar Series in 9th position, campaigning a VX Commodore all year and only twice recording results outside the top fifteen for any race.
When Walden Motorsport arrives in Bathurst they are sure to stir some talk with a new livery for the event having recently negotiated a deal with Clubs NSW for the ‘Save our clubs…axe the tax’ campaign.
To implement this arrangement Walden Motorsport spent almost one full week in direct contact with hundreds of Clubs for their input, and were constantly reminded of the wide impact of the proposed tax, especially upon the community groups that rely upon the Clubs’ funding.
According to Clubs NSW the poker machine tax being introduced over the next seven years by the state government will force 1,500 people out of the workforce with an average tax increase of 46.6% and 50.5%, which is applied to Clubs irrespective of their profits or losses (www.axethetax.com.au).
Walden Motorsport will get their first taste of the mountain this year on Thursday 7th October when competition begins with a 60 minute practice session. Qualifying will take place on Friday 8th October at 2pm, and the 1000 kilometre ‘great race’ kicks off at 10am on Sunday 10th October.
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