Madsen Lurks As Speedweek Draws Near
by Daniel Beard - Dec 3, 2009

Kerry Madsen was always going to be on a hiding to nothing should his report card show anything but straight wins upon returning to race Down Under this summer. After all, he raced with the World Of Outlaws last year in America and was joining the potent Geoff Kendrick stable, one of the most professional outfits in the land.

Add to that a record of three wins and a third in feature races in the past two seasons at the Perth Motorplex alone, many pundits thought it a mere formality ‘The Madman’ would clean up all and sundry on the West Coast.

Despite not having straight A’s to date, Madsen hasn’t exactly been underachieving to the level that some murmurs circulating would suggest.

“It’s kind of weird. Whilst we have copped a bit of flack for not winning everything like some people think we should be, we have two wins and two podiums out of six starts with the other two results DNF’s.” explained Madsen.

“I don’t think we have got 100% out of the 92.9FM/Melville Holden Maxim just yet.”

Madsen has also been privy to his fair share of bad luck so far, and he knows full well the sport of Sprintcar racing is often a cruel sport.

“I put two shocking laps together at Brisbane and that was totally my fault and I wasn’t happy timing in 11th quick.”

“Then we had a wreck in the second heat when someone spun out in front of us before getting tangled up in another crash at the start of the feature.”

“We broke a drag link and that was our night.”

Returning to Perth last weekend, Madsen felt the intensity of the team lift that little bit ahead of the 48th running of the Western Australia Sprintcar Title at the Motorplex.

“Geoff puts in a big effort each week we go racing and he wants to win every week as much as I do!”

“We would have dearly loved to have added the WA Championship to the team portfolio no doubt.”

Things ran to plan right up until the Shootout, which was a World Series Sprintcars style time trial shootout to lineup the top ten cars in the nights feature race.

“They gave us two hotlaps to warm up the tyres, then they threw the yellows, before returning to green for our two timed laps.”

“Under the yellows I had a tyre go down and all I could do was simply hang on as tight as I could and just make a lap.”

“We qualified last in the shootout and that put us well back on the grid for the main race.”

Madsen would eventually soldier forward on a heavy track to claim third place behind David Priolo and Jamie Maiolo.

“David done a great job and thoroughly deserved the win. He started in the right spot and made no mistakes and got through traffic very well.”

As much as the wise pundits would assume that Madsen would be extremely disappointed with his start thus far, the truth is vastly different.

“I am pretty happy with how we are going.”

“We are not running for points or anything so those DNF’s don’t mean anything and apart from those two nights we haven’t been off the podium yet.”

“Obviously we haven’t won everything, but I never think I am simply going to do that, I never have been like that in my life.”

“If we had of started like that we would be sitting here with beers in our hands thinking it's all going to be easy.”

Madsen is certainly not sitting back enjoying the high life on the West Coast.

He lives a mere two kilometres from the world famous beaches but as yet has spent little more than 20 minutes enjoying the sunshine and sand.

“I have spent pretty much every day at either the track or the race shop!”

The team look forward to another run this weekend at Northam and one more shakedown before heading East for the grueling ‘SpeedWeek’ competition of World Series Sprintcars.

“I am reasonably confident and think we have as good a shot as anyone at Speedweek.”

“I believe I am driving as good as I have in my career right now and I am as fit as I have ever been.”

“We have the motor program, we have the car program and if we get it nailed in the next two weeks lookout!”

That warning from Madsen is an ominous one, because a hungry MadMan is one that sends shivers through the ranks of Sprintcar racing anywhere.