Brooke Tatnell - Doing It For Dad
Thursday, 2 August 2007 by Daniel Beard
Brooke Tatnell is currently the hottest ticket in the World Series Sprintcars competition and as car owner Shane Krikke explains, he is ‘Red Hot and Raring To Go!'
The union of Tatnell and the highly professional Krikke Motorsports outfit resulted in immediate success by claiming the 2005/06 World Series Sprintcars championship as well as the last two Australian Sprintcar Titles.
Outside influences unfortunately cut short the teams attempt to defend its championship last season.
Brooke Tatnell openly admits it has been a tough twelve months.
“It's been a year of such highs and lows. Personally it's been a very tough 12 months.”
Although only seen sparingly down under last summer, the impact of coming off a full World Of Outlaws campaign in America was clearly evident .
The Toyota Genuine Parts / Valvoline #1 dominated by winning all four of the championship rounds they contested including two high class victories on the West Coast over the hottest Sprintcar driver on the planet in Donny Schatz.
“Right now there is a huge confidence factor in the team. We all compliment each other.” Explained Tatnell.
“I am driving for the best team in the country.”
The Tatnell name is synonymous with open wheel dirt track racing in Australia and Brooke has already etched quite a distinguished career both here and overseas.
He became the first Australian driver to ever win a World Of Outlaws feature race at Jetmore Kansas in 2003. He has since managed a further seven wins in the toughest series in the United States of America.
“That first win meant the world to me.”
“People say how lucky we are to have had Outlaw rides but they quickly forget how hard we worked to get to where we are. Years of coming back and forth and working our way up was tough.”
“The win at Jetmore in the Court Grandstaff car was so rewarding as we had good equipment, the best Court could afford, but we certainly did not have the budget those other teams had.”
His first World Series Sprintcars feature win dates back even earlier to season 1989/90 when he greeted the checkered flag first ahead of Max Dumesny and his father George in Round 2 at Bunbury International Speedway. At the time George was as good as there was going around coming off the back of two WSS Championships and victory in the opening round.
“I remember just being able to go out and run against Dad, Max and Rush was like a dream come true.”
“We did have a bit of an advantage as I had Alan Felsch out on the road with me but to actually beat those guys was pretty special.”
Since that time Brooke Tatnell has visited victory lane on 56 occasions to amass more World Series Sprintcars feature wins than any other driver.
The first of his five World Series Sprintcar championships came back in 1994/95 with a staggering nine feature race wins from the seventeen rounds contested. Victories came at Kalgoorlie, Claremont, Avalon, Wagga, Mildura, Wangaratta, Nyora, Speedway Park and Archerfield.
“That year our whole race team was untouchable.”
“Our confidence was sky high. I had Dad and Alan Felsch in my corner and we won something like 26 races from 40 starts that year!”
Through all his success Brooke rates his 1999/2000 series championship as his most rewarding. Ironically that season it was the Krikke Motorsports team with ace driver Donny Schatz that took the championship by storm. Schatz would win every one of the first six rounds to gain what appeared an unassailable lead in the series. Tatnell missed the third round at Bunbury due to his best friends wedding leaving him hopelessly behind in points after round six. Brooke however won 6 of the next 10 races to claim the most unlikely of World Series Sprintcar championships.
“I still can't comprehend how we can win 7 races, Brooke miss a round and we not win the championship!” a dumbfounded Krikke explained.
For Tatnell the taste of victory is vastly different.
“Shane still gets cut when I rip the sword into him over that one!”
“Everybody else had given up and people laughed at me when I said this thing aint over.”
“What made it even more rewarding was that was my first year without Felsch.”
The strain of what Brooke has been through in recent times has been well documented. With a clear mind and steely resolve there is every chance that the upcoming championship could be one of the most awe inspiring championships we have ever witnessed from a single driver.
The chemistry of the team, especially between Brooke and crew chief Pete Caporn, is as tight as there is on the road. The arsenal is locked and loaded. Two new Cool Chassis and two new 410 c.i. engines from Maxwill Motors are sitting idle just ready to be let loose.
The Krikke Motorsports stable backed by Toyota Genuine Parts are putting everything on the line
“World Series Sprintcars has been built up over 21 years and is something very special. John Hughes developed it, Wade Aunger built on it and now the current promotion are hoping to take it to another level again.” Enthused Krikke
“The motor from Performance Wholesale is a heck of a prize, but, if they offered a watermelon for first prize it would not matter … it's that championship trophy we are after!”
When you mention World Series Sprintcars to Brooke, the passion can be felt clearly all the way from Brooke's American base in Minnesota.
“One thing about World Series Sprintcars is the Tatnell's have been there since the start.”
“This year I am doing this for dad. I wear my heart on my sleeve and I am what I am today for what he sacrificed for me.”
“If anyone thinks we won't be on our game this year, you better look out!”
Get ready race fans.
** Photos by Daniel Beard - Statistics by Ken Brown |
