Born in Bendigo Victoria, Fiona Reed will realise a lifelong dream when she gasses the pedal of her Supercharged Outlaw Dragster at Calder Park Raceway next week.
Competing for the first time at the iconic Victorian venue, Reed will be making her season debut in the 2014 Aeroflow Sportsman Drag Racing Championship on April 4-5 and she couldn’t be happier.
“Calder Park has always been my home track and I have always dreamed of racing there, now I will be,” Reed said.
“Whilst that is great, I can’t wait to have all of my nieces and nephews, family and friends there to help and support me. It comes with enormous pressure to bring home the Tree at the end of the day!”
Reed says adding to that pressure are the customers and suppliers to the family business, Keating’s Transport Bendigo, all coming out to experience drag racing on a national level, many for the first time. In addition to that, the head office for major sponsor Kincrome Quality Tools is also located in Melbourne.
“I can only hope that when we tow around to the staging lanes, it becomes just like any other race meeting and I fall back in line and get on with what I’m there to achieve.”
Reed moved to Brisbane in 2007 where she began racing in Modified with Debbie Reed’s former Top Alcohol Dragster. In 2010 she moved into Supercharged Outlaws winning Rookie of the Year and the first of two consecutive Queensland Track Championships in 2011, the same year she married Daniel Reed.
After taking “Maternity Leave” through the end of 2012, daughter Makayla was born in April 2013 and exactly six weeks and one day later Reed was back in the saddle for the Winternationals after sitting numerous medical exams to ensure she was ready.
That campaign ended in the first round but it was a monumental effort to even get behind the wheel and since then, Reed has been working on her mental and physical toughness.
“Trying to rebuild the physical and mental strengths I had before having a baby hasn’t been easy and is still my main focus. I love the fact this is a family sport, Daniel and I have both grown up around it, now Makayla is too. She’s a happy outgoing little girl which is making life easy for us at the moment at the race track.”
Reed says it will be a tough weekend at Calder Park with husband Daniel working as Crew Chief for Stuart Bishop in Top Doorslammer. However, he is never far away when she is on the start line and ready to go.
“I guess it is no different to any other national round where Top Doorslammer and Aeroflow Sportsmans compete at the same time.”
“I run the car at a consistent 7.20-7.40 depending on conditions to lower the maintenance required at the race track with Daniel not there. This just helps to ensure a better weekend for everyone.”
“Hopefully I haven’t placed too much pressure on myself for my first race meeting at Calder, but to win this would be the ultimate outcome.”
The Southern Nationals presented by Fiat Professional & Essendon Chrysler Jeep Dodge roar into life April 4-5, 2014 at Calder Park Raceway.
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