Dave Todd raced through for the NDRC Christmas Tree Trophy at South Coast 660 and is now gearing up with his 800hp 1978 Gemini to take on South Coast Raceway’s South Coast Rumble as part of a great entry list next weekend (February 3-4).
His early January win in Super Sedan, which also came at South Coast Raceway – his home away from home – marked his first national-event win in four years, and his second overall.
The victory sees him second in the Aeroflow National Sportsman Championship Western Conference points, with ‘Toddy’ keenly focused on the title hunt as the second half of the season unfolds.
“After a few years of barely racing, due to COVID and health problems, I decided to have a bit of a go this season,” said the mostly self-funded racer who started racing 25 years ago, before getting “more serious” around 15 years ago.
“We started in Darwin where I got to the semis. Next was Mildura where I got to the semis again. I went to the first Tailem Bend meet, and then went to the second round at the South Coast Nationals in December.
“I then got the win at South Coast 660 and as my first tree at my home club it meant everything to me. I haven’t missed a national event at South Coast Raceway since it started.
“I love the place. The people who do all the work for us at the track are amazing – they’ve always made us feel welcome.
“I think having this win will help a lot heading to the South Coast Rumble, giving some momentum. The car ran consistently over the two days and my lights weren’t too bad either in January, so I won’t be changing much for February’s event.”
As well as wanting to shoot for another victory this weekend, the championship points are well on the mind of the Beachport (SA) racer.
“I would love to get another event win of course – knowing how hard these are to win against some of the best racers in the business. The racing is going to be tough as always,” he said.
“I am now capped out in overall points, so I just want to keep the momentum going.
“The title is definitely on my mind. I finished fifth years ago before COVID, so to be up there amongst the top teams again this year is a great result so far.
“I keep coming back because I love it so much. The competition and the friends I’ve made along the way is priceless.
“To take out the title would be great but there’s still a long way to go, so we’ll put our heads down and hopefully keep going rounds,” he concluded, while thanking his partner Paula, brother Mal, Wayne Cartledge at Racecomp Motorsports and Simon at ETS Race Fuels for their support and assistance.
The South Coast Rumble at South Coast Racweay, part of the NDRC Western Conference for the Aeroflow National Sportsman Championship, will be held across February 3-4. For full event information and tickets, visit ndrc.tv.
PHOTO THANKS TO AUTOMOTIVE EVENT IMAGES