QSCA News & Press Releases

26/12/08…NASR/SSA Media Release

The final two additions to the 2008/2009 Carline Mufflers National Super Sedan Series contracted driver line-up are two of the most popular and successful competitors in the history of the category.  The inclusion of current Australian champion Jamie McHugh and three-time national titleholder Ron Pyne is great news for series organisers and race fans alike, with both drivers confirming their place in the field for the series, which gets underway this Saturday night (December 27) at Brisbane International Speedway.

In his first appearances since winning the Australian Championship at Mildura’s Timmis Speedway last season, McHugh has enjoyed an amazingly successful return to competition, teaming with Matt Pascoe to win both of the 30/30 events staged in Toowoomba and Lismore last month.  Not surprisingly, McHugh will be piloting a Pascoe-built Sweet chassis for his NSSS campaign. 

Having enjoyed a successful road racing career prior to switching to dirt track competition in 1995, McHugh quickly established himself as one of the leading drivers in the Super Sedan ranks, accumulating an impressive array of results that include victories in many of Australia’s biggest events.   McHugh’s first major win came just five years after switching to speedway when he took out the 2000/2001 New South Wales Super Sedan Championship at Lismore.  During the 2003/2004 season, McHugh snared his second state title with victory in the Queensland Championship at Toowoomba’s Charlton Raceway.

In addition to his national championship win, McHugh has also accumulated multiple successes in Australia’s most prestigious blue ribbon events.  He is a three-time winner of the International Firecracker at Brisbane International Speedway and has also triumphed in Australia’s richest race, the Apple Isle Grand Prix at Latrobe Speedway in Tasmania. The 2004/2005 season saw him collect eight feature race victories to score an emphatic win in the Super Sedan Association Championship Series.  He also won the Central Queensland Grand Prix in Rockhampton and has finished runner-up in both the Grenville Anderson Memorial and the East Coast Grand National at Lismore Speedway.  

In the inaugural National Super Sedan Series, McHugh finished second overall in the championship standings, having finished inside the top ten at every round.  He took out round five in Brisbane and finished on the podium on three other occasions.  Last season, McHugh finished third in the NSSS championship, winning round five at Mildura in a preview of what was to come in the Australian Championship meeting at the same venue later in the season. A strong finish to the series with podium results in the final two rounds ultimately elevated McHugh to third overall.

The mercurial Ron Pyne is a member of a very elite group as one of only three drivers who have won the Australian Super Sedan Championship on three occasions. Only Grenville Anderson, the man who Pyne himself and so many others deem to be the greatest ever, has accumulated more national title wins.  Further testimony to Pyne’s capabilities behind the wheel is the fact that all of his Australian Championship victories have been won away from home at interstate venues of varying shapes and sizes. 

Having finished third and second in the two previous national title events, Pyne’s first championship win came during the 1994/95 season at the historic Claremont Speedway in Perth.  Four years later at Mount Gambier’s Borderline Speedway, Pyne snared his second crown in the 1998/1999 event and then journeyed to Hobart Speedway in Tasmania the following year to create history by becoming the first driver to successfully defend the crown and win back-to-back titles. 

Pyne also won the 1999/2000 New South Wales Super Sedan Championship at Sydney’s Parramatta City Raceway and has also finished third in the NSW title on two occasions (1997/1998 and 2004/2005), both of which were staged at Gilgandra Speedway.  Although his racing appearances are not as prolific as many of his rivals, Pyne has always been a strong supporter of the blue ribbon events that offer the best rewards and incentives for competitors and serve to advance the profile and popularity of the Super Sedan division.

With a never-say-die attitude on the track, Pyne is rarely content to run a safe second, preferring instead to seek a way to the front, exploring every part of the track in search of any advantage.  Whilst such tactics may not always be successful, sometimes spectacularly so, they are always exciting and prove popular with race fans. In the increasingly sterile world of elite level speedway competition, ‘Revvin’ Ron Pyne remains a true original.  The lanky Cessnock-based racer is confident, outspoken, controversial and unpredictable, but his record of success is unprecedented so there can be no denying his ability behind the wheel. Regardless of results, Pyne’s larrikin persona will ensure there is never a dull moment as the NSSS tour treks across four states.

Having accumulated an outstanding level of success, the only major victory that has eluded this talented duo of Super Sedan champions is the Carline Mufflers National Super Sedan Series. No doubt both men will be determined to add their name to the winners list, with McHugh looking to be the first to person to hold the national title and NSSS crowns simultaneously, while Pyne seeks to become the first driver from outside of Queensland to emerge as series champion. Therefore, the National Association of Speedway Racing (NASR) and Speedway Sedans Australia (SSA) are very pleased to confirm Jamie McHugh and Ron Pyne as contracted drivers in the 2008/2009 Carline Mufflers National Super Sedan Series.  For the latest news and series information, visit the official series website at www.nationalsupersedanseries.com 

Jamie McHugh             AUS #1
Age: 47
Resides: Gold Coast
Car Type: Dodge Avenger
Sponsors: Miami Smash Repairs

Ron Pyne                     NSW #9
Age: 53
Resides: Cessnock
Car Type: Pontiac Grand Prix
Sponsors: Auto One, Carline Mufflers

The 2008/2009 Carline Mufflers National Super Sedan Series is proudly supported by the following sponsors:
Carline Mufflers, Bergmeier Engineering, American Racer Tyres, Shock Doctor, Oval Express Magazine, Art by Mickey, APCO Warrnambool, Comfort Inn and Suites Robertson Gardens, Rocky Resort Motor Inn, Comfort Inn on Raglan, National Association of Speedway Racing (NASR), Speedway Sedans Australia (ASCF)