EVEN when you are one of Australia’s top three racers from the Pascoe family, there’s little time to rest on your competitive laurels.
Dad Matt and his sons Brad and Zac have just completed an incredible speedway season displaying amazing consistency around the country.
After months of success, Brad was crowned the top driver in the 2023-24 National Super Sedan Series, with Matt finishing second and Zac third.
The trifecta of top-level finishes capped the astonishing season for the Mutdapilly-based Brad Pascoe, Matty Pascoe and Zac Pascoe racing teams.
“All the big shows that we raced in were all included in the national series,” Matt said.
The dad and son racers also secured top three podium finishes at events in Esperance and Toowoomba.
Brad’s superb record from 18 races featured four wins, 10 podiums and 17 top five finishes.
His sensational run included an incredible history-making title treble in Tasmania.
Brad, 19, won the Grand National in Hobart – just days after clinching the Tasmanian Super Sedan state title in Launceston and the Tasmanian Grand Prix at Latrobe.
Brad is the only driver to win all three Tasmanian races in the same season.
He was also the youngest competitor to achieve the fabulous feat.
Brad later won the Dash and finished second at the GP52 Memorial event named after his grandfather Graham.
Matt was third at that special race in Gladstone.
Matt’s run of success from 16 starts included two wins, eight podiums and nine top five finishes.
That included winning the Victorian title in Mildura.
Matt is an eight-time Queensland title holder.
Zac’s first win was in Esperance, Western Australia.
He secured another victory, three podiums and three top five placings among his 17 starts travelling around the country.
“At the start of the year, you would hope to be on the podium with your two boys but it’s pretty tough,” Matt said.
“And then when we got that first one in Esperance, that was pretty cool and special.
“To get another one at Toowoomba as well, that was even cooler.”
Matt said gaining the top three placings in the national series capped the family’s fabulous feat.
“We pretty much this year had three of the same cars but slightly different set-ups and we just worked them together,” Matt said.
Now in the speedway off-season, Matt has little time to sit back and savour the family’s glory.
The proud father has eight new cars to build at his impressive Mutdapilly workshop, which has operated since 2008.
Matt’s brother Ty is working full-time in construction, also crewing for the family.
“It’s good being out here,” Matt said, of his racing set-up in a country environment.
Matt has been racing in the super sedan class since 2008, assisting his sons gain their own success in recent seasons.
Matt said the national series was benefitting from an injection of younger drivers like Brad and Zac.
However, the travel remains one of the biggest challenges.
The Pascoe family covered 13,200km racing around Queensland, Tasmania, Victoria, South Australia and Western Australia.
Matt said it cost about $30,000 to cover the extended season, with regular prizemoney offsetting the financial commitment.
Matt said having a truck to use for family accommodation eased the financial pressure, leaving race fuel and tyres as the main expenses.
Meanwhile, latest national champion Brad is enjoying a three-month experience involved in 40 race meetings in the United States, based in Charlotte.
“Brad’s in America picking up some new ideas over there hopefully,” Matt said.
“He’ll come back and we’ll build him a new car so we can work out which way we want to go.”
Matt did similar crewing overseas role many years ago, bringing new skills back to Ipswich.
Zac will use his off-season to find ways to match his younger brother and dad when the new season starts in September.
“I’ll still have my car and Zac will have his car,” Matt said.
“My car is new anyway so we’re still trying stuff for that.”
