Earthmoving owner takes to life in the fast lane

Having your own excavation business is handy if you're a buggy enthusiast keen to build an off-road racing circuit. Newman Trucking and Excavations owner Ray Newman has achieved just that at Moranbah, with his circuit playing host to its first Queensland Off Road Racing Championship round this month. He built it with his own equipment and assistance from AE Group Civil & Mining Construction, who were contracting at a local coal mine. Ray Newman's ZR 1000 Turbo Polaris. And so the Newman Excavation 100 was born - attracting 500-600 spectators and an impressive field of racers on its debut over the weekend of July 24-26. Mr Newman agreed that building a racetrack would be among the more interesting earthworks projects he has tackled. "But it wasn't difficult because, being able to drive the buggy, I understood what we needed, " he said. "The biggest thing we had to achieve was that ...most races you go to, there's nowhere you could spectate from. You see the race for about 10 seconds and then they're gone. "So our biggest thing was to make the most interesting part of the racetrack visible for all the public." Mr Newman owns a ZR 1000 Turbo Polaris and loves to ride on bush tracks and the old motocross track around Moranbah, but had not previously been involved in racing. Spectators line the track. Along came fellow buggy owner Ryland Burt, who Mr Newman works with through contracts with BMA, and an idea was sown. "He got mixed up in it and then asked me if I was interested in building a track out at my place," Mr Newman said. "....And I've got a lot of good contacts around town and all of a sudden it started to become a reality, the track." So how was the first ride on his very own racetrack? "Oh, I just couldn't believe it … I was a bit nervous going over the jumps and that, but yeah, it gets your heart going, I tell you. It's just unbelievable." Mackay Off Road Racing Club president Michael Mifsud said the first event at the Moranbah track had been met with an absolutely fantastic response. “It was very well patronised by the Moranbah community and very well supported by competitors,” he said. Fifty-one racers turned out to the July event, which came after initial plans for a Moranbah race in March were cancelled due to COVID-19 measures. Mr Mifsud believed that response was bolstered by the fact so many drivers were keen to get back out racing after COVID-19 cancellations. Click HERE for details on the Newman Excavation 100, including race results and action shots from the weekend. This video was shared on Facebook of Mr Newman running a practice lap on his home track; https://www.facebook.com/104362394467599/videos/3392074834192221/?eidARAs-wmYIS2m-FyHbTCOv2eiYiKGZ9cZieWDvu0jwWKOxYNkM4GN5CcTKvLbQro0vfyfjmGklc6m4gI_

Earthmoving owner takes to life in the fast lane

Industry Queensland

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