YOUNG gun Jamie Veal is lifting his sights beyond the regular season highlight of the Grand Annual Sprintcar Classic in January.
The 20-year-old Warrnambool driver is gunning for a showdown in the west, beginning with the Australian Sprintcar Championship at Perth Motorplex on February 5 and 6.
Veal plans to stay in Western Australia, contesting a round of the Southern Thunder Series on February 14 at Bunbury City Speedway, the King Of Wings on February 20 and 21 at Perth Motorplex and Krikke Boys Shoot Out on February 28 at Bunbury City Speedway. "I've never raced over there," he explained.
"It would be good to go over there for the experience.
"We'll stay a bit quiet, then go over. We'll save up some gear hopefully."
In his third season of sprintcar racing, the former junior sedan star is bedding in a new Australian-made Cheetah chassis.
To that end, he will contest round two of the Spintcar Racing Association (SRA) series on Saturday at Moama's Heartland Raceway.
It will be his third outing of the season after running fifth to Ryan Farrell in a $5000-to-win race at Murray Bridge last month, followed by a troubled-plagued B main result last weekend in Adelaide at the Australian Sprintcar Masters.
Veal said he planned to run selected SRA rounds, coupled with the Speedweek component of the World Series Sprintcars Championship between December 26 and January 1.
He said Moama was an opportunity to build confidence after a luckless run at Speedway City.
"We'll just go up there and get some laps . . . get a grip on this new car," Veal said.
"The track is bigger than Warrnambool and a bit flatter."
The latest SRA round has attracted 34 entrants from five states, including early points leaders Matthew Reed, Grant Anderson, Mike Van Bremen, Darren Mollenoyux, Brett Milburn, Carl Ludeman and Harley Bishop.
Of the top 10 after round one, Albury-based Anderson has had the most success at Heartland Raceway.
In April 2005 and November 2006 Anderson won the respective SRA rounds in superb style and with a second placing in the opening round at Avalon Raceway last month he will be hard to beat.
Tasmanian star Adrian Redpath will be out to prove a point after missing a transfer position into the A main in the first round because of an indiscretion on a single file restart in the B main.
South Australia's leading chances are Steven Lines (who raced strongly in the United States in the off-season), Wayne Rowett, Ashley Cook and Glen Sutherland.