AGE is no barrier for long-time super rod driver Ewan McKenzie.
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The 66-year-old grandfather-of-three won his fourth Victorian super rod title on Saturday night – some 36 years after his first.
McKenzie, a Peterborough-based sheep farmer, collected his maiden state crown in 1982 and saluted again in ‘83 and ‘87.
He first jumped in a car at 21 and, after a break, returned to the driver’s seat six years ago.
He said his victory over Colac's Neville Gange and Inverleigh's Corey Deglaitis at Simpson Speedway special.
“It’s very rewarding building a car yourself and seeing it all come together,” McKenzie said.
“We were very happy to put the trophy on the shelf.”
McKenzie said he’d “always had a deep interest in motorsport” and enjoyed sharing his passion with wife of 41 years Linda.
“Life is meant to be more peaceful at our age but it’s not,” he said.
McKenzie, a father of four, said he was always drawn to super rods – one of speedway’s many classes.
“It’s a unique class, most people build their own cars and you can exercise a fair degree of individuality,” he said.
“We run clockwise too when most in the speedway world runs anti-clockwise.”
McKenzie, who praised the organisers, edged Gange out in the 25-lap final by .47 of a second.
“The track was challenging, fast and we got the set-up right,” he said.
“We pretty much had everything covered except the re-starts which allowed one fella in particular to have a shot at me.”
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