Victorious birthday bash headlines a successful start to the year for Wyatt Lawler

Narrabri’s junior sedans speedway racing sensation Wyatt Lawler has enjoyed a strong start to the 2022 calendar year following what was a breakout 12 months in 2021, which included a national title victory in the new stars division.

The 13-year-old will remain eligible to race in the new stars division until he turns 14-years-old, however, he has made the decision to step his racing up a gear and move to the all star division permanently this season.

That means he will come up against older opposition every time he gets behind the wheel at speedway racenights.

Wyatt, the son of Scott and Jamie Lawler, recently became a teenager when he turned 13 on January 22.

He celebrated his birthday that Saturday night with a memorable feature race victory in Tamworth.

The Tamworth Motorcycle Club hosted a two-day event at Oakburn Park Raceway on Friday and Saturday, January 21 and 22, which included the junior sedan division.

On what was his last day as a 12-year-old driver, Wyatt competed in three heats on the Friday.

He started in fourth position in his first heat and raced his way to a fourth-place finish, then remarkably placed second in heat two after taking off in the 12th position near the back of the 14-car field.

In his third and final race of the day, Wyatt started in eighth position and finished fifth.

The birthday boy then arrived at the Oakburn Park Raceway on Saturday, January 22, full of confidence, which translated to the track as he placed second in heats four and five after starting from ninth and sixth position, respectively.

He lined up from the second spot on the front row in the feature and took the lead after just half a lap of action, which he would never give up as he raced his way to victory.

Wyatt told The Courier that it was special to celebrate his birthday with two days’ worth of racing.

“I really enjoyed two days of back-to-back racing,” he said.

“It was a great way to celebrate my 13th birthday with all my speedway friends who come from all over NSW.

“Tamworth Speedway track was great and I enjoyed racing on the track.”

A week earlier on Saturday, January 15, Wyatt raced at Dubbo’s Morris Park Speedway in the Pro One Tyres Junior Sedan Classic

He placed second in his first two heats then third in his third, before starting the feature race from second position on the front line.

He finished fifth in that event. He missed going from first gear to second gear at the start, which resulted in him going all the way to the back.

Wyatt didn’t give up though and drove hard as he pulled back to finish in fifth place.

He also received the chief steward’s choice for heat two.

Wyatt most recently raced in Gunnedah on Saturday.

He was unable to finish his third heat or line up for the feature race at that meeting after he hit the wall in each heat and suffered bruised ribs as a result.

It was a disappointing finish to the night for Wyatt who had placed second and fourth in his first four all stars heats.

The Narrabri driver described his mishaps at Dubbo and Gunnedah as great learning experiences, which will help him become a better racer as he continues to gain experience.

Wyatt will return to the track this Saturday when he competes at the Lockyer Valley Speedway in Gatton, Queensland.