BOWMANVILLE, ON- After spending the bulk of the 2014 season on the sidelines, 2012 Peterborough Speedway Late Model champion Bryan Sudsbury is ready to return to fulltime competition with a newly reformatted program.
“Taking a year off was no fun at all,” smiles the personable second-generation competitor. “It’s tough being around the sport every weekend, wanting to compete but having to sit on the sidelines”
The former Karting standout is quick to admit that, while the year-long hiatus was not initially his first choice of action, the layoff may have been a blessing in disguise.
“We planned on building a brand new car for the 2014 season,” explains ‘Party Time’ “but we just couldn’t get everything lined up in time”
“Building a new car is a huge investment,” continues Sudsbury. “It’s not something we wanted to take lightly. We wanted to work with Dan McHattie because, in my opinion, his craftsmanship is as good or better than anyone else in the game right now”
“By the time we were ready to start putting a car together for 2014, Dan was already booked up for the off-season. My team and I sat down and though about our options, and decided that we didn’t want anyone else putting our car together. The year off may have felt like torture at the time, but it’s allowed us to focus our program more than ever before. I’ve never felt this prepared heading into a race season”
Sudsbury will join a rapidly growing Peterborough Speedway Late Model roster, and is well aware that a run towards a second division championship will be anything but a walk in the park.
“I don’t think people give Peterborough enough credit,” says Sudsbury. “There’s some high level competition there. There aren’t many slouches on that roster. It’s not the kind of place that you can just luck into a win at”
“I’m excited to get out there with drivers like Ryan Kimball, Chris Mitchell and Amanda Connolly,” continues the 26-year old. “The talent that unloads at Peterborough on any given Saturday makes it one of the most fun places to be in the province”
In addition to his weekly commitments at Peterborough, Sudsbury hopes to put together an aggressive touring schedule that will take him across Ontario throughout the summer.
“I want to go everywhere this year,” laughs Sudsbury. “Obviously, we’re not working with an unlimited budget, so we’ll have to see exactly what we can make work, but I want to do as much touring as possible.”
“I’m making up for lost time, man,” offers the former division champion. “The new APC Tour looks like it’s going to be a lot of fun. We’re hoping to do a few of those races and support as many year-end invitationals as we can”
“I just can’t wait to get back on track,” closes Sudsbury. “This season is going to be one to remember.”
Fans can follow ‘Party Time’ on Twitter @SudsburyRacing or on Facebook via the brand new Bryan Sudsbury Racing page.
Sudsbury’s Port City by McHattie entry carries sponsorship from Deighton Design, Alma Mechanical, Darrel’s Die Casts, RVL Masonry, Deighton and Castrol.
By Spencer Lewis (@itsspencerlewis)
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