Max Dumesny

Max Dumesny (born 12 July 1959 in Nullawarre, Victoria) is an Australian professional Sprintcar driver. Dumsney was born and raised in Victoria but has resided in Nelson, New South Wales since the mid-1990s, although his Sprintcar carries the number V5 (for Victoria #5) that he has used throughout his career, although he has changed that to Australia 1 when he has won both the Australian Formula 500 and Australian Sprintcar Championships.

Career

Dumesny started his career on motorbikes and it was generally believed that he would go on to a national scrambles career, but fate intervened on a dark night not far from home when riding his motorcycle he struck a cow that had wandered on to the road.

After recovering from injuries sustained in the crash, Dumesny decided a career on four wheels was probably a safer bet than one on two wheels and he started racing speedway in a Formula 500 at his local track, the Premier Speedway in Warrnambool. He proved to be a sensation on the 1/4 mile speedway and ended up winning both the 1980 and 1982 Australian Formula 500 Championships.

Dumesny switched to Sprintcars in 1983/84 and had his first major win that season when he won the 1983 Wayne Fisher Memorial at the Parramatta City Raceway in Sydney. In 1984 Dumesny linked with Melbourne based motor and racing expert John Sidney, driving for Sidney's OTR (Oval Track Racing) and started driving an Australian made OTR Sprintcar with instant success, winning both the Victorian and South Australian championships.^[1]

Dumesny's record in Sprintcars in Australia is almost second to none. He has won multiple state titles around the country including eight Victorian championships as well as the South Australian and Queensland championships. In 1991 he became the only driver to win the Australian Sprintcar and Australian Formula 500 Championships when he won the Sprintcar title at the Carrick Speedway in Tasmania. He added a second and third national Sprintcar title in 1998 and 2002 respectively. Dumesny is also a seven time winner of the World Series Sprintcars held in Australia, winning his first championship in 1989/90 while at his former home track in Warrnambool he has won three Grand Annual Sprintcar Classics. He has also won 31 feature races in the Easter Sprintcar Trail held annually in South Australia and Victoria.

Early in his Sprintcar career, Dumesny also travelled to the United States to race in selected World of Outlaws events as well as the famed Knoxville Nationals. His biggest success overseas came in 1985 when he won the 'Race of States at the 1985 Knoxville Nationals. Since then, along with a number of other Australian drivers he has been a regular visitor to Knoxville.

Max Dumesny, his long time backer John Sidney along with longtime (and current) major sponsor Valvoline (sponsorship secured in 1988) branched out in other forms of motorsport in the early 1990s when Max drove a JSR (John Sidney Racing) prepared Oldsmobile Cutlass in the Australian NASCAR Championship, winning the 1992/93 national championship. Together they also raced a Ford Falcon in the 1996 Australian Touring Car Championship. Dumesny finished the championship in 16th place and also raced the Falcon to 12th place in the 1996 AMP Bathurst 1000 partnered with Kerry Baily from Tasmania.

On 16 May 1992 Dumesny continued to show his versatility when he swapped his Sprintcar for a Speedcar and won the 34th Australian Speedcar Grand Prix held at the famous Sydney Showground Speedway joining such drivers as A.J. Foyt, Steve Kinser, Garry Rush and George Tatnell as winners of the annual event.^[2]

Personal

Max Dumesny has been married to Melinda since 1986. Melinda Dumesny is the daughter of 1968 Australian Sprintcar Champion Bob Tunks. Together they have four children (Mitchell, Michaela, Matt & Marcus). Both Melinda and Mitchell Dumesny, like Max, are Sprintcar drivers. Max Dumesny Motorsport also is the official agent of Hoosier Tire Australia.^[3]

Major Wins

• World Series Sprintcars - 1989/90, 1990/91, 1992/93, 2001/02, 2003/04, 2004/05, 2006/07
• Australian Sprintcar Championship - 1991, 1998, 2002
• Australian NASCAR Championship - 1992/93
• Grand Annual Sprintcar Classic - 1992, 1994, 2004
• Australian Formula 500 Championship - 1980, 1982
• 1985 Race of States at the Knoxville Nationals
• 1992 Australian Speedcar Grand Prix
• Victorian Sprintcar Championship
• South Australian Sprintcar Championship
• Queensland Sprintcar Championship
• Australian Sprintcar Masters
• Australian Sprintcar Stampede

References

1. ^ http://www.speedway.net.au/release.asp?NewsId=28243
2. ^ http://www.speedcarworld.com.au/default.asp?Page=Release&Id=14747
3. ^ http://www.hoosier.com.au/

External Links

• Max Dumesny Motorsport

Persondata
Name	Dumesny, Max
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Date of birth	12 July 1959
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Date of death
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