Brian Alvisio is heading to the Perth Motorplex for this weekend’s Westernationals/ANDRA Grand Finals on the 300 points cap thanks to his third finals appearance of the 2022/2023 Summit Racing Equipment Sportsman Series at the Twilight Nationals.
While Alvisio may have lost the Twilight Nationals trophy to an exceptionally in-form Sean Ricketts, his runner-up result was enough to cement his status at the top of the points tally on max points ahead of the March 4/5 title decider.
The Queensland racer is now heading to Perth for the first time, and is looking forward to taking on the local racers at the final round of the season.
“I had tonnes of issues at the Twilight Nationals with problems with the shifter. I got Rob Cassar to bring me up a new shifter but when we changed it over we couldn’t get it to work, so I had to put the old shifter back on and it worked all right for the first two qualifiers but then in the third and fourth qualifiers we had more issues.
“In round one I was up against Greg Bellini and he gifted me a red light, but the bike actually went pretty well and did everything it was supposed to do.
“In round two I got reigning champion Shane Walker for what was my third race against him in the last 12 months. The other two I feel like I got him pretty easily, but this time it was very close and I had to run a 5.72 on a 5.70 dial-in with a little back off, and it pushed him to break-out with a 6.17 on a 6.20. That also gave me a bye in the semi-final.
“Sean beat me in the final but going to the finals was still enough to put me on the cap. He is absolutely on fire on that bike and has won the last three meetings he ran in, including the last two Summit Racing Equipment Sportsman Series events. He cut a 0.013 light in the semi; I went 0.117. I had shift issues again but even if it did shift, I wouldn’t have gotten him as you can never give Sean even a tenth on the start line – he is just too sharp and too close to his dial in. Even though he is racing a turd of an old bike, he is just so good on it. Really, he is the number one on current form, I might be in the box seat to get the number one officially, but he is the best modified bike racer in the country just now, in my opinion.
“The funny thing is that he had issues in the test and tune for the Twilight Nationals and I fixed it for him, and it now turns out that the issues I was having in the semi and the final are likely the same issue I fixed for him! But at least I guess I know how to fix it ready for Perth,” he chuckled.
This will be Alvisio’s first trip to Perth, and will be the culmination of a month-long road trip that started in Queensland before heading to Mildura and then onto the West.
“I am absolutely dying to race in Perth, and I am really hoping that I can have the bike on-song there and really take it up to the Westerners,” Alvisio said.
To claim the Summit Racing Equipment Sportsman Series title in Modified Bike would be something very special indeed for Alivsio.
“I got to 300 points because at every event I went to, I made the final, and I won one, and we travelled a lot – Mildura is the closest track to me, and it is 2,100km away,” Alvisio said.
“To be able to claim the championship trophy will mean everything to me. It will mean the absolute world. This would be my first ANDRA Summit Racing Equipment Sportsman Series title and would see me holding two titles at once as the true number one. That would mean a lot, and I think being able to claim this title will quieten a lot of people!”
Alvisio has some special people he would like to thank for the role they have played in his racing as he pursues the title.
“My girl Sheree Manning comes with me to every single place we go, she is by my side, she is my crew, I often say I couldn’t put my pants on without her – she does everything for me, gets all my gear ready, rides the bike back so we can push it back, the list goes on, she is the number one!” Alvisio said.
“I also want to thank Blaze Hansen and Max Norman – Blaze is my racing coach and helps me with a lot of that stuff, while Max builds my engine and offers a lot of advice as well – as well as Dale Bobbermein from DeWalt Power Tools for their support.”
For the full points tally ahead of the final round of the season, please click here.
The final round of the 2022/2023 Summit Racing Equipment Sportsman Series will be held at the Perth Motorplex, as part of the Westernationals across March 4 and 5. For event information, go to www.motorplex.com.au
For more information, visit www.andra.com.au
