At the recent 2021 Westernationals, Super Sedan racer Jodi Thorstensen made her comeback to racing 12 months on from a damaging accident at the same event the year before.
After getting back into the thick of things at that event, the Port Kennedy racer is pumped to continue back in the racing seat of her Infinity Racing Chevrolet Camaro at this weekend’s WA Nitro Championships event at the Motorplex (March 20).
“Being back on the track on the anniversary of that crash was exciting, it wasn’t nerve wracking at all and it went really, really well,” Thorstensen grins.
“There was a lot of damage to be fixed, but it looked much nastier than it was. There was a mechanical failure, so I ended up in the sand and the nets. It was mostly crumpled panels and so on, but it is a testament to the safety of drag racing and these cars because while the car looked nasty, I hopped out with only a bruise which is just amazing.
“After finally getting it all back together we went to the pre-Westernats testing on the Thursday and expected all the little things that might go wrong when you take a car back onto the track after something like that, but honestly it went down the strip like nothing ever happened, and I couldn’t have been happier.
“It ran into the high eights right away, which was just fantastic as last year I was in the low nines, so it was great to come back and have all of those dreams that I had been dreaming about over the year I was putting the car back together come true.
“ANDRA also presented me with the Crow Cams Best Engineered Award at the event, which was just the icing on the cake. I would like to thank ANDRA for that recognition, the award means a lot to me.
“Now I just can’t wait to get back again and see what we can do this weekend. It is just so exciting to be back, it really is.
“I don’t have any expectations for this Saturday, I just want to run consistently, have some fun and some more seat time racing the car and see where that leads.”
Thorstensen’s racing is a real passion project and one that carries on the memory of her late husband, Craig Thorstensen.
“The car was my husband’s and he passed away two years ago, before I started racing. Racing was a passion that we shared together and so it is extra special to me to be able to race the car and to have been able to do so much with it already,” she explained.
“I had only just started racing at the beginning of the last season. We had a few engine troubles straight up and missed a few meetings. We just started to get back into it and then the accident happened and that was the end of that for that season.
“I have quite a few people that I need to thank for all of their help and support in getting me and my car back onto the track.
“I would like to thank Geoff and Lauren at Black Magic Race Cars who have played a key part in helping me achieve this, Jeff my mechanic of Chev Power; Jeff from Street Built; Real Restorations Panel and Paint; Lloyd who crews for me; my son Matt who flies over from Queensland every time I race to crew for me; and everybody else who has been so kind to me doing bits and pieces to help me out, I am so grateful for that..
“And finally, I would like to thank Craig for leaving me such an awesome car,” she smiled.
The Western Australian Nitro Championship event on Saturday 20 March will see sportsman qualifying commence at 11am, with the BME WA Nitro Championship taking place from 5.30pm. For more information, visit www.motorplex.com.au
