Daniel Pestka Motorsport

by Paris Charles

Daniel Pestka - Young Gun Aiming High ...

It's not every day you get to see history in the making, but for myself and the crowd on hand we witnessed Daniel Pestka, the former 2 time Australia #1 Junior Dirt Kart Champion, take his first ever baby steps aboard a 410ci Sprintcar on the fast paced Speedway City clay way.

Not afraid to jump right in at the deep end of the pool Pestka hit the track for the first time ever on the 19th of January, 2008 in the Protec Paint South Australian 410ci Sprintcar Championships at Speedway City, Virginia.

The recently turned 16 year old from the Adelaide Hills town of Strathalbyn, weighing a mere 50 kilograms dripping wet and standing just 5 foot 7 inches tall, embarked on one of the toughest motor sport careers possible.

Being a debutant driver the teenager was required to start at the rear of the field while he came to terms with the nature of the beast that is Sprintcar racing. Pestka's first heat proved to be a steep learning curve accompanied by a big bundle of nerves, however he quickly came to terms with his new Eagle / Maxwill Motors combination. After gaining confidence in the first heat Pestka went the full race distance in his second heat without being caught by the field.

The feature race proved to be a mixed affair with Pestka setting some very respectable lap times in the early stages of the event until making contact with the fence in turn 2, which caused his car to roll over and out of race.

Pestka went on to compete in over 10 events in his debut Sprintcar season, gaining valuable experience against some of the best teams in Australian Sprintcar racing, impressing many with his natural talent for speed.

Like many of the professional teams these days, Daniel Pestka has a web site up and running. Since its inception the site has had over 12,000 hits in a very short space of time: www.danielpestkamotorsport.com

While Pestka may not yet be in the league of Australian champions such as Dumesny, Tatnell, March, Farr and co., it is worth remembering that the above all had to start somewhere. Daniel's catch phrase on his website is 'The 16 Year old Champion Born to win.' So maybe, just maybe, in years to come, after countless laps, and the experience that will come with it, the name Pestka will be scribed into the same winner's lists as the above.

Could this be another Australian Sprintcar Champion in the making? Only time will tell.


Location: Strathalbyn, South Australia
Chassis: Eagle
Engine: 410ci

Daniel Pestka Motorsport is supported by:
Race Craft Designs
RP Auto Spares
Pestka's Bakery