By Tate Papworth
Electric off-road car racing might not be renowned across the land, but in Keilor it’s thriving.
The Keilor Electric Off Road Car Association boasts nearly 150 members and is home to some of the world’s best racers.
So deep is the talent pool at the club that it boasts four of the nine members of the Australian contingent heading over to Slovakia for the International Federation of Model Auto Racing world titles.
For father and son duo Ray and Lachlan Munday, it’s not the first time they’ve competed at world titles.
“We’re really happy that out of nine Australian competitors, four are from Keilor. We’ve got a really strong competitive club here and it’s a great scene,” Ray said.
“There’s 150 entries from around the world and you have to qualify to get into it.”
He said he’s proud to have been able to pass on the passion to his son.
“I’ve been doing it for about 25 years. Dad was involved in motor sports, but we couldn’t afford to do full size racing, so I found this and have loved it ever since.
“I did it with my dad and my son Lachlan has been doing it since about seven.”
Lachlan has continued to rise through the ranks of the sport, finishing in the top 60 at the last world championships, but he admits it would be nice to beat dad.
“Last time I got in the top 60, so this time I’m aiming for top 50,” Lachlan said.
“That would be great improvement, nothing too crazy and giving myself something to work for. I’ll try to beat dad, but it’ll be a tricky goal. When he gets to big events he’s really, really fast.”
Jordan Isergin is also a young star in the making and says he’s excited about his first world championships.
“I’m hoping to get the experience and meet the fastest guys in the world,” Jordan said. “It’ll be good to test myself against them. I haven’t really been overseas before either, so I’m also looking forward to that too.”
During the titles, drivers compete to see who can complete the most amount of laps in a specified time. The world titles run from September 14-21.
