Aussie dirt track legend Paul Caslick will add a little Husqvarna flavour to this year's Australian Dirt Track championships, when the event takes place this weekend at Taree, New South Wales.
A pioneer brand of both motocross and cross-country racing, Husqvarna is little known in dirt track racing circles, however that may be about to change at the hands of the nine-time Australian champion and principal of Caslick Coaching Clinics.
The Husqvarna Racing Team / Chris Watson Motorcycles rider is an icon of the sport, and if his win in prestigious company at the Brisbane Expo is any guide, he‰Ûªs an icon who has lost little if any of his skill with the go-tube.
Having not ridden an Aussie championship since 2011, the prospect of racing his new Husqvarnas for the top prize has completely engaged and excited the 46-year old, who is in outstanding physical shape.
He‰Ûªll take two FC 450 Husqvarnas into the battle ‰ÛÒ one to race in the 450cc class, and the other for the Pro Open category.
‰ÛÏI‰Ûªm pretty excited about it." Caslick said about this weekends event. "The intensity of this meeting will be totally different to the Troy Bayliss Classic, where we all go in as seeded riders.
"Without a doubt, I could go through the entry list and say 30 riders have a chance at this. In the heat races you have to finish top two or three just to go through, and if you have one malfunction along the way, your meeting‰Ûªs over.
"And there‰Ûªs no time to relax. We‰Ûªll be doing 130-140kph down the main straight at Taree, and I reckon our first corner speed has got to be 110-120kph.
It‰Ûªs gonna‰Ûª be on, right from Friday afternoon when we‰Ûªre putting up the quick shades!
"My Husqvarna FC 450s are awesome, and the biggest thing has been just how little you have to spend to get it competitive at the top level. We‰Ûªve done some testing laps at Taree, and with that available torque, my lap times were 1 to 1.5 seconds faster than on my last bike here. So I couldn‰Ûªt be happier.‰Û
