Randle to trade tarmac for clay in speedway debut
Thomas Randle set to make speedway debut this weekend
Randle set to drive V8 Dirt Modified at Avalon Raceway
Tickford teammate Cam Waters a speedway regular in 410 Sprintcars
Thomas Randle is set to get a taste of a new motorsport discipline over summer, as he is set to make his first foray into speedway racing this weekend.
The Tickford Racing star is set to jump behind the wheel of a V8 Dirt Modified at Avalon Raceway, near Geelong, entering the venue's Christmas Spectacular event.
Randle has had a versatile career, having traversed the open-wheel pathway to Formula One in Europe before returning to Australia, and also dabbling in Sports Sedans and GT competition.
He isn't a complete stranger to driving on dirt however, having sampled a World Rally Championship-spec Ford Puma Rally1 machine in England between Sandown and Adelaide.
Randle revealed that Tickford teammate Cam Waters, himself a regular speedway runner through summer, played a major role in securing the deal, which will see Randle drive for well-known speedway personality Paul Tindal.
“Cam has been racing his 410 Sprintcar the last few years and he has been bugging me to get in speedway,” said Randle.
“He is good mates with the Tindals – Paul and Darren. They had a drive available in a dirt modified car and Cam asked if I was interested.
“I was unsure to start, but eventually I thought, “what the hell, let's give it a go,” so I need to thank the Tindal brothers for the opportunity.
“I’ve never driven on the dirt before, and I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t nervous, but it’s going to be exciting and a bit of fun.
Whether or not Waters will make an appearance at Avalon remains to be seen, though Randle is especially keen to get the 18-time Supercars race winner on hand to help out as much as possible.
“I’ve been to plenty of Cam’s Sprintcar races, and I enjoy seeing him out there,” said Randle.
“He set up this deal for me, but with some of his other commitments, he hasn’t committed to being in Avalon this Saturday.
“Having him in my corner would be a huge help. He’ll know the language that I’m used to.
“I haven’t convinced him to be there, so I definitely want to leave these quotes here to try and guilt him into coming and giving me a hand.”
Randle finished seventh in the 2025 Repco Supercars Championship, his second consecutive season finishing inside the top 10 in points.
