Shoestring success

MASTERTON speedway driver Rusty Franklin, driving car No 9 in this photo, has a problem. After a season of racing his Commodore in the street stock class he has finally reached the podium, with two second placings at Te Marua
"Now I have to work out how I did it," he said with a grin.
It's been a steep learning curve for Franklin. His car shows the scars of that learning curve. But now he's circulating within .7s a lap of the leading car (the No 8 car shown here).
Franklin operates on a shoestring, and this is not a sport you get rich at. He raced at Palmerston North a few weeks back and came away with $100.
"That's not even covering costs," he said. "Without my sponsors, Wairarapa Radiators, Western Auto Mart and Pit Stop, I wouldn't be racing," he said.