What’s happening?
A strong family theme is building around this weekend’s race meeting in Rockhampton, with father and son pairings set to take centre stage in the Super Stocker 20/20.
Andrew Ede will race with his father, Chris Ede, while Danny Lennon will line up with his son, DJ, in a format built around shared driving duties. The program also includes the Street Stock 1000, Formula 500, Production Sedans and Junior Sedans.
For the Edes, the meeting brings Chris back into the car after time away from racing. For the Lennons, it adds another chapter to a pairing that has already delivered wins.
Andrew said having his dad back in the seat means a lot.
“Oh, it’s awesome. It really is good because he’s always here helping me at every meeting I go to and everything else. So, it’s good for him to get back in and have a drive,” he said.
Chris said he was happy to say yes when Andrew asked him to race.
“Oh no, I’m happy to do it sort of thing, but you’ve got to realise that I’ve got to try and look after the car a bit,” he said.
“I can’t go flat out and just not care. I have to try to keep the car going. I don’t want to wreck it, so he can’t race in the final.”
Danny is also returning after time away and said the chance to race with DJ again feels right.
“Yeah, no, it’ll be pretty good. We haven’t driven for three years or whatever now, so it’ll be good to jump in there with him and show him how to do it,” he said.
Why it matters?
This kind of format is rare. It gives fathers and sons the chance to compete in the same car, work through setups together and share the same pressure on race night.
Andrew said that is what makes it special.
“There’s definitely not,” he said, when asked if many sports allow fathers and sons to race together.
“And anyone who’s never raced before, it’s something that is just, it’s amazing. It’s the feeling you get, the buzz you get and everything else, to actually race in amongst other cars and everything else, it is really good.”
“But to actually share that feeling with somebody else, and even when he’s not racing, when we’re doing setups and we’re talking, it’s good to talk to somebody who understands and knows exactly what you’re talking about.”
Chris said the bond matters just as much as the racing.
“It’s great. It’s really, really good,” he said.
“As he was saying earlier, it was very good that we can talk about things and we both understand different things about handling and car setups and that sort of stuff.”
“And it’s also a father-son thing that you enjoy at my life, my time in life. I’m really happy with it.”
Andrew said the class itself also helps create that feeling.
“The class has come a long way over the years,” he said.
“And everyone sort of looks out for each other. It’s pretty good. At the end of the day, it’s still racing. There’s no doubt about that.”
“But, yeah, everyone they talk. They help each other out. They share. And it’s a huge thing. There’s not many classes that do this sort of thing.”
Local Impact
For Rockhampton, the story carries extra weight because the Ede family has long roots in local speedway.
Andrew said he grew up around the sport and wished he had started earlier.
“I was a late bloomer, so I didn’t start until I was like in my 40s,” he said.
“So, I wish I had started a lot earlier. But anyway, life’s things happen. But yeah, I wish I had started a lot earlier. But I obviously grew up with it with dad.”
He also said Speedway was already part of the family when he arrived.
“I was actually, mum went into labour for me to be born when they had the track. So, that was 1970, so end of 1970,” he said.
Chris said his own history reaches back to the early local track days.
“We built the first track down at Nuremberg in 69, 70, around that time sort of thing,” he said.
“And obviously I raced then, and I’ve raced super sedans in the end.”
“In the early days, we called them A-grade saloon cars, but then they changed their name to super sedans.”
For long-time local fans, his return is part of the draw. Andrew said many in Rocky still know who Chris Eade is from his earlier years in the sport.
By the numbers
- Danny said there are 16 or 17 cars nominated for the event, and more than half the field is made up of father-son pairings.
- Andrew said he is 55 and Chris is 77, making them one of the oldest pairings in the field.
- Danny said he has raced on and off for about 40 years, while DJ has been racing for about 10 years.
Zoom in
The Edes bring one of the strongest family stories into the meeting.
Andrew said he and Chris could be the oldest pair in the field.
“I think we are,” he said.
“We had a bit of a talk with DJ and whatever else. I’m pretty sure we’re definitely up there, yeah.”
Asked who will be the better driver on the night, Andrew kept it simple.
“I think I’ll just catch up. So, hopefully, he’ll set it up all right, and then I’ll just try and bring it home in one piece,” he said.
Chris, meanwhile, said it has been three or four years since he last raced there.
“I haven’t really sat in this car that we’re racing. I haven’t sat in it and drove it for a few years, that’s for sure,” he said.
He said his last race was also with Andrew in one of these shared events.
“Yes, it was with Andrew in one of the 2020s like this weekend,” he said.
Chris also gave a clear view of how he sees the current car.
“This probably makes 665 horsepower,” he said.
“My old, well, the last Corvette I built had 500 horsepower.”
He said the lighter super sedan could still put power to the ground better because of its tyres and setup.
Chris also summed up why he still loves racing.
“Fangio said, you haven’t lived until you’ve raced,” he said.
And if this weekend goes well, he would be happy to do more.
“I’d love to, but I’d have to win the pools or something first so I could buy a car because I can’t get him out of it,” he said.
Zoom out
The Lennons show this meeting is bigger than one family name.
Danny said the field will be full of family pride, but the goal stays the same.
“Yeah, we don’t want to beat one of them. We want to beat the lot of them,” he said.
“I don’t know how we’ll go, but we’ll go all right. But it’ll be good to race against them all, definitely.”
He said the class suits him well.
“Yeah, I’ve been running this class ever since it’s been going, really. It’s a good class, and we can do what we really want to do,” he said.
And while he gave the car a tick, he still found time for a light shot at his son.
“Yeah, it’s a good car. It’s been running really great. Just a couple of shockies breaking and all that sort of stuff. DJ’s a bit too rough on the car. Blames everyone else, but…” he said.
This is also not their first crack together.
“No, we’ve raced a couple of times together. I think it’s the last two we’ve won, the last two. So we’re going three out of three,” Danny said.
What to look for next?
A lot will rest on how the shared-driver teams handle the switch between heats and the feature races.
There will also be strong interest in whether the Eades can turn experience into a smooth result, and whether Danny and DJ can make it three straight wins together.
