In the world of motorsports, few experiences can match the adrenaline rush of sprinting around a dirt track at breakneck speeds. We are excited for the return of both the Dahm boys to Baypark Speedway and today, we sit down with Keaton Dahm to catch up on what’s new.
Age: 33 Birthplace: Tokoroa Living: Yes last I checked, at Lake Whakamaru, South Waikato
Years Racing: 21 years starting in Ministocks at 12 years old
Home Track: Baypark Speedway, we have been registered with Rotorua and Kihikihi and have enjoyed being part of all three clubs.
Best Feature finish: 1st,
Classes Raced: Ministock, Production Saloon, Super Saloon, Six Shooter, Sprintcar
Sponsors: Valvoline, Hydraulink, Kiwi Truck Tyres, Z Energy, Scania, Rob Dahm Ltd, Hunnibell Racing Developments, FastMaster, ForestAire, Mount Trucks,
Q1: Every great journey begins with a single step when did you start racing and how did you get into it? First started racing speedway in a Ministock out of Rotorua, before that I dabbled in Karting but wasn’t that interested as a young fella. A good friend of mine at Intermediate started talking about and racing Ministocks and I wanted to beat him so we went Ministock racing and things have escalated a bit from there! Im going to use ‘we’ a lot because we are a team of many people that go racing, I am lucky to be the driver but it’s a group effort.
Q2: What classes have you run over the years?
Mainly Ministocks then Production Saloon then Sprintcar, but have raced a small amount in Six Shooters, a couple of Super Saloon meetings and one meeting in a Superstock.
Q3: In the world of racing, success comes in many forms. What are you most proud of in your racing career?
From a competition perspective, I think having a good amount of success in the classes we’ve raced in with plenty of wins and trophies is an obvious sign of success. Outside of on track results, we’ve had great relationships with tracks, promotors/clubs, our sponsors and our hard-working RDL Racing crew. We’ve always been proud of keeping things fun and having a good time at the track and in the clubrooms after an event.
Q4: What titles have you received while racing?
Plenty of regional championship wins across the classes we’ve raced in including BOP Champion, King Country Champion, Waikato Champion, three time back to back to back Baypark Season Points Champion, Best presented car and crew. Over 20+ years now of racing a Speedway NZ championship placing is next on the hitlist!
Q5: What is your all-time favourite track to race at and why?
The most fun I think I’ve ever had on track, purely based on the racing, was probably last season at Baypark, early in the season with the new surface and the track being so wide with a good highline and the new banking. The racing was super intense and trading slide jobs with some of NZ’s best Sprintcar drivers lap after lap was a similar style of racing to what you see in the USA and Australia. I’ve personally always been frustrated that so many NZ tracks lack the proper banking in their surfaces that creates great side by side racing action. We’ve had similar great races at Western Springs when the track slicks off right to the wall and you’re only option to find some grip is to push to the very edge of the racing surface either high or low.
Q6: Racing isn’t just a seasonal endeavour; it’s a year-round commitment. What are you currently doing in the off-season and how do you prepare mentally and physically for this sport?
Once we have got the engines out of the cars and sent away for an off-season refresh, I tend to switch off and take a break from our racing for at least a couple of months. Around August I start to switch back into thinking more about the upcoming race season, this year I’ve tried to do a bit more study and put a bit more thought into what we are doing with our car in terms of setup. I always try do a bit of physical training before race season as well as the Sprintcar is a lot more physical to race than anything I had ever driven before.
Q7: What do you hope to achieve this season?
Sights are set on an NZ Championship podium and as many feature wins as we can get.
Q8: Success in racing isn’t just about speed; it’s about character what characteristics do you think are important to becoming successful in racing?
There are the obvious traits like determination, physical fitness, bravery, embracing high risk, quick reflexes and driving talent that all go hand in hand to create a fast driver. But I think the best drivers have a certain cutthroat nature where despite any off track friendship, on the track it is all about getting the win at almost any cost. It’s interesting when racing in New Zealand where 95% of people are running their team as a hobby and on a budget, because those willing to win at any cost or risk to themselves and others, tend to get a bigger advantage with a lot more aggression than you would in other countries like Australia or the USA where everyone is racing to win with the same aggression to put food on their table as a professional.
Q9: Race cars are constantly evolving. What is happening with your car in the off-season?
Any major changes we should look out for once the season starts? We have a fairly good baseline setup on our current car, so we wont be reinventing the wheel or making any major changes to last season but we always want to get a little bit better each time we hit the track and I think we have some fine details to improve on to get a little faster this season.
Q10: Speedway racing can be fast and dangerous. What do you think is one thing the fans will never understand until they are behind the wheel of a race car?
I think it’s understanding the pure chaos and lack of any time to think about what you are doing, most particularly in Sprintcars where things happen so fast, I often watch my own decision making on videos after the racing and think I should have done this and that, but you are mostly reacting to the chaos rather than having the time to think then act. Building experience takes many years to be able to react and not have to think about what to do.
Q11: What is your favourite race on the NZ race calendar?
Winged Thunder is always a great event, and the NZ Sprintcar Championship consistently dishes up an epic two days of intense racing, but I think there has long been a gap for an annualised 40 or 50 lap Sprintcar event at a place like Baypark or Western Springs.
Q12: Legends inspire legends. Who do you admire most in motorsport and why?
In motorsport generally, I think the top world rally drivers of the 60s, 70s, 80s and early 90s drove at such a high level in cars that were unbelievably dangerous, you cant help but admire their skill and courage. Often a small mistake cost them their lives, the same could be said of Formula 1 drivers of that era. A completely different approach to motorsport and a time when car development was moving at such a fast pace to increase speed but almost no development into safety.
Q13: What do you think of the changes and the way direction the speedway is moving at Baypark?
The most improved speedway award was well deserved, Baypark has always had the potential to be one of NZ’s best speedways and I think it’s finally on its way to that through consistent effort in promoting and track preparation.
Q14: Sponsors are the unsung heroes of racing. Tell us about your sponsors, what kind of business they run, and the support you get from them?
We greatly appreciate the support of Valvoline, Hydraulink, Kiwi Truck Tyres, Z Energy, Scania, Rob Dahm Ltd, Hunnibell Racing Developments (HRD), Fast Master, ForestAire and Mount Trucks.
Mostly James and I wouldn’t have had the opportunities we have had without the hard work and dedication of our parents, like so many speedway and motorsport people it all started with the support of Mum and Dad. Thank you.
Q15: Behind every successful racer is a dedicated support team. Tell us about your support team.
Our RDL crew have been supporting our team for many years, some having helped our team for over 20 years. Without these people RDL Racing wouldn’t be possible so we cannot thank them enough for their commitment and time spent helping us.
Q16 Final Words: What would you like to say to your fans and the wider Speedway community?
Thank you for your support over the years, we have released new merchandise for the first time in about five years that can be bought online via Driven By Dirt .com or come down to the race truck in the pits to enquire in person.
We love meeting fans so please feel free to come to the pits before or after racing to say hi, get a photo, some merchandise or ask a question. Drivers are very fan friendly!
