Article by Scott Beattie / DTN Media.
Pic Courtesy JSP/DTN and Cochrane Photography.
The last few seasons have seen Cody Turacchio working incredibly hard on developing his engine package to give himself the best chance of running at the front of the already competitive Formula 500’s field.
That effort appears to be paying off, winning the season-opening Powerpalooza event for the Formula 500’s a few weeks ago and backing that up with another feature race win at the Pithara Speedway last weekend.
“In the off-season, I have been working with Rhett and Kenny from Yoshimura RND to develop a brand-new motor tailor-made to suit the Perth Motorplex and bigger tracks in WA,” shares Cody. “I’ve done a lot of research and development on our shock package and went over the car with a fine-tooth comb ensuring everything works as it should. I’m always looking for something different or extra to be constantly improving on our package.”
Cody has been racing for many seasons now and has had plenty of success (at least seventeen wins from April 2018 to last weekend, with at least forty-two podium finishes and an overall win in the 2017/18 West Coast Series), but it took until last year for Cody to finally get on the winners’ list at the Perth Motorplex. That win ignited a fire, Cody winning two races in a row last February.
Last season was in fact a great one for Cody overall, three feature wins, another two podium finishes, six heat race wins and a strong run at Esperance for the WA Title which saw him very close to taking home his first WA crown.
Unfortunately for Cody this has been the story of the last few years: coming so close, and this season he is determined to shake that monkey off his back.
“My entire goal this season is to be as consistent as possible,” says Cody. “I want to win my first Perth Motorplex Track Championship and I want to win the West Coast Series, along with getting the monkey off my back and winning a State Title finally!”
This is a huge set of goals, essentially looking to win everything on offer for the Formula 500’s this season, but he will have to wait until mid-February for his chance at WA Title glory, the event to be held at the Motorplex over two nights on the 14th and 15th. In the meantime, Cody will hope to build on his momentum and that continues this weekend at the King of Wings, an event Cody has not yet been able to finish atop the podium in.
And who knows? If he can achieve his goals this season, the team has hinted that there may be a division change on the horizon for them in the near future!
For now – Cody’s sights are firmly fixed on the next chapter – this Saturday at the Scardifields Smash Repairs King of Wings! As he chases another feature race win, and a bonus $500 thanks to Frank Scardfield!
