Recently, long-time speedway enthusiast and supporter Dennis ‘DJ’ Walsh was laid to rest following a celebrating of his life at the Cobden Civic Hall.
Born and bred in the south-east Victorian country town of Cobden, DJ had been involved with speedway in many facets since the 1960s and ‘70s when he raced Super Modifieds, later becoming a mentor to his sons Mark (Freddy) and Darren, who both took up Sprintcar racing in the 1990s after stepping out of Dirt Modifieds. DJ also tried his hand at team ownership after his sons stepped away from their driver duties, with American Tommy Tarlton running for him in the early 2000s.
Continuing DJ’s legacy and making him a very proud grandfather, third-generation racers and grandchildren Carly and Blake Walsh, Mark and his wife Tania’s children, went on to commence their own competitive speedway careers, starting out in Junior Sedans where Blake and is currently building a Wingless Sprint for his first taste of the senior ranks, with Carly currently racing Wingless Sprints and 410 Sprintcars.
Not only was the former Sprintcar Racing Association steward committed to the sport of speedway on the track, he was also a stalwart supporter away from it, having been a major influence in making the Wingless Sprints class what it is today through his contributions in the 2009-10 season as a Victorian Nos Sprints committee member, and having been chief steward for the Victorian Wingless Sprints for multiple seasons.
“On behalf of Australian Wingless Sprint Racing, I would like to thank DJ for his commitment to the sport of speedway over the years, especially to the Wingless Sprints class,” expressed current Australian Wingless Sprint Racing President Mick Parry.
“His contribution to our class and this country’s great sport never went unnoticed and were always greatly appreciated.
“We would like to extend our sincere condolences to DJ’s wife Heather, and children Freddy (Mark) and Darren, along with the rest of the Walsh family during this difficult time.”
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