The 2022 PRP Engineering SKAA Australian Speedway Karting Championship is racing towards Borderline Speedway this week and there is one man the nation’s best want to catch.

Racing with the coveted number one will be Liam Aunger and the reigning champion is determined to defend his crown at the “Bullring” when the three-day extravaganza launches off the line on Thursday.

Despite having spent more than a decade racing and commentating all things speedway, Aunger has never raced a kart at Borderline and looks forward to the challenge.

“It is really exciting to come to a new track because last year’s national title was also at a new track,” he said.

“No one has raced karts there for over 10 years, so it just gives everyone an even playing field, which is really exciting.

“We just have not been able to race enough this season, so just being able to race anything, let alone the national titles will be awesome and we will be going at it full tilt.”

Aunger’s father Wade is one of the most recognisable voices in the sport and sons Liam and Connor have followed in his footsteps.

The younger Connor will be competing in the Standards and is hunting for his first national crown, while Liam is taking on two classes.

The third-generation racer has also jumped behind the microphone with enthusiasm and believes his experience in the box at Borderline gives him some inside running.

“I have been lucky enough to commentate a sprintcars at Borderline a few times and have done a bit of research,” he said.

“I have felt the surface and banking and done the measurements to calculate the gearings from, so, there is a lot more science behind the scenes.

“It works both ways being a racer and a commentator and it is exciting behind on both sides of the fence.”

Aunger has lived and breathed speedway since he was born with his first sniff of high-octane action coming when he was just three days old.

After cutting his teeth on bitumen, an opportunity to race on the dirt presented itself at his local club and the experience struck a chord instantly.

“In the first go out the speed and danger of it all was so exciting,” he said.

“Being low to the ground and having no seatbelts holding you in, there was no real feeling of safety, which was the most exciting part.

“Getting the adrenaline rush from going wheel to wheel an inch off the ground on a track that will be as fast as Borderline can be quite daunting, but its what drives me the hardest.”

After four years of getting up to speed, Aunger brought his first kart and everything “clicked” the following summer.

In a breakout 2015/16 season the rising star secured his first national title in movie-like style and did not look back.

“It looked to be one of those meetings when nothing goes right for you,” Aunger said.

“Over three days of racing we could not put a foot right because something would break every time we hit the track.

“It was pretty disheartening, but then in the final heat I was sitting third and the two karts ahead crashed which qualified me at the rear of the grid for the A Main.

“It was a bit of a Hail Mary setup wise and it paid off and after four laps I found myself at the front.

“I was just overjoyed and it was a pretty crazy moment for the whole family scoring the first ever Junior Standard national title.”

The sudden upturn of success was down to Aunger’s commitment to race around the country instead of staying home and extra commitment developed skills at a rapid rate.

Within six months he found himself racing in America, although it was not necessarily planned.

With his father travelling to the states to call at the world-famous Knoxville Raceway, Aunger was along for the ride, but had no idea his racing suit was secretly packed in the luggage.

The whole experience blew him away with the biggest challenge getting up to speed with the completely different machinery.

“It was just incredible to realise the reach and respect our racing has over there and for them to know me personally was mind blowing,” Aunger said.

“The nerves and everything else was just on an unparalleled scale.

“It took a few races to feel comfortable because they are four-stroke karts with a wing and roll cage, they did not have the same put-your-foot-down speed, so it felt like going back to square one again.”

A total of three broken knees, two wrists and a couple of ribs have slowed Aunger over the journey since, but has still managed to average a championship per season.

He secured the Standard Heavy national championship last year in convincing fashion and will do his best to defend the crown, plus push for glory in the Modified category, despite a limited build up.

“We have enough years behind us to put most of the nerves behind us,” Aunger said.

“You can never factor in what will happen on the day, but we have prepared as best we can.

“We have only turned 15 laps in 2022 so far which flays on the cards a little bit because some of the Queensland guys have four race meetings under their belts.

“When we knew our calendar was going to be pretty quiet, we got everything fine-tuned and decided to go pretty hard at nationals.

“I have a pretty fierce competitive nature and the plan is to win every time I hit the track.”