One of the youngest contenders at the Queensland Mud Trials Championships also had one of the biggest smiles.
11-year-old Eli Thomsett has a love of building things, which his latest project had been a Honda Civic to have some muddy great fun.
Ripping through sloppy fields and flicking mud as far as the eye could see is all part of the appeal of the annual event held in Sarina, and Eli wanted to take part.
Last year, Eli went to the Mud Trials and was able to help friends of his parents. His mother Nell said from there he was hooked.
“Friends of ours have been racing it since it began and let Eli help out.
“He’s been driving the ride-on mower since he was six and has been driving machinery with his dad around our property any chance he gets,” Nell said.
Eli makes money by selling free range eggs from the family farm and put some of this towards purchasing a Honda Civic from Buy Swap Sell.
“He was hands-on throughout the project. His dad Russell is a mechanic, auto electrician and fitter so this came in handy,” Nell said.
“Eli had to strip out the inside, remove the seats and air conditioning and wires, then had to waterproof the car and motor as much as possible. They installed a roll cage and removed the glass.
“The waterproofing and removing the windscreen were the hardest parts.”
Eli powered to fourth position in his category overall out of five races during the weekend in his first ever mud trials.
Eli says his favourite part was going fast.
“Dad says go faster so I just put my foot to the floor,” he said.
Eli hopes to race again next year and will keep the Honda Civic for a few more races. He’s caught the bug so much that next month he’s already lined up to drive the mud races in Kabra.
“He’s happy to race anything he can,” Nell said.
Eli Thomsett in his transformed Honda Civic. Photos: Nell Thomsett
Shelby and Eli after having muddy great fun at the Queensland Mud Trials Championships in Sarina
