Veteran Cessnock track rider Paul Caslick has written himself into the NSW Dirt Track Title record books by becoming the oldest open title winner at the age of 54.
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Caslick had retired from competitive racing three years ago after a smash at the Keith Allen Classic at the Cessnock Motorcross Club.
The urge to racing returned and Caslick bought a motorcycle through a friend and made the final at the Australian Senior Track Championship at Quirindi, near Tamworth, in June, despite his bike being off the pace.
Another bike and Caslick turned a final appearance into final victory at the NSW Championships at Gunnedah two weeks ago.
"I've raced since I was seven years old and I gave the racing up a few years ago,"' Caslick, who has won 22 Australian dirt and long track titles and numerous state titles, said.
"I was racing out at Cessnock at the Keith Allen Classic and I got smashed up fairly heavily in the second race of the day. I took a fairly serious head knock but I ended up finishing the day and won both classes.
"The next couple of days after that I really suffered with the head and I said to my wife Deirdre 'I really don't need this any more'."
Caslick admits no one outside his own camp had any expectations of him winning another title at age 54.
"We were on the pace but it all comes down to that one race - six laps and off you go," he said.
"I was probably not given much of a chance, written off as being too old and having lost my touch. But the photos from the weekend showed otherwise because I didn't miss one start all weekend long."
The oldest man on the grid proved his detractors wrong.
"I was pretty happy especially as the combined age of second and third came to 38," he said.
Caslick was the oldest winner of the national championship briefly when he won it at age 43.
But his good mate, world Superbike champion Troy Bayliss beat his record when he won the title aged 45.
Is another shot on the cards?
At this stage Caslick has no plans to compete at the Australian Dirt Track Championship in Queensland in September.
"But if we do I don't intend to go up there and just make the numbers up," Caslick warned his rivals.