High Limit Racing co-founder Brad Sweet was familiar with Perth Motorplex's stellar reputation long before he raced on the 500-meter clay oval.

Still, nothing could prepare the sprint car champion for his first impression of the pristine facility that sits high on a hill with views of the Indian Ocean to the west.

Sweet was so taken by the efforts of Gavin Migro, Perth Motorplex General Manager, and his crew that he wanted to create a project to unite both parties. 

“Just because they have such a great thing going and such a great race track, such a great facility, it was a no-brainer for us to start here,” Sweet said. “They do a great job here and the community really gets behind it.”

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Seven months later, High Limit International was established to attract top sprint car talent to Perth Motorplex. 

“Obviously, you want to work with the most professional tracks and the most professional people,” Sweet said. “Perth and Gavin have built this place up over the years and probably haven’t got the recognition that they deserve. 

“Coming over here last year was eye-opening. It just made a lot of sense for our first event to try and start with Gavin, who has worked so hard to build such a great program here. 

“To use our resources and our relationships to help maybe bring more recognition to the track and help the Australian racers to race for the most purse money they have ever raced for, show the fans something they haven’t seen before.”

That includes a record $100,000 prize for the inaugural winner of the three-day event. While Knoxville Raceway and Eldora Speedway annually pay out six figures for top events—as does High Limit at Skagit Speedway, Silver Dollar Speedway and Eldora, doubling the previous prize money a sprint car victor could claim in Australia was significant. 

But after witnessing the show Sweet and Rico Abreu put on against the local competition during Perth Speedweek last year, Migro agreed it was time to up the ante.

“Brad had suggested making it the richest race ever to win in Australia,” Migro said. “At first, we weren’t really sure how we would make it work. Then we started crunching some numbers and working together with our partners and we decided to run with it. 

“To get the opportunity to run the first $100,000-to-win race in Australia, we’re really proud to do. Perth is the most remote capital city on the planet—the most remote capital city speedway on the planet—and to have that opportunity to do it, we’re really proud and excited to do it.”

Migro’s passion for the sport is undeniable. The second-generation track promoter credits “best practices” with building and maintaining the showcase that is Perth Motorplex. His father, Con Migro, who was inducted into the Australian Speedway Hall of Fame in 2007, was key in securing government support to build the dirt track and adjacent dragstrip. 

As they celebrate their 25th season, Migro has watched the fanbase grow. In addition to having the highest-paying race in Australia, Perth’s weekly payout tops the competition as well. 

“Of the top 10 paying races in Australia, we have four or five of them which are our races,” Migro said. “But that’s what you have to do to grow the sport, make it better, then attract the international competitors. 

“That’s what we’re really proud of and getting the opportunity to do.”

This weekend more than 12,500 fans will attend the inaugural High Limit International race. While many of the spectators will come from Western Australia, ticket sales have been strong throughout all six states and New Zealand. Migro’s guests include Americans, primarily from California and the Midwest, Europeans, and his favorite—Madagascar. 

“I don’t know why, I don’t know how, but that’s my favorite one,” Migro said. “To have people buying tickets from all over the world, we’re really proud. We could almost pinch ourselves about it.”

The opportunity to race High Limit at a world-class facility in front of an international audience for a $100,000 prize is not lost on Maddington Toyota Sprintcar Series champion Dayne Kingshott. 

“To see what Brad and Kyle have done with High Limits over the last 12 months and then to bring the series to Perth and make it all happen here, it’s amazing for us in Western Australia—and Australia as well,” Kingshott said. “We race for decent prize money, but we don’t race for this big of a purse very often. 

“So hopefully, it raises the mark for prize money for other big races as well. It’s an amazing opportunity for us guys to race for that kind of money and to race against some of the best drivers in the world.”

Kingshott hopes to use the opportunity to compete against the top sprint car drivers as his proving ground. He won the USA vs WA Speedweek opener, the Boxing Day Bonanza on Dec. 26.

The Bunbury native, who drives the No. 2 Krikke Motorsport entry, grew about two hours south of the track. Throughout his career, he has watched Perth Motorplex blossom over the years.

“Perth is on its way,” Kingshott said. ‘We have a really good product over here at the moment with the Maddington Toyota Sprintcars Series that we race. It’s pushing the grid hard to be professional and making it as good of a series as we can get. We’ve got a lot of good cars and jobs here at the moment. Just to have High Limits here puts it on the map even more, it draws attention to it. 

“It’s super cool for us. Hopefully, this gives people like me and Callum (Williamson) and the guys over here a chance to pick up a drive in America for a couple of races. It kind of puts us out in front of the world even more.”