Axle Donaldson
Driver & Owner of 111 Racing
Driver & Owner of 111 Racing
Driver - Axle Donaldson
Racing Highlights
May 2021 - First Race at Queensland Raceway placed 3rd
Jun 2021 - 2 Days of Thunder placed 2nd (Sedans Class)
Jul 2021 - Aussie Tin Tops in Townsville placed 2nd
Aug 2021 - The Hyundai Excel Cup placed 6th with partner Treigh Maschotta
- Warwick 1000 placed 3rd
Where the journey began ...
Axle Donaldson's love for all things motorsport started when he was 10 years old, driving Go Karts around the track in his home town of Launceston, Tasmania. It was during this time that Axle received his first motorbike, a Z50J Honda.
Any chance Axle could get to ride his bike he would, even tying the lawn mower to the back of the bike so that he could ride while doing his weekly chores!
Axle has ridden different bikes and sizes over the years from 125cc to 250cc to 450cc dirt bikes all across Tasmania. At 18 he purchased his first rode bike, a TZR Yamaha 2 Stoke, which he rode at Symmons Plains Raceway in Tasmania.
From there Axle moved onto the GXR750 Suzuki when he was 20 years of age, which didn't begin well as he crashed it on a test ride and broke both his wrists!
Injuries have never dampened Axle's love of motorsports and he jumped at the opportunity to complete in the 2018 Pan Pacific Games in Bike Riding!
Although Axle has ridden bikes every weekend as a young man, he was still a massive fan of the V8s, Holdens and the legendary Peter Brock. Getting up early to watch the Bathurst 1000 certainly added fuel to the flame for Axle and his desire to race cars.
Although this is not the original bike Axle rode as a kid, his partner Teresa presented Axle with a replica on his 50th birthday.
Little side hobby
Axle & Sam Donaldson at the 2021 The Tatts Finke Desert Race
Axle has been challenging himself over the last 5 years by competing in The Tatts Finke Desert Race held in Alice Springs, NT on the Queen's Birthday long weekend.
This ultimate desert race has the reputation as being one of the most difficult and challenging offroad courses in one of the most outlying places in the world. The 2 day race is across multiple terrains and 'the most fun you can have with a helmet on!'
This year Axle took part in the race with his son, Sam Donaldson.
Motorsports, racing and competing is thoroughly embed in Axle's DNA and his love and support of the people around him, make him the champion that he is today.
Axle has taken his love and support to a whole new level as his company, Axle's Earthmoving & Civil Works has proudly for the last 3 years sponsored Treigh Maschotta, who is a Hyundai Excel driver and is currently coming 4th in the 2021 Championship.
Working Career
Axle is a man who doesn't shy away from a challenge or hard work. Having started his working career at a local service station after he finished school, to being convinced to give cray fishing a try as a junior deckhand earning a few extra quid, Axle gave it his all.
"40 pots out, 3 Jackie Collins romance novels and 40 pots back in, I decided cray fishing was not the life for me!"
Over the next few years Axle worked for an asphalt company learning to lay driveways and then moved on to a civil earthworks company called Joe McCauley & Sons for 3 years in Tasmania.
It wasn't long till the sunny warm weather of Queensland started calling and Axle moved to the Gold Coast. Over the next 8 years he worked as a machine operator, then into estimating and civil foreman work, till 2004 he went out on his own and started Axle's Earthmoving & Civil Works company.
"I started with one machine and $10k that a mate lent me and that great guy still works for me today!"
Today Axle has over 80 machines, including trucks and utes and has the pleasure of working alongside his son Sam.
One of Axle's diggers in action
The 111 Racing Journey
Axle in action at 2 Days of Thunder at QLD Raceway, Ipswich
Geoff Taunton owner of MARC Cars Australia, professional driver, and long term friend of Axle for over 15 years, finally approached Axle and suggested that he might want to consider racing cars as he seemed to be getting injured quite a bit on the bikes!
Geoff was able to convince Axle to come and have a play and the rest as they say is history! In 2021, Axle purchased his first racing car, the Marc I from MARC Cars Australia and the 111 Racing Team was born.
Axle and 111 Racing are big supporters of MARC Cars Australia and the part they are playing in Australian Motorsport.
Axle having his own successful business, Axle's Earthmoving & Civil Works has allowed him to pursue his love of motorsports as well as giving the opportunity to younger drivers to established their professional careers.
