During the week, Shane Tanner preaches safe driving and staying within the speed limits. But this weekend, the Canberra motor-sport enthusiast will put the pedal to the metal as he pushes his Proton production car to its limits.
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Tanner will compete in the Wakefield 300 at Wakefield Park Raceway in Goulburn on Saturday and Sunday.
By trade, Tanner is an instructor at the Sutton Road driving centre, where he teaches L-platers vital skills to remain safe on the road, along with giving pointers to government and police-academy recruits.
He believes everything he teaches can be applied in a much quicker environment on the racetrack.
''It's all about having a nice, positive image when it comes to driving, given the road toll with young kids,'' he said. ''It's all in a controlled environment and done as safely as possible.
''To reduce the road toll, we need to give kids the right attitude and plenty of experience behind the wheel.''
Tanner spent 10 years racing go-karts after taking up the sport in 2000. When he moved to Albury-Wodonga in 2007, he studied motor sport and engineering before working with the Brad Jones Racing team in V8 Supercars.
He bought his 1800cc Proton production car in 2008 and enjoyed plenty of success, winning division four in his inaugural year and finishing in the top three of his category every year since.
''I've been competing since 2008 but have missed the last two years, which is why I'm back,'' he said. ''I'm hoping to try to repeat my victory from 2008 this year, so it's going to be a pretty big weekend.
''The Wakefield 300 is all tarmac and it's circuit racing. It's a very challenging race.''
