Ready to rev into action

The Borderline Speedway revs into action on November 23 with a 10 meeting season with the club’s premier event, the King’s Challenge, set down for January 23 next year.

Borderline Speedway president Cary Jennings was thrilled with how the 2024/25 program had taken shape.

“We have certainly got a big year coming up,” Jennings said.

Sprintcars and Formula 500 headline the opening round of action on November 23.

The SRA Sprintcar Series is a Victorian series but Borderline officials have worked closely with their border partners to ensure they are part of the action and high numbers of nominations are expected.

“We are working together to put this show on,” Jennings said.

The Formula 500 Stampede is the other main event on the night as the Borderline hosts round 3 of the competition.

The Formula 500 will also have a junior category on show with junior sedans, as they will for many of the Glenburnie track’s 10 meetings, a key part of the program as the sport enjoys a resurgence among young drivers, many with strong generational links to the sport.

“We will be promoting juniors out at the speedway as much as we can,” Jennings said.

There is a Junior Sedna Series in the works and at this early stage, with details still to be confirmed, December 7 is looking like the Borderline round of the inaugural competition.

That December 7 meeting will see Wingless Sprints and Street Stocks also in the spotlight.

The wingless sprints will be competing in the opening round of the Triple Crown Series, while the street stocks will already be in round four of the Southern Street Stock Series.

Sprintcars return to centre stage on December 28 as the five club Speed Week – the replacement program for the World Series Sprintcars – and an event that still attracts US based drivers.

The Borderline is joined by Bordertown, Avalon, Premier Speedway in Warrnambool and Murray Bridge in what is a festival of sprintcar racing with around $200,000 of prizemoney on the line.

There are already 14 contracted drivers for the series with three American drivers confirmed.

“It is really taking shape,” Jennings said.

The December 28 program will also see the 30th anniversary running of the Formula 500 Speedweek so it will be wall to wall action.

January 3 is the next meeting with the Wingless Sprints Summer Slam (Round 2) and Pro Speedcar Week, which is also the second round of that series.

“This will even feature New Zealand drivers,” Jennings said. “These cars normally put on a really good show.”

Then it is the King’s Challenge – the jewel in the club’s crown with US driver Sheldon Haudenschild the defending champion after sprintcar icon James McFadden won the previous two instalments.

February 15 brings something new to the Borderline Speedway with the Australia Wingless Sprints running what they call wide open racing.

“That is run over around five or six rounds, starting in Queensland and ending in Mildura,” Jennings said. “There will be drivers from New South Wales, Victoria, South Australia nominated for the series with locals Mitch Broome and Kirby Hillyer giving locals something to get really excited about.”

It is also the night the Formula 500 SA Title will be run and won.

It wouldn’t be a speedway seasons without a cross border challenge and March 1 sees the SA v Victoria Pro Sprintcar Challenge with junior sedans and classic sedans also on the program.

The SA Wingless Sprints State Title will be decided on March 22 at the Borderline Speedway, while April 5 will see another title go on the line at the Glenburnie track with night two of the Australian Modlites SA Title racing after Murray Bridge hosts night one.

The Easter Sprintcar Trail is always a popular event and the Borderline Speedway hosts its night of the three club event on April 19 to end the season with a bang.