Start your engines

A high octane season opener featuring the best sprintcar drivers in Australia and beyond, two massive national championship weekends, the always popular and hard fought King’s Challenge and a raft of other support classes are all part of the jam packed calendar unveiled by the Borderline Speedway as that season opener fast approaches.

The sprintcars are the headline act in the November 22 season opening event with Australian number one and honourary local James McFadden (pictured) leading the charge in a field that also includes Tassie’s Jock Goodyer, Queensland’s Lachlan McHugh and some local hopes, including Scott Enderl, Daniel Pestka in the local Stark car and, fingers crossed, the return of Glen Sutherland, as he battled the clock to return from injuries sustained in Darwin.

“All the big guns are coming,” Borderline Speedway president Cary Jennings said.

The wingless sprints are also part of the opening night program with plenty of interest for local motorsport fans.

Ryan Broome has joined his brother Mitch Broome on the wingless sprints circuit, along with Scott Vivian, Josh Mason, Kirby Hillyer and Kahn Aston, while the support class, which is the junior sedans, will have local talent James Becker and Violet Thorne on show.

“Anyone interested in driving in junior sedans and getting into speedway are always welcome so just give us a ring and there are cars available for you to give it a go,” Jennings said.

December 6 sees the first outing for the Formula 500 – both senior and junior – with again an impressive local contingent to cheer across the finish line.

Brad Turnbull, Anthony Beare, Jordan Mansell, Ryan Harry and Ashley Johnstone will all be part of the December 6 action, with classic rods and street stocks rounding out the night’s program.

It wouldn’t be the festive season without the influx of sprintcars again to the region and Brandt’s Sprintcar Speedweek return with five nights of racing, including the December 28 meeting at the Borderline.

It kicks off on Boxing Day in Murray Bridge, heads to this region to Bordertown’s Tollner Speedway on December 27 before moving further south to the Borderline.

Speedweek rounds out with December 30 at Avalon, in Lara, before the final round on New Year’s Day at Premier Speedway in Warrnambool.

The Speedweek night at the Glenburnie track has already attracted drivers from every State, with the exception of Western Australia, that runs its own Yuletide series, as well as New Zealand driver Max Guilford and a United States flavour as well.

Modlites will also be part of the December 28 action.

In the New Year, it is the Formula 500 Speedweek with the Borderline hosting on January 3, with compact speedcars also on the program.

When it comes to big nights at the Borderline Speedway, they don’t come much bigger than the King’s Challenge – the Borderline’s only stand alone premier event – and with McFadden gunning for a fourth title in five years, it looms as an intriguing night on January 22.

If McFadden can greet the chequered flag first it would also elevate him to the status of the other four time winners – Robbie Farr and US raider Donny Schatz. – with only Mother Nature (rained out events) having claimed more titles.

The street stocks will also be part of the King’s Challenge night program.

Borderline officials will barely have time to catch their breath before it will be all hands on deck to ensure the track and facilities are in pristine order with the sprintcar world converging on Mount Gambier for the January 30 and 31 Australian Sprintcar Championship.

With Warrnambool’s time honoured Grand Annual Sprintcar Classic the previous week, the national titles will no doubt have the cream of the crop vying for the number one which is currently in the hands of McFadden.

The wingless sprints and Formula 500 return on February 21 with junior sedans and modlites also part of the program and then it i another quick turnaround with the Borderline Speedway then set to host the Formula 500 National Champion ship on March 6 and 7.

“There will be more than 100 cars for this event,” Jennings said. “And we will also have the 360LS sprintcars on the Saturday night as part of the program – they perform just as well as the open sprintcars most people are used to watching.”

Another big night for the Borderline is March 21 for the running of the Matthew Neilson Memorial as the street stocks hit the track in memory of the popular driver, with super sedans also racing, with the SA Junior Sedan Title also on the line.

As always, the season winds up with the Easter Sprintcar Trail.

Good Friday kicks off the Trail at Avalon, with the Borderline hosting the April 4 (Saturday) night of racing before it finishes up at premier Speedway on Sunday.

PHOTO COURTESY OF RICHARD HATHAWAY