All on Speedway track: Fireworks show, big fields, keen racers ready to go

SPEEDWAY OPENING: Superstocks will provide some of the highlights for fans at Gisborne Speedway Club’s season-opening meeting tomorrow night. The annual fireworks show will be another treat for speedway supporters who have had to endure a couple of postponements to the official start of their season.File picture by Liam Clayton

SPEEDWAY by Murray Robertson

FIREWORKS in the sky and on the track will make tomorrow night’s opening meeting of the season at the Gisborne Speedway Club track memorable.

Superstocks will race the first round of the MTF points dash, and stockcars will vie for the “champion of champions” title, sponsored by Sam’s Upholstery Services and Gisborne Fluid & Machinery.

The club has postponed the official start to the season twice due to Covid-19, although a club day was run last month.

Club administrators had also decided to postpone the annual fireworks show due to Covid restrictions.

It is traditionally one of the most popular events of the season, and the club wanted to ensure as many people as possible could get into the Eastland Group Raceway to watch it.

“We have decided to run it tomorrow night, because we’ve worked out a plan to tape off the viewing areas round the track into sections, to accommodate the numbers of people allowed within Level 2 requirements,” club president Clyde McGrory said.

“We reckon we’ve got it sorted, so we encourage our fans to get there early to get a good spot.

“We would ask everyone to wear masks and watch their social distancing tomorrow night.”

The $10,000 Jukes Carriers fireworks show will be staged again by Hawke’s Bay pyrotechnics firm Pacific Dreams.

“They always put on a great show that our fans love, so we’re really looking forward to it,” McGrory said.

Highlights of the race programme will be the superstocks and stockcars.

“We’ve got about a dozen superstocks coming at this stage and, depending on what happens with Covid elsewhere, we could end up with a few more.

“Certainly Peter and Ethan Rees are coming, and they’re working flat out at present to get a few other cars here too,” McGrory said.

The stockcar programme promises to be action-packed.

“We’ve got about 30 cars coming at this stage and, like the superstocks, there could be a few more depending on how things go with the Covid restrictions in other places.”

McGrory said the track had come up really well despite the heavy rain.

“It’s perfect. We’ve actually had to put water on it since Thursday night.

“The rain was exactly what we could have ordered in terms of settling the new track surface. It should be very fast.”

McGrory said the burger bar would be open for business tomorrow night.

“We’ll have tables and chairs out in front of it for people who want to eat their food there.”

The 27-race programme tomorrow night includes racing in all other classes — sidechairs, streetstocks, saloons, production saloons and youth ministocks.

Gates to the speedway will open at 5pm, and the first race will start at 6pm.