Start your engines: Stratford Speedway prepares for opening night

Big fields of Stockcars will be racing at Stratford Speedway on opening night. Photo/ Supplied

The new season of speedway is just around the corner with opening night at the MG Taranaki Stratford Speedway set to take place this coming Saturday night, October 31.

After an early finish to last season's racing due to Covid, the organising team are looking forward to getting back to racing.

To date, three practices have been held with a good turnout of competitors which bodes well for the season coming. The second practice on October 17 boasted 83 competitors, which must be something of a record. Included in the car count were 20 superstocks, 20 stockcars and six modifieds.

Dylan Waite gets to grips with his new midget at the second practice session. Photo/ Matt Julian

The standard of race cars at the practice sessions has been extremely high, presentation is top notch and with the track surface providing plenty of drive, the speed of the cars is particularly good.

Opening night will feature seven classes of racing and five of these will be racing for their City of New Plymouth Classic titles - superstocks, stockcars, minisprints, saloons and adult ministocks while streetstock and youth ministocks will complete the race programme.

Bevan Phillips and former Youth Ministock racer Karlin Painter-Dudley give their Stockcars a run around the Speedway oval. Photo/ Matt Julian

There will also be a Halloween party for the kids with a monster lolly scramble and dress up costume competition.

Field sizes are looking extremely good, particularly within the contact classes with 34 stockcar competitors, 30 superstock competitors and 13 streetstock competitors having registered to race at this meeting.