I spent a very enjoyable day at the races today. Not the bike races, though. I was invited to commentate at the speedway meeting at the National Capital Speedway . Nothing too dramatic, just a club meeting and no sheep stations to race for, but what a fun day it was. The little club in Canberra is doing a wonderful job reviving speedway after the demise of Tralee in the 1980’s and they run daytime meetings at the new track on Pialligo Avenue just out of Queanbeyan. They are hopeful of attracting enough support and sponsorship to be able to afford to light the track and also install running water and electricity, neither of which are laid on at the moment.
But, for all the shortcomings, the committee is keen and the competitors love the place. The track is mostly clay but, being built on the side of a hill as it is, it is the only speedway I know of that isn’t flat. The start/finish straight is at the top of the slope and, after Turn 1 the track slopes away down the hill till halfway between T3 and T4 where it climbs quite dramatically back up the hill to the S/F straight. Unique and very interesting.
32 races were held today, three lots of heats of 8 races each and then Features for all the divisions to round out the afternoon. And, despite small fields in all the divisions, the racing was close, unpredictable and fiercely fought out.
I’ve been tentatively invited to go back there on the 30th for the ACT Titles; if they confirm the invitation, I’ll be there with bells on.