But the wait is almost over with Aotea Electric Riverside Speedway back on track this Saturday with a massive lineup of championships on the programme, as well as the ILT Fireworks Extravaganza which will ensure a bumper crowd.
The club went to a new fireworks provider last season and feedback from fans has been nothing but positive with all of them saying it was the best fireworks display they had ever seen at Riverside, and its supplier has promised bigger and better this season.
Due to the opening meeting scheduled for October being rained out it now means there will be a massive amount of racing to get through, all grades that were running on opening night will be racing for the opening night trophy, saloons and modified sprints will contest their Southland Championship.
Sprintcars will be on hand to contest round three of the Southern Sprintcar Series. Modified sprints also have the Brett Cooper Memorial and South Island Modified Series to race for, while the biff and bash of the streetstocks and stockcars will race for the best pairs trophies.
The Southern Sprintcar Series are a welcome addition to the night’s entertainment with the Winged Warriors always putting on an exhilarating show, and the locals will have their own drivers to cheer for with Grant Molloy and Jacob McIntyre, both of Riverside, entered in the series.
Molloy is new to the sprintcar grade while McIntyre is the series leader and will be wanting to add another round win on home soil.
Mark Dobson will be looking to make it back-to-back Southland Saloon Championships.
The local driver claimed the crown last year for the very first time and will be keen to keep the much treasured silverware firmly on the trophy cabinet for another season, while in the modified sprints, local driver Jayden Fraser will be looking to retain the Southland Championship he won last season.
Another trophy Fraser is keen to recapture is the Brett Cooper Memorial Trophy, won last season by Harry McIntyre, of Christchurch. This trophy is in honour of club member Brett Cooper who was a pioneer as such in the Midget class throughout the 1980s and 90s, and is a trophy very much sought after within the modified sprint grade.
This event is targeted at families, many of who only get to this meeting each season to take in a great day’s action, capped off with a fantastic fireworks display.
It is a no alcohol event, and the emphasis is on everyone having a great time trackside.
Racing gets under way at 2pm, public gates open at 11.30am, but if the lineup on the road leading into Riverside Speedway is too far backed up, gates may be opened earlier.
- By Daryl Shuttleworth
