Springs Speedway set for world class Sprintcar action

Springs Speedway set for world class Sprintcar action

This weekend will see world class Sprintcar action at Western Springs Speedway with the second and final round of the International Sprintcar series taking to the quarter mile dirt oval in Central Auckland.

Last weekend saw the opening round and the World Sprintcar Classic, with drivers headlined by five-time and defending World of Outlaw champion, Donny Schatz. Schatz was making his second trip to the famous speedway, which has been operational since 1929, having taken victory first time out at the same event last year.

Other overseas drivers including Western Springs regular, American Jonathan Allard, plus ex-pat Australian but now American based Peter Murphy. They came up against top local drivers Jamie McDonald, Ryan O’Connor, Dean Brindle and Carl Wilson.

But in the end it was the three American visitors, Schatz, Allard and Murphy who dominated the racing, putting on a world class show with all three racing within millimetres, with an inch neither given nor requested. In the end, Allard took the win over Schatz, who had trouble with lapped traffic and dropped to third, only to pass Murphy with three laps remaining, while McDonald and O’Connor were the top Kiwi drivers in fourth and fifth.

This week sees another ?? lap feature race and with the same line-up of international drivers booked in again for Saturday night, there is no reason that last Saturday’s racing, described by many a speedway fan as the best Sprintcar racing seen in years, shouldn’t be repeated, while the Kiwi drivers will be looking to take the challenge to some of the biggest names in World Sprintcar racing.

Sprintcars are not the only class on the track, with F2 Midgets, Three-Quarter Midgets and Kiwi Kidz all taking to the track across the night as well as Midget cars, with defending New Zealand Midget champion Michael Pickens returning after missing last weekend’s meeting to contest the Turkey Night Grand Prix in California, considered one of the three biggest Midget races in the USA.

Pickens will start as favourite in a field that will not only be chasing victory, but looking to get a good result in the final hit out prior to their International Midget Series, which gets underway on Boxing Night and comprises of four meetings between then and 3 January. A total of seven American drivers, plus Australia’s top driver Nathan Smee, will join the top local drivers for the series.

This Saturday’s racing sees gates open at 5pm with the first race getting underway at 6.30. Adults are $30 with kids under the age of 16 free with a paying adult. For more information, check out www.springsspeedway.com.

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