Early Christmas at the speedway

UPDATE: This event was cancelled due to the weather

CHRISTMAS will come early for southern speedway fans this Saturday night when the thundering, fire breathing V8 sprintcars hit the track at the Mountain Dew Ice Raceway, near New Norfolk. A talented field of drivers will line-up in the Bendigo Bank Christmas Feature, with any one of a number capable of winning.

Saturday night’s support program will include round seven of the Statewide Junior Sedan Championship Series, plus racing for Formula 500s, wingless sprintcars, street stock sedans, Tassie sixes, sidecars, speedway karts and bombers.

Gates at the Sorell Creek venue will open at 3pm with racing for speedway karts and sidecars from 4pm and the main program getting under way at 6pm. Racing in the street stock sedans division should be hectic, with a large field of 22 cars entered.

In the main event, Launceston veteran Robin Dawkins will start a warm favourite after managing a podium finish last time sprintcars raced here. Dawkins will be keen to finish on the top step this time out, especially after showing awesome form at Latrobe last weekend when he had the final all but won, until he crashed on the second-last lap while leading the race. A momentary lapse in concentration saw the former state champion clipping slower lapped traffic and ending his night on the tow truck.

Former Tasmanian champion “Tornado” Tim Hutchins, of Sassafras, has already tasted victory in Hobart this season and will be keen to repeat the dose this weekend. Hutchins struggled in the heats at Latrobe last weekend but lived up to his tag in the final, storming through the field from grid 10, to finish third and will head south with a fair degree of confidence. Experienced Launceston driver Kurt Luttrell is overdue for a win this season and has been in great form in patches, but will be keen to string together a consistent night.

On his night, Luttrell is equal to the best in the field and after a disappointing result at Latrobe last week when he crashed out of the final on the first lap, he will also be fired up to turn things around this weekend. Fellow Launceston driver and talented teenager Callum Zizek has also shone in patches this season and is arguably overdue for a maiden victory, which could come this Saturday night if things go according to plan.