Speedweek set to excite

TASMANIAN motorsport fans are set for thrills early next year, when speedway’s version of V8 supercars come together for the inaugural Speedweek Spectacular, combining two of the state’s premier blue-riband events. The week-long celebration will combine two of the state’s longest running speedway feature events, continuing a 40-year history of hosting major events at the Mountain Dew Ice Raceway, near New Norfolk, and the Bendigo Bank Arena at Latrobe, on January 26-27 and February 2-3.

Both venues are owned and operated by Latrobe Speedway Pty Ltd, which has been supported by Events Tasmania, to reinvent the timely positioning of the southern venue's Tasmanian Grand National and Latrobe's Grand Prix events into a Speedweek Spectacular. The Grand National is Tasmania’s longest-running speedway feature race, first held in 1971, while the $45,000 Grand Prix has been running since 1974 and has been Australia’s richest speedway sedan event since 1993.

The inaugural speedway spectacular will be branded as a not-to-be missed event for all super sedan racing enthusiasts Australia-wide and the main event on the 2012-13 Tasmanian speedway calendar. Latrobe Speedway events manager Guy Thompson said the event would see a gathering of competitors, patrons and their families for one super week of jam-packed and thrilling gala activities incorporating two of Australia's most prestigious super sedan races. “Super sedan racing is Speedways equivalent of the V8 supercars,” he said. “It enjoys a very strong following from both competitors and fan bases alike, to the extent that our two events have received extremely strong mainland competitor support and attracted significantly large numbers of patrons.”

“We’re encouraging the competitors and Tasmanian racegoers to take up the opportunity to see our beautiful state and all it has to offer by extending their stays after the super sedan racing and visiting other areas of our island state,” Mr Thompson said. “Speedweek 2013 gives us an incredible window of opportunity to offer Tasmanian and interstate enthusiasts and competitors a fantastic week of special events and functions and opportunities. Further developing and combining these incredible major races and activities, our partnerships can be leveraged to such a degree that has not been seen in the past.”