Manjimup Speedway Reopens with a cracker of a meeting.

The Committee of the Manjimup Speedway Club can breathe a huge sigh of relief after an extremely successful opening meeting for the 2008/09 Season last Saturday night. 
By the drop of the flag on the first race there was standing room only at the complex and when the V8 Late Models entered the track for the first time the crowd erupted.  After a hiatus of four years the crowd was hungry for some high horsepower action.  And action they got, with several enthusiastic drivers coming unstuck in the practice session. 

As the night progressed the action got better and better – the crowd were treated to some of the closest and entertaining action the track has ever seen.  Track Promoter, Brian (Bear) Chalmers did an outstanding job attracting all the big names Bert and Craig Vosbergen, Brad and Ben Ludlow, Brad Blake, Matt and Clint Noakes, Marc Giancola; the list goes on and on – keen to get to the front for the 50 Lap Feature Race and practice for the upcoming State Title here on January 3rd.

Andrew Roberts and Dan Leach entertained the crowd with their dynamic and lively announcing engaging the crowd including a Manjimup Idol competition to find someone to sing the National Anthem to start proceedings.  It was obvious these two thoroughly enjoyed the nights racing – along with the spectators.  One of the highlights of the evening was the chance during Interval for the crowd to enter the Pits and have a look at all the awesome machines, meet the drivers, get posters signed and experience the adrenalin first hand.  This division is the V8 Supercars of Speedway, with professional transporters and race teams all decked out in their individual uniforms – all right here in Manjimup.

If you didn’t already know, Manjimup is considered one of the best if not the best track in Western Australia and was once voted third in the world after a U.S. track and Paramatta in Sydney.  This is due to its unique white clay composition, size and width, providing the cars with a fast, grippy surface that doesn’t destroy tyres and allows plenty of opportunity for passing with multiple driving lines and room to open up the big motors to their maximum capacity.

The track held up well considering the top six inches had been removed and replaced by pure white clay during the off season.  A couple of ruts appeared but they were quickly addressed by Terry Ladhams, Doc Scott and the track crew – to deliver an outstanding surface for the feature.  And what a Feature we got.  There wasn’t a matchbox between the whole field, which caused some carnage early on with a number of incidents.  The field narrowed, but the action certainly didn’t.  Craig Vosbergen seemed to have a commanding lead until about two thirds into the race when Brad Blake slipped through to take out first place.  Another restart saw Blake lose the lead he acquired, but he was able to hold on to take out the race.  Vosbergen finished in second with Marc Giancola, who had chosen to race his Late Model at Manjimup rather than his Super Sedan, as in his words “he would race a Shopping Trolley” on Manjimup. 

The support divisions didn’t disappoint either, with seventeen Super mods making the journey.  The cars are the first Sprintcars and have survived with very few modifications.  All cars have exactly the same engines, components and tyres, so it is all down to Driver experience and capability.  Hamish Macalpine had a clean sweep to take out all the races and finish on top points for the night.  Local Driver Lance Beaver who has purchased the ex Ron Gandy machine was unfortunate to contact heavily with the fence early in the night and forced to retire.  Other local drives had mixed outcomes with the Productions of Ryan Gunson and Jack Favero suffering mechanical problems early on.  Shane Whild showed a clean set of wheels in his heat races but spun during the feature and started rear of field in the restart.  Wins in the three heat races gave him enough to still take out first place.  The early retirement of a number of the sedans saw the Productions and Street Stocks combine to show there is very little between the divisions, with the Stockies right in behind the Productions. No39????? .....took out the win in the Stockie division, with local drivers David Fall and Spencer Roberts both performing well.   Nine Junior Sedans took to the track with several cars racing at Mt Barker during the day and then heading back to Manjimup for a double header.  It is great that the parents are so supportive of these drivers who lit up the track with their skill and determination.  It was good clean racing with no incidents – Sam Weightman from Margaret River taking out the win. 

Local driver Kahn Cutts showed four years hadn’t diminished his driving ability and he will be a force to be reckoned with by the end of the season.  The Club is keen to attract a large field of Junior Sedans to race in Manjimup as it gives the kids some valuable driving experience before they get their drivers license.  It is relatively cheap to get into and Specification books are available from the Club if you are interested.  
With only six race meetings this Season, the next being on the 3rd January with the Late Models State Title, you will have plenty of opportunity to witness exceptional racing right here in Manjimup. 

All the latest pictures and action can be found on the Club’s Website at www.manjimupspeedway.com