Speedway racing returns 2023

Speedway racing made a long-awaited return to town on Saturday night as Northwest Speedway Club Narrabri hosted its first meeting in more than two years.

It was March 11 of 2021 when the engines last started here in Australia’s sportiest town after wet weather saw the cancellation of several racenights since.

Two of those were this season, back on Saturday, October 22 last year and then Saturday, March 11 this year.

However, nothing was going to stop the action from going ahead this time as perfect conditions created quite a picturesque evening at the local track.

It was a momentous night for the club as racing went ahead for the first time since the track was renamed.

It is now the WTC Group Speedway Narrabri Track, named after the club’s major sponsor.

Club president Glen Braithwaite and vice-president/treasurer Josiah Barnes, who are both drivers as well, told The Courier that it was a really entertaining event and added that it was pleasing to welcome back racing to Narrabri.

“I think everything went really good,” Braitwaite said.

“We had a reasonably good turnout with cars. About 50 nominated.

“There was a really good turnout on the hill as well with spectators. It was great to see the local community get behind us.

“We haven’t run here in more than two years and it was a really good show.”

“It was awesome. It was really good to finally get a racenight in here in Narrabri,” Barnes added.

“It had been a fair while and we’d been rained out twice this season.

“It was good close racing and not much contact, which made for a good night.

“The AMCA feature especially was an awesome race to watch. It was very close.

“It was packed there on the hill too. They filled it up.

“It’s looking really good over there. The rain has really helped to green everything up, but a lot of hard work has gone into mowing and we have rewired a lot of lights too.”

Braithwaite and Barnes agreed that the action on the track was mostly clean and of a high standard.

There were junior sedans, AMCAs, fender benders, fast fours and street stockers on show, and a trio of local drivers were among the 18 podium finishers.

Two of those were in the juniors as Tamworth’s Hayley Pope, who is a Northwest Speedway Club Narrabri member, placed third in the new stars and Narrabri’s Wyatt Lawler, a Gunnedah Speedway club member, won the all stars division.

Boggabri’s Jeremy Keynes, who is a member of the Gunnedah club, took out the fender benders class.

A full list of podium finishers across the six divisions are as follows:

Junior new stars:

Winner – Luke Perrett, second – Zac Walker, and third – Hayley Pope.

Junior all stars:

Winner – Wyatt Lawler, second – Isabelle Jenner, and third – Montana Anderson.

AMCA:

Winner – Jarryd Eveleigh, second – Darrel Kime, and third – Boyd Bowden.

Fender benders:

Winner – Jeremy Keynes, second – Daniel Cronin, and third – Grant  Jackson.

Fast fours:

Winner – John Spicer, second – Michael Barton and third – Jayden Healey.

Street stockers:

Winner – Matt Cobb, second – Todd Keeler and third – Mick Bone.

Braithwaite and Barnes thanked their fellow hard-working committee members and helpers, who include Andrew Gordon, Louise Harland, Lindsey Keynes, Michael Shoobert, Mark Tailby and Belita Lawler.

The current committee are expected to all go around again next season, and Braithwaite said that they hoped more people would put their hand up for committee positions or volunteer roles to held the club grow, and to also achieve its goal of hosting five meetings next season.

The committee thanked everyone who supported Saturday’s meeting, including the large crowd, the drivers and all of the club’s sponsors.

Northwest Speedway Club Narrabri is now looking forward to its next race meeting, which will be held at the WTC Group Speedway Narrabri Track next month on Saturday, May 27.

An almost identical program will run that night, with AMCAs, fender benders, fast fours, street stockers, outlaws and junior sedans to be on show.

The club will also host the Bendy 600 that night, which has not been held since Brad Perrett won the inaugural race back in 2016.