New Premier Speedway clay ushers new era 

The Sungold Stadium Premier Speedway will officially open it’s 2024/25 season in superb nick this Saturday night on November 2, with a big field to race on the new, lighter clay, set to hark back to a more old-school Warrnambool track.

A good run of weather has allowed the venue to work around the clock to solidify the clay’s preparation, as well as finish off the modifications to the track.

Although nominations haven’t yet closed, a healthy field of over 40 Sprintcars and 46 Wingless Sprints will be competing on a night that will usher in a new era for the track.

The likes of Jamie Veal and Jock Goodyer will be amongst the Sprintcar names, with Veal set to defend the coveted Total Tools Warrnambool Track Championship, whilst Goodyer is returning from his maiden stint in America and will look to continue his fine national form as he looks to defend his national title.

Another former champion in Marcus Dumesny will be on the dirt, while seasoned veterans such as Albury’s Grant Anderson, Brett Milburn and Adelaide’s Luke Dillon are always a chance of taking top spot at Sungold Stadium. 

Former ‘Classic’ champion Corey McCullagh who showed great speed at Avalon Raceway last weekend will be looking to bring that form into this weekend and challenge for another win.

Youngsters to look out for include Rusty Hickman and Warrnambool locals Peter Doukas and Ashley Cook.

In the Wingless Sprints the big field includes Avalon winner Chris Temby, Travis Millar, plus current Northern Territory champion Blake Walsh and Matt Symons.

With a 15 night calendar on the cards for this season, General Manager Michael Perry is optimistic about what lies ahead.

“We’re very much looking forward to seeing some cars roll around the track,” Perry told Auto Action.

“We’ve had some good weather to enable us to get things in tip-top shape with regards to the clay. It’s a full track surface change so to have that done in time was a relief, and we’ve changed the shape a bit too, which will slow the cars down a bit and make it a bit more technical.

“We’ve only had a few practice sessions run on it so far, and the track is prepared differently for that, so this weekend is the real test to see what it’s like with a full field on it.

“The comments were positive from the drivers across the two sessions regarding the work and the changes. It’s early days but we feel quite optimistic. It’s hard to draw parallels between practice and the real stuff, so this opening weekend will more so mirror the fruits of the hard work.”

The hope for the new clay and layout is that it will both enable and open up some more racing lanes, and by January when the season really heats up, the track will be physically settled for its stellar run of the Speedweek, the new International Sprintcar Carnival, and the Grand Annual Classic.

Visit the venue’s website at premier speedway.com.au to get all the ticketing information for the upcoming weekend, with gates opening at 4pm.

Premier Speedway 2024/25 season opener entry list

Sprintcars

CAR #DRIVERSTATE

1 S3 Ben Morris S.A.

2 D7 Jordan Rae VIC

3 T7 Tim Hutchins TAS

4 V8 Bobby Daly VIC

5 V10 Steven Loader VIC

6 V11 Chris Solomon VIC

7 VA11 Phil Micallef VIC

8 V15 David Dennison VIC

9 V17 Dennis Jones VIC

10 S20 Glen Sutherland S.A.

11 T22 Jock Goodyer TAS

12 V23 Brooke Buckingham VIC

13 D26 Todd Moule VIC

14 S27 Daniel Pestka S.A.

15 V28 Andrew Hughes VIC

16 VA29 Terry Rankin VIC

17 V35 Jamie Veal VIC

18 N36 Eddie Lumbar NSW

19 VA36 Ashley Cook VIC

20 V37 Grant Anderson VIC

21 S38 Lachlan McDonough S.A.

22 V40 Rusty Hickman VIC

23 N42 Zac Pacchiarotta NSW

24 T45 Chad Gardner TAS

25 N47 Marcus Dumesny NSW

26 V49 Josh Buckingham VIC

27 V51 Kye Walters VIC

28 T62 Tate Frost TAS

29 V63 Kevin Reeves VIC

30 V64 David Aldersley VIC

31 V68 Brett Milburn VIC

32 VA71 Domain Ramsay VIC

33 V74 Michael Cunningham VIC

34 V75 Mitchell Smith VIC

35 S81 Luke Dillon S.A.

36 V89 Jamie Heyen VIC

37 V90 Corey McCullagh VIC

38 S96 Brendan Guerin S.A.

39 V96 Dane Court VIC

40 V98 Peter Doukas VIC

Wingless Sprints

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