The penultimate  Springs Speedway event of the season will go ahead as planned this Saturday after promoters moved heaven and a lot of earth to bring the Western Springs track up to scratch.

Last Saturday night’s meeting was cancelled after five races as a month of inactivity and hot weather caused the incredibly dry dirt track to break up, prompting fears for crowd and driver safety.

Springs Speedway promoter Dave Stewart says the early part of the week has been spent breaking down the rock-hard clay with extra machinery supplied by speedway supporters. The track will be moistened, compacted and smoothed out before the weekend’s meeting.

“We usually have one grader working within the track preparation time allowed by
Environment Court orders,” Stewart said. “Last Friday we brought in an extra grader and this week some speedway fans in the construction business have supported the two graders by providing a host of other machinery.

“The track had deteriorated significantly over summer, but this is a huge renovation and it’s looking mint for Saturday. We’re certain the circuit will be fast and smooth and at its absolute best for drivers and spectators alike.”

On Saturday night the Springs is hosting an International Sprint Car meeting featuring top talent from , and the with a 30-lap feature race for $20,000 in prizemoney.

“This should be one of the highlights of the entire season so we’re leaving no dirt unturned in our bid to get back on track,” Stewart said.

“We also want to ensure the Independent Commissioner can utilise the two remaining meetings to finalise his study and make his recommendations on the future make-up of speedway at the Springs.”

The findings of the Independent Commissioner, Peter Salmon, will be binding on the promoters, Auckland City Council and residents, who took complaints about speedway noise levels to the
Environment Court in December 2004.

The Commissioner will be making recommendations on the number of meetings at the venue, curfew times, noise mitigation techniques, track preparation and procedures for monitoring noise.

Ticket holders affected by last weekend’s cancellation will be able to attend this weekend, or the following weekend’s final meeting of the season, free of charge.

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