It is without question the biggest Speedway community party of the season – the season ending Alexandra Speedway 100 Lap Derby weekend where thousands come along to watch a great weekend of racing and have a great night all night, every night and this year will be the biggest ever 100 Lap Derby weekend with numerous additions to the event to boost that party atmosphere.
See the likes of Boronia’s very own defending champion take to the race track yet again in a weekend of incredible racing skill.
The real fun begins this King’s Birthday weekend on Friday night with a Calcutta event providing fans with the opportunity to purchase on their own or with their closest mates a driver or drivers that they feel will win the event overall taking home with them a significant piece of a cash pot raised in the bidding process. This night will be filled with laughs, drinks, and stories to set the tone for the next two nights.
For the racing on Saturday and Sunday, over 70 entrants have entered the main event, the 100 Lap Derby, whilst another 50 drivers fill spots in two supporting classes of Standard Saloons and Junior Sedans competing in their short circuit challenge.
All sorts of race cars following the Sports Sedan and Unlimited Sedan class specification books are entered in the big Derby event with once again Americans flying in to be involved including Matt Ryan, Billy Meazell and Alan Lindow. Meazell in particular garners significant interest through his media following in the United States which ensures numerous followers of the weekend’s results and growing interest in the event from stateside.
Defending champion Eastern Suburbs racer Darren Forrest heads a field that includes all of last season’s top five finishers and many more that have the talent and the wheels underneath them to be in the potential winners conversation. Last year’s runners up Damien Miller, Northern Suburbs racers Nathan and Shane O’Brien and Dale Smith another from Melbourne’s East all top five finishers last season lead the likes of Brendan Miller, Tony Moule a former winner, Lennie Bonnici a winner of the event multiple times, Warrick Taylor, Matt Nelson, Josh Service, Luke Fallon, Lee Beach and David Donegan all series contenders in the event and we are still missing out a dozen others in our mentions.
Prior to the final on Sunday night, an open grid walk will occur where fans and especially those that never get up close to the drivers and cars during an ordinary nights racing can walk up and down the forty-car feature race grid to get a closer look and perhaps a memento or two with drivers keen to bring posters and stickers and other promotional giveaways for fans of all ages.
The event is a 100-lap sprint through a dog-leg circuit with a controlled open pit enclosure that allows cars to duck in and out of the pits as required if they could get themselves to a position where they can make it back to the enclosure. Previously the event has been won by chassis cars and mono-shell construct sedans, anything can happen and change the course of the race and usually does.
Standard Saloons compete for their dog-leg feature with the event each King’s Birthday weekend popular amongst the second biggest sedan class in Victoria. Mark Miles has been a frequent winner of the weekend’s previous events and is once again nominated to do battle.
Miles will have to deal with one of the bigger Standard Saloon fields in the class in recent seasons having reached more than thirty nominations. Brodie Ardley, Mitch Foster, Leigh Gooding, last year’s winner Brad Hill, Ally Morrison, Kacey Ingram, Wayne Sheerman, Harry Cecil, Chris Miles, Neil Ingram, Chase Ingram, Jaimi Barber, Courtney Meakins and Ella Sheedy are just some of the competitors with victory on their minds.
In Speedway Sedans Australia Junior Sedan competition many of the season’s strongest competitors in state association racing have entered. Stave Cosson, Luke Morrison, James Peacock with many wins in the state series behind him, Axel Robinson, Brad Marshall and South Australian state champion and Alexandra resident, Will Fallon are some of these racers. The racers aged 10 to 16 will be very entertaining in their quick and nimble race machines.
Gates to the venue open from Tuesday 3 June. The weekend will include a bike race for junior fans with almost 100 kids entered to hit the track when the bike race is scheduled. Live music is part of the weekend on the Saturday night with cover band Exploded View.
Racing begins on Saturday from 1pm on Gordon Street Alexandra with a planned 9.30pm finish and again on Sunday from the same start time. Enquiries can communicate via Facebook messages to the club.
Entrance for two days is $150 for a family of two adults and three children between the ages of 10-16 with all children under 10 free. Adults on their own is $60, Invalid, and aged pensioners are $30 and children not entering on a family ticket is also $30. For one day of racing only, halve the price for any of the tickets required.
