Long Track Racing
Long Track Racing: Australian Long Track Championships preview.
By Admin
Nov 1, 2007, 19:54

Over 150 competitors will contest the 2007 Australian Long Track Championships meeting at the Blayney Showground (NSW) this Saturday, November 3.

The Panorama Motor Cycle Club are again the hosts and the big entry list is a further endorsement of the great meetings that the club has presented for riders and fans annually since 1995.

There are nine championship classes on the program with pleasingly none ever under threat of being deleted because of lack of numbers. In addition there are two senior support classes and four junior support classes.

Sadly for speedway die-hards, both the long track solo and long track sidecar classes are the poor relations of the meeting, with both featuring just one grid of riders so their championships will be decided on points over four rounds.

Entrants for the solos are Josh Grajczonek, Jason Stewart, Lee Herne, Tim Heffernan, Daniel Mason, Anthony Dall, Strider Horton, Luke Gough, Kozza Smith and Richard Sweetman.

Sidecar entrants are Darrin Treloar, James Hinton, Chris Pym, Jayson Trewin and Warren Monson.

The other seven championship classes have very strong fields, with either two, three or even four heats per rounds and then a final.

Such is the quality of the fields it seems certain that some very well credentialed riders are likely to miss out on even qualifying for finals.

Almost half of the 110 senior riders entered for the two-wheel categories have entered more than one class – one rider contesting four classes, and plenty in three.

There are contingents converging on Blayney (just over 200 kms west of Sydney) from as a field as Townsville, Ayr, North Brisbane and Mildura with plenty of ‘speedway names’ spread through the other classes.

Luke Gough and Josh Grajczonek contest two other classes, while Jack Stevens, Paul Caslick, David and Tom Armstrong and Jarrod Koppe are among the entrants.

Such is the diversity of the entrants, included are one of the country’s top supersport riders, Joshua Waters and supermoto star Josh McFarlane.

The senior support classes will be the Twin Cylinder Challenge and Classic Sliders.

Riders briefing is at 8.30am followed by practice, racing starting around 10.30 am with the 90-event program continuing through to late afternoon.

If you are a motor cycle race fan, the meeting is invariably one not to miss.