NATIONAL WINGLESS SPRINT CHAMPIONSHIP: MORE LISMORE HISTORY

Feature photo…Jacob Jolley chasing Australian Wingless Sprint Championship glory at Castrol Lismore Speedway, April 26 and 27. Photo: Tony Powell.

By Dennis Newlyn

Another page of history will be written into the annals of the iconic Castrol Lismore Showground Speedway when the venue hosts the 2024 Australian Wingless Sprintcar Championship April 26 and 27.

So many national titles over the years for race car divisions have been run and won at the famous Showground that automatically represents a page from the past with it age-old pavilions and countryside surroundings.  It’s what Lismore stands for and the tradition continues as Wingless Sprints join that illustrious list of racing divisions that have contested a national title at the northern New South Wales venue that also holds the honour of being one of the longest running tracks in Australia.

For the first time, a National Champion for the Wingless Sprint division will be crowned and another piece of Lismore history will enter the time tunnel – and if it’s a local who wins, that’s yet another badge of honour for a track that has produced so many home grown Australian Champions. It’s a standard few other circuits can match.

So this weekend is pretty special for all those reasons as 72 of the top names in the Wingless Sprint division contest the 2024 Australian Championship.

The acquisition of the national title is a coup for promoters Kim and Mick Sauer.

Local, NSW country and interstate competitors have entered. The promotional catch cry “mate against mate, state against state” rings true in what promises to be a spectacular finale, Saturday night April, 27 also highlighted with a Monster Truck appearance.

“It’s so pleasing to not only bring the Australian Wingless Championship to Castrol Lismore Speedway, but also create more history for the Lismore venue,” co-promoter Kim Sauer said.

“We have a very good line-up of cars and drivers that will chase honours in a national title that we know will certainly be keenly contested.”

The event, sanctioned by the Australian Wingless Sprint Racing (AWSR) national controlling body, was originally scheduled this season for Sydney’s Eastern Creek Speedway.

But with ongoing problems last year surrounding the future of the 2023-24 season at the venue, the title was put out for tender and quickly picked up by the Lismore promotion.

Local Jacob Jolley, the pacesetter amongst the Lismore contingent, will be looking to go one better than last year’s national title result at Brisbane’s Archerfield Speedway when he finished runner-up.

Earlier this month Jolley retained his NSW Championship crown at Dubbo Speedway and, with the win, he notched a state title hat trick.

Jacob hopes that serves as an omen for this weekend.

“It was great to retain the state title as a good form guide for the national championship. I also hope to go up another step on the podium this weekend after my second placing in the 2023 Australian Championship, but there is plenty of tough opposition.”

One driver who has been knocking on the door for national title honours for some years is Dubbo’s Mark Blyton whose best result was a runner-up finish in the 2018 championship at Sydney’s former Parramatta City Raceway. “It would be great to win such a prestigious race so that I can represent A1 at multiple racetracks across the country,” he said.