410 SPRINTCARS AT LISMORE SPEEDWAY THIS WEEKEND -MARCH 16

Feature photo by: Tony Powell…Local Jacob Jolley is a star performer and currently leads the Wingless Sprintcar Track Championship point standings at Castrol Lismore Speedway.

By Dennis Newlyn

Ground pounding, 410 ci V8 powered winged Sprintcars return to Castrol Lismore Speedway this Saturday night, March 16.

The most popular category in Australian speedway will again provide their typical high brand of thrilling action at the testing Lismore Showground bull ring – considered one of the smaller circuits on the national schedule for this category of Sprintcar racing.

But its tight confines make the action even more keenly contested when choosing the right racing line is vital for drivers.

Speeds of over 100km/h are recorded on the circular track  and almost all of the 410 Sprintcar competitors love racing at the Lismore Showground Speedway because it’s such a testing and demanding circuit.

Meanwhile, it will be an important night for the other Sprintcar division on the programme – those without the aerofoil wing atop the roll cage – the Wingless Sprint division.

Wingless Sprintcar drivers will use this Saturday’s March 16 fixture at Castrol Lismore Speedway as a final tune up before their national title at the venue next month.

The 2024 Australian Wingless Sprintcar Championship will be a three day extravaganza, April 25-27.

A massive number of entries from across Australia are expected to contest the title as out-of-town drivers come to grips with the saucer-shaped layout of the Lismore Showground Speedway.

It promises to be one of the most keenly contested Australian Championships in the history of the division.

The 410s and Wingless Sprints will be supported this weekend with racing for Compact Speedcars and Junior Formula 500s in a variety programme.

A strong Wingless Sprintcar entry list is anticipated for this Saturday night with drivers from New South Wales and Queensland keen to put down more laps with a solid workout at the venue before the Australian Championship.

The Wingless Sprintcar Lismore Track Championship top ten, headed by Jacob Jolley, contains potential title winners. While Jolley (980 points) enjoys a commanding 110 point lead over next best in the standings, Ray Eggins (870) and a further distant third-placed Ian O’Toole (770), the remainder of the top ten in the chase for the 2023-24 season track title are bunched on the scorechart.

The top ten ten are rounded out by Mitchell Haynes (680), Errol Campbell (680), Jacob Waller (670), Aaron DeHoon (610), Lachlan Eggins (600), Harry Fowler (600) and Augustine Sanson (530).

With only 150 points between equal fourth and tenth in current track title points, every fixture are vital – in particular March 16 – especially with the looming Australian title.

Jolley has been the dominant driver at the venue this season and will again be the competitor to beat this weekend.

Promoters Mick and Kim Sauer earlier picked up the Wingless Sprint Australian Championship after it was originally allocated to Sydney’s Eastern Creek Speedway for the 2023-24 season.

However, with the well documented problems at the venue which forced a shut down of the track, national governing body Australian Wingless Sprint Racing (AWSR), in co-operation with track representatives, relocated the title.

“The Wingless division is one of our strongest categories at Castrol Lismore Speedway,” Kim Sauer said.

“We are delighted to host the national championship and when you look at our top ten in the track title, we have some heavy hitters who I’m sure will use this weekend to their advantage with the national title in mind in April.”