The upcoming 2018-19 season for Victorian Wingless Sprints is gearing up to be nothing short of sensational, with 36 events across 39 nights of racing having been squeezed into the busy schedule.
With the class continuing to reach new heights in Victoria each season thanks to its competitive and entertaining nature, the 2018-19 season will see over 100 registered cars competing for top honours throughout the state, with over a dozen new additions coming to the fold.
Victorian Wingless Sprints President Mark ‘Freddy’ Walsh couldn’t be more pleased with the increase in competitor numbers and he believes that one of the catalysts for this increase is the Australian Championship, which will return to Victoria this season for the first time since the 2013 running of the event, which was won by Brett Milburn.
Photo: Corey Gibson Photography
“The addition of the 2019 Australian Championship to our calendar has no doubt encouraged a number of drivers to register their cars and it’s fantastic to see the class continuing to grow,” commented Walsh, who expects a record field of over 100 drivers to participate in the Australian Championship.
“There’s certainly no shortage of racing this season, so it’s going to be a very exciting and busy schedule, which is going to make for some close points battles and competitive racing at blue-ribbon events.”
In addition to the Australian Championship, which will be held at Warrnambool’s Premier Speedway from February 21 to 23, drivers will also have the option to contest almost a dozen other blue-ribbon events, including the Victorian Title at Geelong’s Avalon Raceway on Australia Day (January 26).
Three visits to Laang Speedway this season will see the running of the Crossfire Shootout (Dec 28), Gold Cup (Feb 9) and 50 Lapper (Apr 27), while Simpson Speedway will host the Front Row Challenge (Feb 16) and the Peter Merrett Trophy (Apr 6). Contested over two nights, the Gary Bowden Cup will take place at Rosedale and Bairnsdale Speedways (Apr 19 and 20), with the latter venue also hosting a 50 Lapper one month earlier (Mar 23).
In the early stages of the season, the two-night Nationals will be held at Nyora Raceway (Nov 3 and 4), with the Jackpot Invitational taking place at Geelong’s Avalon Raceway the following week (Nov 10) and the Stonypoint 5000 returning to Darlington’s Mid-Western Speedway later in the season (Mar 23).
The hotly-contested Super Series will also continue this season, being fought out over six individual rounds at Moama’s Heartland Raceway (Nov 17), Simpson Speedway (Dec 1), Avalon Raceway (Dec 8), Mount Gambier’s Borderline Speedway (Mar 2), Hamilton’s Western Speedway (Mar 30) and Horsham’s Blue Ribbon Raceway (May 11).
Keeping drivers occupied during the Christmas-New Year period, the three-round Summer Slam Series will be contested over three consecutive nights from January 4 to 6, with the series travelling to Borderline Speedway, Western Speedway and Premier Speedway.
Photo: Corey Gibson Photography
Scattered throughout this season’s schedule will be a whopping 15 club shows, which will ensure that all drivers have the opportunity to gain significant track time at a wide range of venues throughout the state and bank valuable points as the season progresses.
The 2018-19 season will get underway on the Saturday night of October 20 at Moama’s Heartland Raceway with the first of this season’s club shows.
Victorian Wingless Sprints would like to thank their new 2018-19 season sponsor Performance Racegear for their support. Owned by Mike Nairn, the Australian and New Zealand importers of P1 Advanced Racewear have donated a $500 voucher towards a custom P1 Advanced Racewear FIA race suit. To be eligible to win this prize, you are required to meet the following criteria:
– Be a current Victorian Wingless Sprints member
– Participate in a minimum of five aggregate points race meetings
– Attend the Victorian Wingless Sprints presentation dinner
– Run P1 stickers on both sides of your race car for each contested race meeting
To find out more about Performance Racegear, visit their website at www.performanceracegear.com.au, LIKE them on Facebook by searching www.facebook.com/PerformanceRacegear or call them on 0424 036 418.
For more information about the Victorian Wingless Sprints, visit their website at www.awsr.com.au/vic. You can also LIKE them on Facebook by searching Victorian AWSR Wingless Sprintcars.