The end of an era may have arrived for Auckland speedway fans.
Thousands of punters crowded the Western Springs stadium last night to watch the World Midget Championship 50-lap meeting for what may have been the last time.
Fans enjoyed one night of relaxed noise levels - a compromise in
a furore that cut short the season by five race meetings.
A High Court appeal over noise levels will be heard in about three months to determine the future of speedway racing at the stadium.
A group of local residents angry about the noise from the stadium won an Environment Court case last year and the speedway was forced to comply with an 85-decibel noise limit.
But promoters have been unable to comply with noise limits and the future of the speedway looks to be in jeopardy.
Fans at the Springs Speedway last night enjoyed an event that, for some, has been a part of their lives for as long as they can remember.
Jenny Davenport, 45, and her brothers Peter, 43, and Duane, 46, have been coming to the speedway every year since they were toddlers.
Ms Davenport drove up from New Plymouth to see the race and said: "I wouldn't have missed it for anything." She said she had "a little cry" when she first heard the speedway was under threat.
Mitchell Watts, 8, and sister Kelsi, 6, have been going to the speedway with their parents for four years. They would also miss the races, and "the crashes and stuff".
A change in the contract between Springs Promotions and the council could provide a loophole enabling the speedway to win its appeal.
