For the third time in three summers Vodafone Springs Speedway will have a new clay surface.
The traditional red clay used over the years at the Western Springs track ripped up too easily and didn't cater for the American-style slide-job passing which has become a trend in the sport. The decision was made to use the soil in operation at Waikaraka Park three years ago but that created too much dust so a call was made to replace it this time last year.
The organization that prepared both Westpac Stadium and Eden Park cricket pitches were employed to install clay that had proven successful in cricket. While that worked perfectly from a dust point of view it was too hard a compound and it meant cars chewed through their tyres too quickly.
So a mixture currently in use by the Huntly track has been agreed upon and work is currently being done to have it ready for the season-opening event on November 4.
"We are bringing a material up from Huntly that is a mixture of all three soil types," promoter Greg Mosen told The Herald. "We are hoping this is going to provide the race surface we have always hoped for.
