Motorsport: Speedway to roar - within limits

Gentlemen - and ladies - start your engines. Speedway is back in the headlines for the right reasons this month.

After 12 months of turmoil, Western Springs has hosted its first practice session and promoter Dave Stewart is confident that competitors will be able to race within the new noise restraints when the season opens on November 26.

Down in the Bay of Plenty, Baypark promoter Willie Kay has confirmed that 18 sprintcars were loaded into containers for shipment Downunder after the final Las Vegas round of the World of Outlaws season.

They will be in action at the three-day Best of the Outlaws promotion at Baypark on January 26-28, featuring a field of top Americans including the legendary Steve Kinser.

Many Auckland families were left with a gap in their summer Saturday nights when noise wrangles involving the Western Springs speedway, some local residents and the Auckland City Council cut last season short.

Compromise on all sides seems to have cleared the way for a viable season this summer and Stewart hopes the fans will show their support.

"I wouldn't have agreed to the noise levels unless I knew we could meet them," he said.

"In the practice we were easily within the limits on the boundary, but there weren't as many cars as you'd have at a race night and nobody was racing.

"A couple of cars, which we had problems with last time, had done a lot of work and were much better."

On race nights 60 per cent of the races must not exceed 90 decibels and 40 per cent must not exceed 88 decibels. With the usual sprintcars, midgets and TQs in action Stewart sees no problem

On opening night American Jimmy Kouba will be racing and there will be American and Australian competitors as well as cars from around the country for the big Boxing Night promotion.

The midget 50-lapper on January 21 and the big sprintcar meeting on February 25 will also feature Americans and Australians.

Stewart concedes that some locals have been reluctant to spend on their cars until there was some certainty about racing and young star Michael Pickens intends to campaign in Australia. But he expects Pickens to be back at his home track for the big meetings.

Kay and Baypark owner Bob Clarkson have scored a coup by arranging a joint deal with the Parramatta Speedway in Australia to bring Kinser and 13 other Americans for January events.

Parramatta has had the Outlaws for three years and was keen to find a partner to offer extra races. Kay says a split in the sport, which has seen drivers break from the World of Outlaws to the National Sprint Car League, will not affect the promotions because the contracts are with the individual drivers.

"The containers are loaded and we've paid for the tickets," he said. "Kinser has shipped one car to Australia and another direct here."

Kinser recently won his 20th World of Outlaws Championship. He is no slouch off the dirt tracks either: with an 11th placing in the Indianapolis 500 to his credit.

Among the other Americans will be Sammy Swindell, Danny Lasoski and Craig Dollansky. Australians Kerry Madsen and Trevor Green have been contracted and the best of the Kiwis, including Kerry Jones and Alan Wakelin, will be out to make the most of their local knowledge.

Noise control

* 60% of the races must not exceed 90 decibels
* 40% must not exceed 88 decibels.