Sport
5 August, 2020
Speedway’s first meet of 2020
PETROLHEADS will be able to get their racing fix after the Mareeba Speedway announced their first meet back post Covid with national Championship driver and Mareeba local John Magro in the starting lineup.
PETROLHEADS will be able to get their racing fix after the Mareeba Speedway announced their first meet back post Covid with national Championship driver and Mareeba local John Magro in the starting lineup.
The meet will take place on Saturday, August 8 and will feature drivers from across the region coming to the Mareeba Speedway to get some high octane action.
The last meet took place in October last year while the 2020 season was due to start in March, but was postponed. The Mareeba Speedway will be able to claim the honour of being the first speedway in Queensland to run an event in 2020 since COVID-19.
Mareeba Speedway Secretary Sheree Tichborne is very excited for the upcoming meet and so are many of the drivers who will be travelling from all over Queensland.
“We have had so much interest in racing is it not even funny,” she said.
“We’ve got drivers from Rockhampton and Mackey wanting to travel up for this event.
“Our local drivers are chomping at the bit; I don’t think I’ve ever seen them so keen to hit a race track.”
With the delayed start to the season the committee is now looking at possibly running the season through Christmas to give the drivers more time on the track.
Division nominations for the race meet have been through the roof with some divisions garnering double their normal numbers.
“We’ve set out a quite extensive COVID-19 safety plan as it not only has to go through the Queensland Government but our national body as well,” said Ms Tichborne.
“We definitely are employing all the social distancing requirements and sanitation.
“We’ve got Ash Media coming which is one of the biggest racing media companies around; they are flying up from Brisbane.”
Any eager spectators looking to get up close and personal with the drivers will now have to apply online for their pit passes by going to the Speedway Australia website.
Australian Formula 3 2019 Champion and Mareeba local John Magro will be stretching his legs on the track for the meet participating in the Formula 500 division.
Mr Magro is excited to be returning to his old stomping grounds after his last race at the speedway in the early 2000’s.
“I started dabbling in a bit more speedway stuff last year as something to do locally,” he said.
“The Mareeba Speedway is where it all started for me when I was 16.
“Racing on the speedway is something I will have to readapt to.”
With his now many years of experience on Formula 3 circuits Mr Magro isn’t counting his chickens yet as racing on the dirt track is “sharp and fast”,different than the circuits he’s grown accustomed too.
“I’ve got a lot of experience racing on dirt but just the different schedule for the meetings I’m not used to it,” he said.
“Now everything is bang in one night so adapting to that sort of thing will be challenging.
“It’ll all be fine, I’ll just send it really.”
