WSSC back at Valvoline Raceway
WSSC return to Valvoline Sydney but leaves Speedway City
They say timing is everything and the timing of the announcement of the disagreement between Speedway City and Speedway Australia’s World Series Sprintcars was followed up with the announcement that WSSC would return to Sydney’s Valvoline Speedway , the response from race fans will depend which state you lived in.
For World Series Sprintcars to remain as the premier Speedway division in Australia the series needs to runs in all States and not be restricted to selected venues . Since the Series left Sydney it has been mainly a Southern and Western Australian based Series with eleven of the thirteen rounds being run in SA, WA and Victoria with WA and SA dominating the shows, hardly a National Series.2015 certainly is an improvement .
Sydney race fans were isolated from the series and now thanks to the new aggressive and forward thinking management team at Valvoline WSSC returns to excite race fans for the first time in three racing seasons.
Jason Sides doing what he does best race fast
The last time the WSSC tore up the Speedway was in the 2012/13 the double headed show was dominated by Jason Sides the Tennessee Outlaw. The WSSC show will be back for fans December 12th and it is sure to be a sellout. The contracted drivers will face off against some of the best up and coming drivers in the Country. The Parramatta Posse will be an imposing threat.
Valvoline Raceway Managing Director Steven Green “Obviously Sydney is an important location for World Series Sprintcars and World Series is important for our venue and our sport,” he explained, “we’re really excited about having a round once again. The date we have selected will coincide with a round of the Ultimate Sprintcar Championship NSW and is the week after the Homebush V8 Supercar event. We’re hoping we can cross-pollinate with a bit of V8 Supercar activity as well. It’s an exciting night for many reasons for us.”
World Series Sprintcars Race Director Shane Collins “The history between Valvoline Raceway and World Series Sprintcars is steeped in tradition,” says Collins, “it’s a really positive time for the teams and the fans that we can head back to Parramatta. The direction in which Sprintcar racing is headed at that circuit is very refreshing and we’re all excited to be adding Sydney back to our calendar this season.”
Sydney’s triumph is Speedway City’s despair. Speedway City’s Wendy Turner released the following statement on the reasons why the tracks normally successful Boxing Night program will be missing the World Series show. Last year WSSC would not allow contracted drivers to run in the very important and sought after George Tatnell Cup.
Wendy Turner Speedway City and WSSC Champion Brooke Tatnell
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The main basic for the loss of WSSC is Speedway City decision not to run with Speedway Australia’s insurance preferring to operate with their own .Insurance in Motorsport is essential and this problem of whose insurance you use has been a sticking point not only in Speedway but also for road racing categories sanctioned by CAMS. Many tracks and racing categories moved away and provided their own successful and competitive insurance coverage with substantial savings to promoter and competitors. Surely it is the right of the tracks to decide what is in their best interest, after all they are the ones that are putting up the CASH and taking the risk.
The rights or wrongs of this dispute is one for fans to consider but the one thing that I know is that Speedway in general, promoter and control bodies should remember that their greatest asset is the race fans who stump up big entry fees week in and week out and because of this dispute race fans in Adelaide miss out and I know from personal experience how it feels having missed the fury and color of World Series Sprintcars over the past three seasons in Sydney.
Press release from Wendy Turner-Speedway City
Speedway City posted Wednesday June 24, 2015.
PROMOTER Wendy Turner from Speedway City in Adelaide wants to set the record straight in relation to the 2015-16 World Series Sprintcars calendar and the omission of the Supple Road venue from the upcoming series.
“There has been plenty of speculation in recent times about whether or not Speedway City would be part of WSS next season and since the announcement from series organisers on June 18 there has been further speculation as to why we have not been included,” Ms Turner said.
“From the outset myself and business partner Bob Sincock have always wanted to be part of the national series and continue the proud association that started back when former WSS promoter John Hughes launched the national series concept in Adelaide in December 1986.
“When Bob and I took over the management of Speedway City 20 years ago we embraced WSS immediately as we believed in the product and everything it does for the promotion of Speedway and Sprintcars, both here in Adelaide, right across South Australia and indeed, right around the nation.
“And to this day I still very much believe in WSS.”
Ms Turner said she was proud to be a pivotal player in the success of the national series for so many years and up until August 2014 was the Chairperson of Speedway Australia, the peak body responsible for WSS.
She also said her company was a major player in the highly-successful WSS Speedweek concept that has traditionally kicked off in Adelaide before moving to other South Australian and interstate venues.
“I helped launch the $10,000-per-win round for Speedweek and contributed financially to the overall Speedweek champion prize purse,” Ms Turner said.
“Quite simply I would not invest so much of my company’s time and money into such a promotion if I didn’t believe in it.
“And that is why I am bitterly disappointed and very angry at not being able to sign a contract to be part of WSS again in
2015-16.”
The relationship with WSS was strained when Speedway City opted to make the George Tatnell Cup last January a stand-alone event and not part of the WSS calendar.
“Our business modelling, along with our own emotional connection to the Tatnell family, pointed to this prestigious event not being part of a national series in the 2014-15 season.
“This meant that WSS scheduled an event in Murray Bridge the night before the George Tatnell Cup in January and the contracted drivers to that series were not allowed to contest our race on the Saturday night – with the exception of Brooke Tatnell who went on to win his dad’s race.
“The tough stance meant that we had some of the big names in Australian and American Sprintcar racing restricted to just being spectators at the January 31 event instead of being out on the track.”
Despite the stand-off Speedway City management was keen to be part of WSS again this year for the annual Boxing Day spot.
The venue was offered a contract but the two parties could not agree on terms.
“To host a World Series Sprintcars round you must have Speedway Australia insurance and Speedway City is happy to meet that contract obligation for the December 26 round this year,” Ms Turner said.
“The sticking point is the requirement by Speedway Australia for my company to continuously commit to its insurance policy for the entire 2015-16 Speedway season – for events that will have nothing to do with WSS whatsoever.
“For business and commercial reasons Speedway City has opted to source an alternative insurance product for the non-WSS events at our venue as is our legal right – this decision however has precluded us from having a WSS contract.”
Ms Turner said Speedway City would still host an event on Boxing Day with WSS to start its season the following night at Murray Bridge Speedway.
“Despite not being able to agree to terms our show at Speedway City on December 26 will go on,” Ms Turner said.
“Will Speedway Australia preclude its contracted drivers from racing in Adelaide on Boxing Day?
“At the end of the day that will be up to them but it would be a shame if politics again prevented certain drivers from competing and robbing racefans from seeing them in action.”
Ms Turner and her management team are busy preparing for another big season of racing that will kick off on Saturday, October 24.
Ends release
