The Warrnambool and District Drag Racing Association opens its season at the city’s airport — eight months after its most recent meeting.

President Tony Frost said more than 100 competitors would contest car and bike drags plus burnout events.

“We can’t wait for it,” Frost said. “We want to have a good year now like last year. We are expecting good numbers and good burnout competitions. It’s been a long-time coming in the sense of racing.”

The club’s season finished in March but Frost said organisers had been busy during winter.

A number of initiatives and new computer programs will be used for the first time tomorrow.

Frost said the club expected 50-60 cars and about a dozen bikes.

The Portland club is racing today, a factor Frost hopes will work in Warrnambool’s favour.

He said burnout competitions were rapidly growing in popularity with drivers and spectators. “We are getting up to nearly 35 cars.”

Frost said the club would run three events this season with its next on the long weekend in January followed by another on March 15.

“We decided to do this one early so we can have a Christmas break and then coincide our next one with the Grand Annual Sprintcar Classic.”

He said the club had taken a punt last year, scheduling an event on the final day of the Classic, which draws thousands of speedway fans from across Australia and overseas to Warrnambool.

“It worked really well,” he said. “We seemed to get a bit of a spin off. A lot of the tourists are looking for something to do before going to the speedway and it’s only a gold-coin donation to get in.”

Frost said the club would use tomorrow’s meeting to kick-start a membership drive. WADDRA has about 60 members but Frost wants that to grow beyond as the club continues its campaign to establish a purpose built facility on the old Koroit racecourse in Woolsthorpe Road.

“Our numbers are down at the moment, we are trying to get them up. We have a lot of families so they only count as one membership but we hope to get the numbers up to 100 before the end of the season and as close to 200.”

Club memberships are $10. Racing starts at 9am tomorrow.

grbest@fairfaxmedia.com.au