AFTER a massive night of speedway action, fans Greg Stephenson and his brother Rob plan to sleep in their camp chairs.
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Greg said he had been to 31 consecutive Grand Annual Sprintcar Classics.
Asked if he had a tent for the night, he joked they had a tarp but were missing 44 pegs and a pole.
“In 2006 I walked out Saturday night and slept at the gate,” he said.
“The next day I was still third in line.”
Mr Stephenson was part of the crowd that lined up on Friday afternoon and waited for the gates to open at 1.30pm.
Gordon De Bruin was one of the fans eager to get a spot at Mt Max and said he’d been coming to the Classic since 1983.
“It’s the best of the best here,” he said.
“You’ve got people from Western Australia and America.
“I think I’ve probably missed one and that was when I was moving house.”
The Geelong resident arrived at noon to get prime position.
“We’re always at the same area,” he said.
“You can see the whole track.
“You always catch up with people you know.
“It’s good, you rock up and might have a few drinks at the car and maybe a barbecue. And then we’ll do it all again on Saturday.”
Mitchell Knights and his partner Lorinda McCllelland had been in the line for about half-an-hour.
Mr Knights said he’d come from Brisbane for his fourth Classic.
“I just love sprintcars and motor racing,” he said.
Melbourne’s Michael Lowe made sure he wasn’t going to miss a thing and said he lined up every year.
“I’ve been coming since I was about 12 or 13,” he said.
“I enjoy the atmosphere and the fast cars.
“There’s also a team environment. In the pits they all look after each other.
“I stay for about a week.”
John Whitehouse arrived at noon and was close to the front of the line.
“As long as I can walk, I’ll come,” he said.
Sydney’s Lynda Teodorovic was joined by friends in the line and said she’d been coming to the Classic since she was a baby.
The 26-year-old said she always lined up because she was a “glutton for punishment”. “It’s a great atmosphere. It’s the biggest race in Australia.”