Gavin White held his head in his hands after he declared the Ken Willsher Classic abandoned due to persistent rain just before 11pm on Saturday, making for a bitterly disappointing end to five months of preparation.
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The Laang Speedway event, organised White, was designed to pay tribute to south-west Formula 500 legend Ken Willsher, who died in 2018.
But fans trudged past in the drizzle after the A-Main race was called off to pat him on the back and thank him for the occasion.
And White, who stood side by side with Willsher's wife, Cheryl, told The Standard all was not lost.
"I just want to thank all the fans, Laang Speedway, the Victorian Formula 500 Association, all the competitors and the Willsher family," he said.
"Everyone tried their best and we were still here nearly at midnight but eventually the rain beat us.
"It was still a great celebration of Ken though...with a fantastic response from the fans, the drivers and everyone who tried hard to bring the track back."
White said he was not surprised people still lined the track until curtains were officially called.
"The fans in south-west Victoria are some of the best," he said.
"They wanted to see a race and no one wanted to give them one more than us.
"It doesn't take much rain to ruin the night. But it's been an enjoyable experience along the way with an amazing build up."
White suggested another similar event could potentially be looked at in the future.
"It definitely feels like there's unfinished business," he said.
"But as to whether that evolves into another event, we'll just have to wait and see."
Stan Yockey won the 15-lap B-Main, with Josh Buckingham coming in second and Shane Van Duynhoven third. The C and D-Main races were also called off.
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