'A battle we're going to win': Club reveals plan for under-fire track replacement

The club, which spoke to its fans via a video on its social media channels on Wednesday, December 20, said the controversial surface would remain "only for the interim".

It is also in discussions about how to widen the track "so it promotes more passing opportunities".

Premier Speedway expects to rip out its clay either post the Flying Horse Bar and Brewery Grand Annual Sprintcar Classic and Australian titles in January or potentially wait until the end of the season.

It comes as general manager Michael Parry described the track condition across its first three rounds of the 2023-24 season no higher than a two out of 10.

"We will continue to work with it in the interim until we have a suitable replacement ready to go," he said.

Long-time president Richard Parkinson, who described it as his "most challenging season", said the club was actively looking for a replacement clay.

"The total answer is to find a replacement material," he said.

"It really is a battle at the moment and it's a battle we're going to win."

Parkinson said the club had "left no stone unturned" with its current clay.

"It's proven we just can't get it anywhere near where we need it to be," he said.

"In the meantime we have worked very, very hard with a select few people who have the equipment to help us (with the) prospect of looking for more replacement material and that hasn't been an easy task.

"We can't find a good vein of it anywhere because we need about 3000 cubic metres to replace.

"We go and look somewhere and you might get 1000 here or you might get 500 there.

"We've got to get some consistency in what we replace it with. The boys have been digging holes nearly every weekend somewhere around the district prospecting and looking for clay."

Vice president Robbie Paton said the club could not take short cuts or would end up in the same position.

"We pulled the red stuff out we had because it was doing the same thing - it was either bullet fast or melting every back tyre," he said.

"We put this other stuff in and to be honest, it's been worse, there's no doubting that.

"If we just put something in there willy-nilly to satisfy all of our needs and it's wrong, we're no better off.

"We have to take everything on board and look at the big picture here. We have to get this right."

Paton said he understood why drivers packed up their equipment early during Max's Race as the fast track played havoc.

"Their equipment is expensive and their safety is paramount. We are trying our best to produce something that is manageable and we're coming up short at the moment," he said.

But Paton, who has experience as a sprintcar driver, urged patience and kindness as the club's hard-working volunteers tried to rectify the situation.

"We need everyone to support us and need people to accept the fact it's not where we need it to be, we acknowledge it's not where it needs to be but we are going to do our best to try and climb out of the rut we're in," he said.

"But we need people to support us. If you kick us while we're down, you're kicking the volunteers that are making this club good again."

Premier Speedway's next meeting is on January 1.

Parry said the club was grateful for the drivers and fans' support.

"We don't ride on the coat-tails thinking everyone will turn up to Premier Speedway. We need to be better," he said.