It's that time of year again when Warrnambool is flooded with speedway fans.

Long-time locals either love or hate it - the busy CBD, the speedway and race teams' transporters on median strips.

You hear people say fans are easily recognised because of their t-shirts, hats and hoodies carrying the name of their favourite driver.

I'm a proud local who loves Premier Speedway's Grand Annual Sprintcar Classic and everything about it that gives the city a festive atmosphere.

My dad was a mechanic and back in the late 1970s he and mum decided to take us kids to the speedway. The thought of going to the speedway was so repulsive, I jumped on my little roadster bike and bolted. As I pedalled out the front gate of our Morris Road house in west Warrnambool, I turned left down Ross Street and as I gathered pace down the hill, I could feel the wind in my hair. I was free of the speedway. By the time I turned left into Humphrys Street, I was thinking 'I'm running away from home'. I hurtled left into Pecten Avenue and soon I was flying by the Morris Road milk bar. "They'll be gone by now and I don't have to go," I was thinking as I rounded the corner into Morris Road...Mum and Dad were waiting in the drive way, knowing full well a six-year-old wasn't riding away from home because he wasn't allowed to go beyond that block.

Reluctantly I trudged into Premier Speedway and Mum pulled out a red checked Warrnambool Woollen Mill blanket, laid it out on the grass and said watch the cars going round. Dad was talking about spring cars and I thought they must jump into the air like my slinky did. I had mis-heard, later he corrected me, they were sprintcars.

A short time later, a white car with these weird wings hurtled by in a blur. I couldn't take my eyes off this machine, it glided across the dirt like no other, until the next race when a car looking exactly the same captured my attention. Why had the same driver been in both races? It turned out it was the legendary team of Garry Rush and Graeme McCubbin, who went on to record a famous one-two in the 1979 classic.

I was a fan. Didn't take much.

The sport back then was amateur. But fast forward to 2024 and it drives our economy. Fans flood the region each January, injecting millions into the economy, teams and manufacturing associated business call Warrnambool home. It's big business both on and off the track.

Premier Speedway, a volunteer-based club, has played a significant part in the sport's growth through the classic. It started with a $350 first prize in 1973 and in 2023 offered $50,000. This weekend 10 Americans are in action and the event is streamed across the globe.

Sprintcar racing has come of age.

Next week's Australian title at Premier Speedway will be broadcast live on free-to-air TV through the Seven network. That's a great opportunity, thanks to the club, to promote the city and everything we love to a new audience.

The sport gets weekly free-to-air TV coverage in WA, there are live streams available from just about every major show these days.

Mums, dads and children flock to the tracks. They can engage with drivers unlike major motorsport. The on-track entertainment is exhilarating. Think back to the 2023 classic when Portland's Brock Hallett claimed Australasia's biggest sprintcar prize in the final metres.

I will be there again on Sunday night but this time I won't be dragged there kicking and screaming.

Former colleague Geoff Rounds and Tony Loxley have kindly given us a copy of their impressive 50 Classic Classics book to giveaway to a lucky subscriber. Copies can be purchased from Staffords Jewellers. But to go into the draw for a free copy, email your name, place of residency and phone number by noon on Tuesday, January 23, 2024 to warrnamboolstandard@warrnamboolstandard.com.au The winner will be notified.

Until next week,

Greg Best

Editor, The Standard