The Carrick Speedway season opener on October 28 saw the clay track roar into action with formula 500s, late models, modifieds, street stocks, Tassie sixes and wingless sprints all putting on a show.
Street stocks continue to be the most popular division and extremely competitive with up to 40 cars entering at any given meeting.
Among the starting lineup of 28 for the first round were three Northern Midlands drivers, all parked together in the pits for race preparation, good mates who are quick to help each other out with time and parts, their families on site to cheer them on.
But not one of them is willing to give an inch when the flag falls.
Cressy truck driver David O’Rourke was there in his new car, which came as no surprise to spectators.
Five years of racing has seen him build a new car every season, usually the result of his ethos of go hard or go home – often resulting in him going home early having crashed.
“I’ve gone nose to bumper, hit the wall, rolled, basically wrecked some cars in the learning process but I’m finally starting to crack the top five and my aim is to keep this one in one piece,” he said.
The FG Falcon, one of the last Falcons built in Australia in 2011, was minus its full complement of sponsorship decals but looking good in the heats.
However he christened the body by rolling it in the final which put an end to the night’s racing.
O’Rourke expects to have it up and running again for Latrobe this weekend and is looking forward to contesting the Victorian Titles in Warrnambool later this month followed by the Australian Titles in Hamilton.
Lucas Dickenson of Evandale, who started out in junior sedans when he was 12 and then progressed to street stocks three years ago, is also renowned for giving his front bumper a hard time and is working on building consistency on the track.
His VY Holden Commodore, the same age as its driver being a 2003 model, has been raced for five years and he admits it is looking a bit second hand as far as street stocks go, but he’s happy to keep patching it up with new panels while he also works on his driving skills.
As an engine machinist his trade comes in handy not only for his car, but those of his friends, as he strives to get the hang of one of the most difficult types of car to manoeuvre around the oval.
“It’s an art that only a handful of drivers seem to really master,” he admitted.
“We’ve got top drivers like Nick Taylor, Cory Bauld, Nathan Russell and Steven Harvey who we can only hope to emulate.”
The Dickenson name is embedded in speedway, with dad Philip Dickenson a long-time official and brother Ellis Dickenson also racing in the late models.
Power steering issues forced Lucas to pack up after the first heat at Carrick, but it was a more fruitful run at Hobart on the weekend where he finished third and sixth in the heats and was running seventh in the final until a flat tyre literally blew his chances.
“It’s an uphill battle to keep the cars going all season, there’s a race every weekend and there’s always money to spend,” Dickenson said.
“We also leave a car on the mainland so we can race the regional tracks over there whenever we get a chance.”
Steven Harvey of Perth was set to retire last season on a high note having finished third in the State Titles, second in Ironman and having won the point soccer for the Carrick Club, but the 30-year-old Launceston City Council surveyor has been saving his pennies in the off-season to contest a handful of meetings on his beloved Carrick track.
Also racing a VY Commodore, Harvey is one of the more experienced drivers in street stocks and consistently receives the chequered flag and race fans were delighted to see him back at Carrick.
With good runs in the heats finishing at the front of the field a third place in the final behind Cory Bauld and Nick Taylor, had him leave with a smile.