SPEEDWAY is back in Sydney. Following years of controversy, politics, drama and debate – and then an opening delayed first by Covid-19 and then by horrific weather – the new Eastern Creek Speedway burst into life at the weekend. BRIAN VAN DE WAKKER was there.

No one knew at the time that Saturday March 7, 2020 would be the last meeting at Parramatta City Raceway, also known as Valvoline Raceway.

In late 2019, the venue was rocked by a sudden compulsory acquisition order by the state government, with the land to be used as a holding yard for a billion-dollar development for Sydney Metro. Fans and drivers were prepared for one last season at Sydney’s home of speedway racing, but the world had other plans. The outbreak of covid-19 in 2020 cut the season short, and Parramatta never got the send-off it deserved.

Parramatta’s history dates back to 1977, when Sid Hopping had a vision to turn a trotting track into the new home of sprintcar racing – and so, the “Speedway by the Freeway” was born.

The trotting track remained, but inside was a 460m banked clayway which separated the men from the boys. Garry Rush made the place his own with 96 wins, while Robbie Farr, Max Dumesny and Brooke Tatnell made a name for themselves in Sydney’s west. The track developed such a reputation, it became an international destination for sprintcar racing. Americans Donny Schatz and Steve Kinser would often rattle the “Parramatta Posse”.

When the industry in Sydney was brought to its knees in 2020, drivers were left without a home to race. Parramatta City Raceway played a key role in the survival of sprintcar racing in NSW, operating on the doorstop of Australia’s biggest city. Parramatta constantly tapped into different markets, and brought new fans and competitors to the sport unlike any other venue in the country. The venue’s closure broke hearts around the nation – but, it was time for a new home, and a new beginning.

Eastern Creek was selected as the new home of speedway racing, located within the Sydney Motorsport Park complex. Fans and racers alike doubted the completion of the new venue, with the future of the sport in Sydney in the hands of the state government. Construction on the more than 70-million dollar facility was delayed by covid-19 shutdowns, pushing back the 2022 season opening – but just last week, the venue was ready to open. The dream was finally reality – it just begged the question, did it bring the spirit of Parramatta with it?

Australian speedway racing has never seen a facility like it. The last state government facility to be built was Perth Motorplex, back in 2000. This, is a stadium built for racing. Fresh, white concrete covered the stands, with tiered seating and corporate boxes lining the front straight. A concrete and grass terrace area ran along the back straight, and into turns three and four.

The height of the tiered seating puts you right on top of the action. But, any speedway local knows – nowhere is safe from the clay shower went racing gets underway. Unsuspecting fans racing for those front row seats were caught off guard early in the night. Choose your seating position wisely!

The track itself is a sight to behold. Similar to Parramatta, it is 460 metres in length – but drivers say this track has shorter straights, and longer and wider turns. 12 degrees of banking line the 20 metre wide corners, turning into the 18 metre wide straights.

One of the biggest changes for some local drivers is racing on a track lined by a concrete wall. As the new surface settles, the track will continue to change. We’ll have to wait and see just how close drivers will get to the concrete fence through the turns. But, the new track is mad fast – sprintcar racer Ian Madsen was clocked at an average of 141km/h in time trials, with an 11.743s lap time. Racing became challenging as the night progressed with some ruts starting to form. As the track began to settle, two lanes had formed, providing some great passing opportunities.

The venue instantly attracted the best of the best, with a current Australian champion in every division. Kyle Mock won the Wingless Sprints and Matt Pascoe celebrated success in the Super Sedans. AJ McTaggart hit the dirt in the Lightning Sprints, but he was beaten by Tyler Stralow on the opening night. Jamie Veal has been crowned the track’s first Sprintcar feature race winner, after multiple stoppages cut the A-main short.

The new promoters were more than excited to welcome fans to their venue. John and Kathy Kelly were thrilled with a sell-out crowd of around eight-thousand, but they didn’t shy away from the some of the challenges. The venue was still a construction less than 24 hours before the gates opened – and despite some hiccups on opening night, it was a raging success, as arguably one of the biggest speedway events in NSW in the last decade.

The atmosphere at the grand opening was electric, with smiles plastered on the faces of everyone at the track. Everyone was happy to be back racing in Sydney, and to catch up with their speedway family. Many would agree, speedway has found its spirit once more.

There’s still plenty to perfect before the season wraps up on June 11, but when the next speedway season rolls around, Eastern Creek Speedway will be on the bucket list for drivers and fans around the globe… if it isn’t already.