THE Borderline Speedway heats up on Saturday night with the return of the South Australian Super Sedans state title.
The title is a re-run of last season’s which was washed out and should provide an entertaining double-header on the night, with the SRA spintcar series also on the show.
But for one Limestone Coast driver the Super Sedans is the only focus, with Penola’s Dave Gartner chasing his fourth straight SA title.
Gartner currently holds the SA and Victoria number one plate, after claiming his first Victorian title last season.
He has certainly been the front runner in his home state for several years now, having won four of the last five championships.
But there is also a couple of records on the line, with South Australian Steve Stewart to only driver to have won six titles.
Gartner currently has five so can equal that record Saturday night if all goes to plan.
No one has ever won four in a row, which is another driving factor for the meeting.
But being the start of the season Gartner said anything could happen, although he is happy with his car speed at the moment.
A recent meeting at the Borderline Speedway showed he was on the pace, but a mechanical issue saw him out of the main race.
Throughout the night he battled with Ryan Alexander at the front of the field, with Alexander claiming the win in the feature event.
It was a tough way to finish the night for Gartner, but he was pleased with the performance of the car on his first run this season.
“We started behind Alexander each time and we thought we were a bit quicker than him, but we found it hard to get past,” he said.
“It was only the first time out and a couple of times I got underneath him, but did not want to crash so I pulled out.
“But he was good.
“We broke our car in the third run, so that was the end of that.”
Gartner said he did like the track last time out, which he said was “hooky”, although he expects a slicker surface due to the sprintcars on Saturday night.
However, he said he was pleased with the car in what he said was a good shake down leading into the SA title.
“We were really happy with the car, even though we did break it,” Gartner said.
“We were happy with our speed, the motor ran well and it was a really good shake down for us to have a run and get the bugs out of the system, not just for the car, but for myself as well, to get back into the feel of it.”
One thing that will not suit many drivers on the night is the fact it is so early in the season to run a championship event.
But with last season’s wash out, it is simply the way it has panned out.
“We would probably like a couple more shows under our belt, but it is the same for everyone,” Gartner said.
“Obviously as you get towards the end of the season everyone is right in the groove, so anything can happen this time.”
However, Gartner expects tough competition, with the Nicola boys from Victoria, Lucas Roberts and of course Alexander all sure to throw up a challenge.
“There will be four or five guys fighting to try to win it,” he said.
“We just have to hope we get everything right and qualify good.
“If you can get off the front row you have a good chance and if you can get into the lead people have to chase you down.
“We generally do qualify fairly well, but it does not always happen like that.
“You can certainly win it from anywhere, but it is a lot easier to win from the front.”
The night will also see supports in the form of Limited Sportsmen.
