By Trevor Jackson
THE opening night of the Borderline Speedway has been thrown a curve ball courtesy of the covid-19 pandemic.
Cross-border travel between Victoria and South Australia was reinstated this week, but not all has gone to plan for competitors in the Eureka Garages and Sheds Sprintcar series.
According to club president Cary Jennings, all drivers nominated may not be able to cross the border to compete with the current restrictions in place without isolation, testing or other requirements.
He said as a result a Sprintcar event will take place, but the opening round of the popular series will not run as was planned.
“It is not fair on the drivers who cannot make it across the border and would contest the whole series, so the organisers have decided not to run the series opener this weekend,” he said.
“We still hope to have a round of the series, possibly late in December.”
Jennings said many of the drivers were confused about what was required, with different instructions allegedly given to different drivers and teams.
“Apparently some drivers have been told they have to have a test prior to coming, even though they are double jabbed,” he said.
“Others have been told they will have to isolate when they arrive, while others have been told if they are in South Australia for less than 72 hours they do not need to have a test.
“It is all a bit confusing for them.”
Despite the setback, Jennings said he was still positive about the opening night of the Borderline Speedway, with the Sprintcars still going ahead as a stand-alone South Australian-run event, with an expected field of around 25 cars, along with the support categories.
“We thought everything was going well, but things change quickly with covid,” Jennings said.
“We still expect a big night of racing, with plenty of action.”
The night will still include Formula 500s, Street Stocks and a reduced field of Classics.
More on the Borderline Speedway opening night on page 78.
