By Trevor Jackson
ON a big weekend of sport, the Borderline Speedway will provide one of the headline acts, with the South Australian Super Sedans state title set down for Saturday night.
A strong field of drivers and cars has been assembled, which will ensure an action-packed night of racing.
According to Borderline Speedway president Cary Jennings, it is the biggest field since the national titles back in 2020.
“When you look at the calibre of the drivers, it is a strong field,” he said.
“Matt Pascoe is Australia number one, Steve Jordan was Australian champion and is coming down from Queensland, Mick Nicola has been Australian champion, Victorian champion and South Australian champion.
“Callum Harper has been an Australian champion in the last five or six years, so we have a really good roll up of top-class Super Sedan competitors.”
In a late decision, the SA 18 out of Penola will be driven by Ryan Alexander.
He finished on the podium in the recent Australia titles at Moama and will help to fly the flag for the Limestone Coast.
Other top drivers include Brock Atkins, a former Australian Junior champion.
He moved into modified sedans and was prominent in that category, before purchasing a Super Sedan out of Tasmania.
He won the main feature at Hamilton in the last six weeks and will be the youngest driver in the field, while Sarah Pope will fly the flag for the women.
Dave Nichols will steer the Tasmania 3 car and has enjoyed an impressive season, with plenty of podium finishes.
His sheer experience will ensure he is at the pointy end of the field.
South Australia has plenty of representation, with the likes of the hard-charging Paul Blenkiron and Kym Jury joining several others in the hope to keep the championship honours in the state.
Jennings said two thirds of the field would likely compete in the national titles, which points to an exciting night of racing.
“Two thirds of the field would be in the top 15 in Australia,” he said.
“Most of them have had a good season already.
“They have raced in major events in Queensland, NSW, Tasmania, South Australia and Victoria.
“They have a lot of laps under their belts this season and will want to add a win here to their resume.
“I have seen them all race here at the Borderline and it will be like a home track for some of them.
“It will be good for the people on the hill to see the Super Sedans back at Borderline Speedway.”
To add to the night, the Formula 500 category will hold Round 8 of its state series, with around 15 drivers pencilled in.
Those include Limestone Coast drivers Ryan Harry, Josh Munn and Jordan Mansell, who will all be keen to chalk up a win on their home track.
Around a dozen Street Stocks are also expected to hit the track, with Jennings suggesting the local drivers will be prominent in the results.
“We have the likes of Jason Duell and the two Gartner boys, Stevie and Mark are coming back,” he said.
“Steve Watts from Warrnambool has always been a fast charger, while Ellen Vagg will fly the flag for the women.
“She comes out of Simpson and is a good competitor.”
To top off the meeting, a field of Junior Sedans will add further support to a packed night of racing.
Apart from a Speedway karts meeting, there has been no action at the Borderline Speedway since the Kings Challenge in January and Jennings said he expects a big turnout of spectators on the hill.
“We don’t see the top class of the tin tops very often here,” he said.
“We see the Sprintcars a lot, which is the most followed class in Australia.
“But the Super Sedans have been around a long time and should put on some exciting racing.
“The whole show will be full on from heat one right through to the feature.”
Action is expected to kick off from 5pm.
