it would never fly . Great weather , plenty of thrills and the odd spill topped off a well-run day of circuit racing before the crowd either drove or sauntered across the paddocks to the next show in town – speedway .
Sideways 3pm saw the Super Seller Shelley Speedway Racing kick off ( well , push start actually , they don ’ t usually have kickstarters ) with wild sideways action that went well into the night . If you ’ ve never witnessed the slick operation that the Southland Club is , you ’ re missing out . Quickfire , hard-out sprint races with no gears , no brakes and no fear is what speedway does so well . What impressed many spectators was the committed inclusion of the junior racers in the sold-out venue . If anyone was wondering about the success of the Southland racers , the secret was there for all to see . Imagine being a youngster on the smaller capacity bikes , doing your thing in front of the entire Burt Munro Challenge crowd . With solos and sidecars , which go in opposite directions , banging ‘ bars ( and swingers at times ) the seamless transition from one race to the next was enthralling . The
commentary meant everyone knew what was happening in what was a hectic full programme as the lights came on and the pointy end of the knockout racing kept punters several deep all around the track .
Takin ’ It To The Streets Close-quarter racing that has the crowd upclose and personal creates an atmosphere that you have to experience to quantify . Sure , the terminal speeds are lower than when the ladies and gents were tearing around Teretonga , but with the hard-braking , hard-on-the-gas nature of the circuit in Invercargill ’ s industrial park , the effect is awesome . With the riders still tapping 200km / h through the chicane on the back ‘ straight ’ before hauling up for the short but technical approach to the first gear roundabout at the start of the start / finish straight , there is no rest . Hard on the body as well as hard on the brakes , there is always the chance to try and out-brake or get on the gas before the riders around you . Sometimes it doesn ’ t go as planned , as in when Heath Botica and friend
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