After a challenging season thanks to many factors, it appears the Milestone Homes Top of the South Speedway with have its new corporate grandstand ready to go for next summer’s racing.
The committee had plenty of off-track projects and challenges with the final plans for the rebuild of the Corporate Stand taking longer than anticipated, but it will be ready for next season, and the Hot Dog Stand falling victim to an electrical fault, it was a minor hiccup in the scheme of things with updates planned for the food service areas.
The past season was likened to a roller coaster ride, the anticipation was huge with a slightly bigger season due to the new roster system put in place by its governing body Speedway New Zealand.
It meant an extra meeting was needed for the New Zealand Sprint Car GP and an extra night to host the NZ Midget Title in concurrent weeks.
The Nelson Speedway Club had secured Milestone Homes as its naming rights sponsor in the off-season, giving the club financial security to plan in the years ahead, Milestones Homes have committed their support until 2025, a huge benefit for the club.
Between the rained out meetings, there were flashes of brilliance, the New Zealand Midget Title being one of the best meetings in its 75 year history, racing in its purest form, it was truly a meeting everyone will remember, the final round of the Hanmer Holiday Homes Super Stock Series had all the dramas as the front runners fell by the wayside, it was the locals that battled each other to allow visiting cars to grab the spoils.
There were a few grades that were struggling for numbers at times; the Tigers were light, needing a couple of ring-ins to boost the team, growth in the contact grades maybe an issue going forward where grades like TQ’s and sprint cars were expanding, the youth grade continues to be strong, giving the club a good base of drivers into the future.
Issues continue with neighbours upset over the noise levels at the speedway, the club have always been sympathetic to its neighbours.
Initiatives like moving to earlier start times to limit late night noise, keeping meetings inside time lines and assisting with moving livestock on fireworks night.
The number of meetings hasn’t really changed over the past decade, they average about 15 a year depending on NZ titles allocated.
The out-going President Wayne Martin hopes that the issues will be sorted and the committee will be able to get on with making Milestone Homes Top of the South Speedway “the Best little Speedway in NZ”.
