The place looked like your average New Zealand speedway track as we rolled in down the hill and into the carpark. After being frisked by security we were in. The speedway is situated at the bottom of a valley and is almost surrounded by hills. Quite a nice backdrop and it gives the place a natural atmosphere.

The lack of any decent bank around the track is troublesome and it is near on impossible to get a decent view of the track. The main stand is poorly designed and has almost as many seats as aisles. Unless you turn up early and secure a seat here, forget about getting a decent perspective of the track. The lack of height must also be troublesome for the officials and I can only imagine the difficulty faced by the officials at this venue.

Not a surface I'm particularly familiar with but it worked well for a Stockcar Teams event. The night one track was outstanding, although given the racing consisted of 12 Stockcar races it's hardly an Einstein effort to prepare a great track. Night 2 proved not as successful with excess dust. The track staff got a little exuberant on the watering once or twice during the programme which didn't help some of the racing. It would be interesting to see how the track could be adapted to some of the wider tyre classes. The infield was well presented and the track looked like a race track.

Teams Stockcar Racing is often at the pinnacle of speedway entertainment. This meeting was no exception. All teams showed good knowledge of the basics of teams racing and there were very few teams who lost the plot. Being an Aucklander I was naturally drawn to the outstanding performance of the unheralded Auckland team. It was a team that was untried and to be honest a team that doesn't have a lot of pace but that didn't stop them. The only thing that did stop them in the end was the Wellington Young Guns.

On the second night the DHL Saloon Series joined the programme. The standard of racing was exceptional and all participants can be very proud of the show they put on. Consolation races, Sidecars and Ministocks rounded out the programme. Overall I thought both nights provided good value for money from a pure racing perspective.

If Peter Rees isn't the best Stockcar driver in the country then I'm mother goose. The bloke is the total package and showed his wares by running and blocking with great effect when required. Put perhaps his greatest attribute is being able to drive a damaged car effectively. If Rees has any mobility whatsoever he is a factor on the track. On night one the Blenheim team shone. Their race with Rotorua was the best of the weekend in my opinion. With a bit more development the Blenheim boys could give Palmy and Wellington a serious threat.

Plenty of stars in the Saloons, none more so than the South Island drivers. 2nz Dave McCallion and 96d led the way in my opinion in a field that featured plenty of talent. After being ousted on night 1 the Waikato team dominated the non-qualifiers. It was great to see a big turnout for the non-qualifying races and the drivers put on a show for the fans in these races.

The promotion would have to be disappointed with the crowds on both nights. Lets not forget the Superstock Teams attracts over 10,000 fans each night just up the road. Given this event has become a regular occurance on the Wellington calendar it should have a big local following. So it was a surprise to see plenty of room on the terraces on both nights. I heard/saw very little about the event despite getting around Wellington and listening to local radio so perhaps a bit more visibility might see more bums on seats.

The running of the event was great on the first night. All over at an appropriate time and the meeting flowed well. Night two was a totally different story. The meeting fell behind early but the promotion and officials seemed oblivious. There was no plan B and the four and a half hour marathon mercifully finished at 11:30pm. We didn't have a team champs winner until 11:00pm and when you are targetting families that is ridiculous. The commentator mentioned that he couldn't understand why some patrons were leaving at the start of the final teams race. Here's a clue - they've got kids and can't wait all night for the promotion to get it's a into g and run the main event.

Eureka - a speedway track that bans the consumption of alcohol!! I never thought I'd see the day. I think it's a great initiative and it did create a family friendly atmosphere. Let's hope we see such family friendly intitiatives at other speedway venues around the country. I will sum up the food situation with the fact that my team had to get burgers and chips from different food caravans. Enough said.

It's a decent track but falls short of matching the premier speedway venues. It's nice enough for a once off visit but didn't inspire me to make an annual pilgrimage. Based on the two nights I saw the team at Wellington are certainly capable of putting on good shows. However I feel their location is a real problem. The track is some way out of Wellington and attracting casual spectators gets hard when you have to drive at least half an hour each way. Still, I hope to get back down there and as luck would have it things are looking promising for next season