Winton Motor Raceway is gearing up to host the Australian Super Truck Championship this Saturday and Sunday (26-27 September), the second instalment in a triple-weekend blockbuster which kicked off with the 10th running of the Performance Car Mania (PCM) festival on the weekend, and concludes with the Big Burnout Bonanza on 3 October.
The PCM event has been billed as the best ever, with record numbers of both competitors and spectators flocking to the venue to enjoy some of Australia’s most spectacularly-modified vehicles taking part in track cruises, a dyno challenge, show and shine, burnouts and powerskids.
Winton Raceway Acting Chief Executive Officer, Wayne Williams, said the event was a great success for both the circuit and the community.
“Many of the participants at this year’s PCM travelled from well outside the region to attend, contributing valuable tourism dollars for the local economy,” Mr Williams said.
“It was very satisfying to see the competitors enjoying themselves and exploring the limits of their vehicles under controlled conditions on the circuit.
“The event continues to grow every year, and as organisers we are always looking at ways to fine-tune and improve the experience for competitors and spectators.
“The event has reached its peak in terms of competitor numbers, so we will be capping entries in the future.”
Attention now turns to another crowd-pleasing event, the Super Truck Championship. This weekend marks the third round of the 2015 national series, following the opening round at Winton in July and Round 2 at NSW’s Wakefield Park circuit in August.
The title contest is finely poised with just 10 points separating the top three drivers; double Champion Steven Zammit leads ahead of John Bomberle (who won the opening round at Winton) with last year’s New Zealand Champion John Hepburn in a strong third position.
This weekend’s round of the Super Trucks will be accompanied by the “Rigs, Rods and Rides” off-track showcase. Now into its third year, the display has proven immensely popular amongst spectators, featuring hundreds of trucks, hot-rods and motorcycles all parked behind the spectator area.
An assortment of popular Victorian categories will support the trucks on the track as well, including the diminutive speedway-derived Legend Cars.
The Super Trucks and Legend Cars will use the Winton Club Circuit (the original circuit) while the Super TT, Excel Racing Series, PRB Clubmans, BMW Drivers Cup, Vic V8s, Formula Ford and NASCAR will all use the full national circuit.
Rounding out the program will be the Pulsar Challenge, which will hold short sprint races on the Club Circuit followed by a 20 lap mini enduro on the National Circuit.
Spectator admission for this weekend’s race meeting is $15 per person each day.
