September 2015 CEO Note
Welcome to our September "Track Talk",
As I write this we’ve just run the Aeroflow Outlaw Nitro Funny Cars for the first time. It was great to have them here and the crowd seemed to really enjoy the experience. Thanks must go to Jason & Hayley Donnelly from Donnelly Blasting Services for their sponsorship of the event, their involvement and contribution is valued by us all.
Friday Night’s Lights Out Grudge Racing was a very different event and the contrast between it on Friday and the Outlaw Funny Cars on Saturday highlights the range of event types that we can run but also the dedication of our volunteers who have a deep passion for our sport and without whom these events wouldn’t work.
We have the APSA Shootout coming up in early October plus two rounds of the Queensland Drag Racing Championships (this weekend and October 10th), the Street Series finals and our last Racer Test Day for the year in late October plus plenty of Test ’n Tunes in which there’ll be some theme nights so there is plenty coming up.
This time of year is when we put much of the detailed planning into next year, not just in regard to the events we’re going to run but also into our facility work plans and fitting all the different users of our facility into the annual calendar. We have extensive Driver Training courses run here by 2 different driving schools, vehicle testing, cycle training and races, private test days for race teams plus other motorsport events such as motorkhanas amongst a range of other uses – Willowbank Raceway certainly gets plenty of use!
It is also this month that we mark 30 years since Willowbank Raceway’s first event (September 28 & 29 1985) and it’s timely to remind ourselves of what a special place we have here and of the foresight, dedication and commitment of Willowbank Raceway’s founders (some of whom are still involved in our activities and management). I must say personally that I have been to many motorsport facilities of one kind or another across many countries and Willowbank Raceway stands alone as a unique environment, in my view a really rather special place.
Hope to see you here soon to enjoy the special place that is Willowbank Raceway!
Tony Manson