Oakburn Park Raceway will awaken from a slumber on Sunday as Tamworth Sporting Car Club stages its first round of the new season.
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More than 30 entries have been taken for opening day of the Club Championship, including a number of the region’s best drivers.
Tamworth drivers to look out for include Jason Newling, a certain-starter in his Subaru WRX, Col Tomkins (Nissan) and Brett Slingsby (VB Holden Commodore).
Mick Doyle has confirmed he is making the trip up from Armidale with his Holden Gemini.
Another marquee names is Gunnedah’s Wayne Grosser.
Grosser’s striking white Ford Performance Vehicle makes him stand out from the crowd.
Tamworth Sporting Car Club spokesperson Kate Slingsby expects a strong turnout following the festive season hiatus.
“Everyone looks forward to the first meet,” Slingsby said.
“All the drivers have been tinkering away with their cars during the off-season to get them ready for raceday.
“It’s great for the club that we’ve also got a number of newbies starting out for the first time.
“We always love to see new faces out there on the track.”
The men’s, women’s and juniors are split into their respective divisions, then a wide variety of classes as Slingsby explained.
“We’ve got the Clubman, Street Registered, Improved Production where Dave Rogers and Bruce Worgan featured at Bathurst, Sports Sedan, All Wheel Drives,” she said.
The Oakburn Park circuit, which is 782m in length, means two cars hit the track at one time.
“It was built for Go-Karts, but our guys go out there in their cars and have a great time,” she said.
“There is a great mix of cars and that really adds to the spectacle of it all.”
The meet also features the popular one-lap dash, while the Club Championship consists of five rounds in total and is scheduled to wrap up in November.
Slingsby is hoping the weather gods smile on the drivers come raceday.
“Hopefully the conditions won’t be too hot because the track temperatures get right up there and the comfort levels for the drivers are impacted,” she said.
Action is timed to start from 9am and expected to finish around 3pm.
Entry is free.
While this event predominantly features the locals, the TSCC stages a number of major meets throughout the year.
Oakburn Park is the third stop on the NSW Hill Climb Championship on July 15-16, while the Tri-Series is always a popular event.