After the success of Keep it Reet's inaugural Battle Royale championship in 2021/22, the ​​popular action-packed formula was continued for a second season.  A handful of changes would make the competition even closer and the action fiercer.  Round 5 of the 2022 season proved that the amateur drivers could dance with the big boys in Pro, so both categories would merge into one, with now 40 drivers able to attempt to qualify for the Top 16 battles.  

New tyre regulations would be put in place too. Using the Drifting SA approved tyre list would keep the competition close and fair between pro drift cars and more street style cars, whilst also having consistent regulations across state championships for ease, as many drivers compete in both Battle Royale and Drifting SA events.

The recently returned and fan favourite 'Run the wall' layout would hold Round 1 of the championship.  In the driver's briefing, the judges explained where they were expecting drivers to put the cars to garner the perfect run. ​ A tight drift through the first two corners were preferred, but not too tight as for the car to jump over the kerbs.  On the run to the bowl, the judges wanted to see the whole section drifted, although would allow for lower powered cars to grip up and catch up if needed.  For the wall section, the entire concrete was one large clipping point, so the closer the better.  If your car wasn't on or behind this crack in the middle of the bowl, you wouldn't be scoring points.

Keep it Reet had also brought over Irish pro drifter Dave Egan from Drift Games, who also competes in Drift Masters to battle it out against Victoria's best in the Reet R32.  Within a few runs, Dave Egan became acclimatised to the R32 and the unique track layout, just not the Melbourne heat.

With practice done and dusted it was time to better explain how qualifying would work to the drivers.  They would be randomly paired together for two qualifying battles each, that's four runs, two leading and two chasing.  Your worst run would be removed, not counting towards your final score, and your best run would be doubled. This format from Drifting SA rewarded brilliant runs in qualifying rather than lots of consistent, semi-decent runs.  

Daniel Ridley in his R32 with a fresh wrap would just miss out in qualifying for the Top 16 battles.  Mike Lake would qualify 12th in his fresh new E36 chassis, which was finished that very morning as Ben Coady would qualify well in 7th in his red rocket VN Commodore.

However, it would by Drifting SA reigning champion Scotty Miller who would just pip Jason Ferron and Adge Punaro for the top qualifier spot.

All eyes would now be on the Top 16 battles and onwards.  The media team at Keep it Reet would stream the night's action on Youtube, with multiple camera angles, live commentary and live results through live.keepitreet.  Stewart Bryant and three-time VicDrift champion Leigh Pidwell would use all the camera angles to fairly judge each run, as Tauri Onus tried distracting them.

In the Top 12, Jamie Stevkovski jumped the gun at the start during his lead run against Baldeep Shergill in the Hartless Knights R33, making for a one more time of just his lead run.  Unfortunately, the only AU that qualified was knocked out early.

Patrick Barlee would win each of his battles, saying he wanted to do the least number of runs on his way to the Top 4.  A close battle between the two S13's of Marcus McCathie and Sam Mudge would see them go one more time, with McCathie holding on to give Mudge his first loss of the night.

Jason Ferron would send Dave Egan home in two ways, out of the competition and back to Ireland.  Despite being knocked out earlier than special guests in the past, Egan was all smiles and praise for Battle Royale, saying later it felt as if he had been 'thrown into the tiger's den'. Later Sam Mudge would go up against his teammate Ben Brentnall, sliding into the concrete wall, and receiving enough damage to take him out of the night's drifting completely.

Patrick Barlee would defeat Jordan Sanderson in a very close fight on his way to battle Adge Punaro for a ticket straight to the finals, who had also not lost a battle all night.  Despite being frequent at Friday Night Drift events, Punaro had not drifted competitively in three years, although you simply wouldn't have known by his consistency.

Before the final battles of the night, there was a break for a signing session with the drivers and the opportunity to meet Dave Egan.​  Pictures were taken and posters, number plates and even air filters were signed.

When the action returned, Adge Punaro would halt Patrick Barlee's charge and advance to the Final Two.  Marcus McCathie would beat Adrian Bono in the fresh 'Firefly' Toyota 86 and then take on Jason Ferron, winning again to have another go at Adge Punaro.

Scotty Miller and Jason Ferron would go side by side in their fight for fourth place. With contact made, Miller would slide through the bowl with the front bumper holding on for dear life.

Just like in the Top 16, these two very similar set up Silvia S13's would compete side by side for victory, however this time with the overall on the line.  McCathie had been dealing with a faulty alternator and had borrowed a battery from Matt Walker, nursing the car to the start line and drifting without any lights. For the final battle, it would be a best of three.  It was neck and neck until the final run, as McCathie spun in the bowl during his lead run.

Marcus McCathie's mistake would hand over the win to Adge Punaro, his first competition event in three years, and he would find himself, on the top step of the podium.  Punaro would dedicate his win to Anthony Carrio, an amazing member of the drift community who we lost the week prior.

Matt Walker would appropriately take home the 'Thrash Kings' award, for best displaying the spirit of drifting and absolutely shredding not only tyres all day, but his car's body panels too.

Scotty Miller would be classified fifth, with Jason Ferron fourth.  Patrick Barlee would claim third with the two S13's of Adge Punaro and Marcus McCathie first and second.

Round 1 showed that there will be plenty of competition for the 2023 Battle Royale title until the end. Punaro and Barlee look to be main contenders with the amount of drifting they plan to do throughout the year.  McCathie came off a win in the final round last year and a second place in round one this year, so he certainly has some momentum behind him.  But don't count guys like Scotty Miller or Adrian Bono to go even better next time, or drivers like Sam Mudge who unfortunately got unlucky this time around.

And just like that, the offseason is over, and a new season of circuit racing has begun.  Teams and drivers competing in the many categories that make up the Victorian State Race Series would begin their championship campaigns at Sandown Raceway for Round 1.  If they wanted to have the number 1 on their car for next year, and the championship in their hands at the end of this year, both speed and a consistent collection of points would need to begin now.

Friday would consist of three twenty-minute practice sessions​​ for each category.  With ten categories competing, two simultaneously would take to the track during each session to give everyone as much track time as possible for the first round of the championship.

The open wheel car of Formula Ford and Formula Vee would flood the track during their practice sessions. 

Not only do many professional Aussie drivers like Matt Brabham, Jamie Whincup and Will Power start their careers in Formula Ford, but also many mechanics and engineers that are now at top teams in GT racing and V8 Supercars.

As the name suggests, Formula Ford is powered by 1.6 litre Ford engines whilst Formula Vee has VW engines that are either 1.2 or 1.6 litres.  The Fords are more aerodynamic with their sidepods, whilst the Vees are known as the cheapest form of open wheel racing in the country.

Another cheap yet very competitive form of racing is the Hyundai Excel series. From Phillip Island to Bathurst, this championship swarms' racetracks all over Australia.  At Sandown there were 35 Excels entered, and I've seen grids of up to 60 cars both here and at Bathurst.  The Excel series has a lot of restrictions in control to level the playing field car wise, with emphasis more on driver speed and car setup, rather than equipment.

Saturday would begin with Qualifying set the grid for each of the three races that weekend for each and every category, with the Porsche 944's being the first out on the much cooler track than the previous day's scorcher. 

The Porsche 944 class is the fastest single make category in the Vic State Race Series, and on par lap time wise with the Saloon cars.  You don't often see 944's on the streets, but maybe that's because they've all been modified to race against each other, just like the 17 Porsches that would do battle at Sandown.​

For some cars and drivers, the Saturday morning qualifying would be their first session of the weekend, and for others it would be also their last.

You could tell which cars and when the drivers of those cars were on a flying lap by seeing how much kerb they were using in the corners, and by a handful of cars splitting flames out of their exhausts.  This wasn't the case with everyone though, but it gave spectators and photographers an idea of who to watch when it came time for the green flag to drop at race start.

For instance, this V12 Jaguar XJS that wheel-spinned off every start and screamed down the back straight at Sandown.  This isn't any XJS though, this one is special, as it is the 1985 Bathurst 1000 winning chassis, driven to victory by Aussie John Goss and German racer Armin Hahne.

My two personal favourites was this FG Falcon in XB Falcon inspiried war paint and this flame spitting VZ Commodore, both competing in the Sports Sedans class.  I just love the 2006-2013 era of V8 Supercars.

Although the retired V8 Supercars were at the front of the Sports Sedan category, there was no stopping this insane SAAB 9-3, powered by a Chevy V8 and pushing out 740bhp.  The gap V8 Supercar driver Thomas Randle made on the rest of the field in his father's SAAB was immense. 

While the Sports Sedans were blinding down the straights, the HQ Holdens leaned into the corners like sailboats in choppy waters. 

The Group N Historics were perfect for those more interested in classic racing, with cars post war up to 1973 competing and being raced just as hard as they did when they came out of the showroom fifty plus years ago.

With this wide range of racing already, the Improved Production series would put this diversity on the track all at once, pitting Nissan Pulsars and Toyota 86's up against Holden Monaros, BMW M3's and everything in between.  

The MG and Invited British class brought the best of Bristish motoring on track as well.  You really never get to see old MG convertibles competing againt newer MG hatchbacks and TVR sportscars, but that's the point of categories that mix different styles of cars together.  They may always be clearer stand out cars that gather a huge lead, but in the mid pack there are sure to be some close battles between cars you thought you'd never see.

Last but certainly not least are the Saloon cars.  Another category striving to be a cheaper entry into motorsport, these are 6-cylinder sedans using off the shelf parts for as much reliability and affordability as possible.  The competition was close as expected, but the 'Sedan Hotel' sponsored cars still had podiums in their hands all weekend long.

Off the South Gippsland Highway is the town of Nyora. Its recreational reserve is your typical small-town sports club with a cricket/football ground.  However, right next door is the Nyora Raceway, a 380 metre sunburnt clay speedway.  The All Star Sprintcar series along with Dirt Modifieds, Standard Saloons and Mini Sprints all headed to this small racetrack to put on a show.

Before the big cars took to the track, the Outlaw Karts had their heat races in the shorter infield track.  Outlaw Karts are go-kart sized Sprintcars with single cylinder engines yet still similar power to weight of a standard Sprintcar. 

The category was split into two classes, Juniour and Open.  According to V8 Supercar champion Rick Kelly - who was racing in the Open class that night - these are some of the best bang for your buck race cars you can drive.  Watching them slide around and get up on two wheels as they were pitched into the corners was enough proof.  

Furthermore, this is why many kids racing in Speedway start in these karts which are growing ever more popular.  I wonder if there was a future Australian Sprintcar champion racing at Nyora that night?  Only time will tell.

Soon enough, it was time for the big dogs to head on track.  As always when Sprintcars are in town, they set off with the hot laps and time trials, as teams work around the cars in the infield, one of my personal favourite parts of photographing Sprintcars.

Brett Milburn would not only set the fastest lap of qualifying, but a new Sprintcar track record of a 13.194 in front of a packed house​ at Nyora Raceway.

Milburn would continue to show his speed, winning the first of the four heat races, as Mark Caruso, Steven Loader and Todd Hobson would claim victory in the other three respe​ctive heats. 

In between the anticipated Sprintcar heats, Dirt Modifieds, Saloons and Mini Sprints took to the clay in their heat races, setting the grids for the final races at the end of the night.

Warrick Taylor in his pink Dinoco #43 would win the first and third heat races in the Dirt Modifieds as State champion Daryl Hickson would claim victory in heat two. 

In the Juniour Saloons, Beau Stuchbery would win the first two heat races in his blue #24 Ford, wilst Harry Cecil would claim the heat three victory, lining up alongside Stuchbery on the front row in the Final.

Mark Miles and Shane Stewart would be first to the chequered flag in the first and third Open Saloon heat races. Ryan Lansdown would not only win the second of the three heat races in the Open Saloon class, but also claim a new 8-lap track record in the process of a 2:26.457. 

Mini Sprints, also known as Lightning Sprints, are midget car sized Sprintcars often powered by a 1000cc chain driven motorcycle engine. Visually, they dive into the corners like a formula ford on a paved circuit, although drivers still find ways to slide these cars on the high lanes of the banking.

Lap times fell during the Mini-Sprints heats as Michael Conway set a new 8-lap record of 2:09.543.  Andrew Burleigh would win heat two as Ally Moore would win heat three.

After the final heat races, the Outlaw karts returned to the infield for their final deciders.  Young Cruz Farrell would become victorious in the Juniour class, as the aforementioned Rick Kelly would win the 15-lap Open Class final.

Now it was time for the finals as the full 380-metre clay speedway was re-prepped.  Some saloon drivers weren't happy with the track conditions, so decided not to race in the final as to not damage their car.  And on lap 1, a three-car pile-up brought out the caution.  After a tricky start, Rhys Lansdown would claim the chequered flag in the Open Saloons final with a new track record of 4:40.234.

​Despite a couple of cautions during the 15 lap Open Saloons final, Harry Cecil would be victorious, leading from start to finish​.

With darkness covering the circuit, the Dirt Modifieds put on a show, belching flames decelerating into the corners, as Daryl Hickson demonstrated why he is state champion, winning whilst setting a new 20-lap record for Dirt Modifieds at Nyora with a time of 5:09.865.

Michael Conway would be quick once again, setting a new Mini-Sprints Nyora lap record of 13.825, only 7 tenths slower than the fastest full size Sprintcar time of the night.

The thirty-lap Sprintcar feature race would be full of drama.  Jeremy Kupsch in the #47 would spin but able to continue, as Chris Temby would be the first to exit with tyre damage.  Boyd Harris would have the first rollover of the night on lap 18 whilst David Donegan and Steven Loader would tangle on lap 25, causing a skirmish, and putting Dan Scott in the #91 in a rollover. 

It looked like Chris Solomon had the race wrapped up after leading the entire race at this point. However, both Solomon and Mark Caruso in second had chewed through their tyres, causing them to go flat with only two and a half laps to go.  This would hand the win to local boy Brett Milburn, who knew he'd have to nurse his tyres if he was going to finish.  Just look at the tyre on the number 25 (as pictured), it's something you'd see at a drag strip rather than on a dirt oval.

Australian Speedway's biggest week began on Wednesday the 25th of January with the famous President's Cup held for the fortieth time at Avalon Raceway.  60 Sprintcars would be nominated for a chance in the prestigious event, the first of three big Sprintcar races, followed by the King's Challenge at Mount Gambier and the biggest race of the season, the 50th Annual Sprintcar Classic at Premier Speedway.

​​First held during the 1981/82 Speedway season, it was named after the Corio Shire President, who would be given the honour of presenting the trophies. The name would stick even after the joining of shires into the Greater Geelong region, and the race would find itself as the opener for Australian Sprintcar's most spectacular week of racing.

With the President's Cup being the first of three massive races, it attracts the best drivers and teams from around the country, and also those from the USA.  Chase Randall, Sheldon Haudenschild, Tyler Courtney, Brad Sweet, Brock Zearfoss along with Carson and Cole Macedo would all be flying the stars and stripes as they raced on Australian clay.

Sprintcar teams and haulers were overflowing around the pits, even into the area usually reserved for the support category, them being the Street Stocks for that night's racing.

From gates open to 4:30, race fans would get the chance to be up close and personal with the drivers, teams and these wild machines we call Sprintcars.​

An hour later, the infield of Avalon Raceway was busy with teams preparing for the car's hot laps and qualifying runs. 

This is the best time to take a close look at how the teams communicate with their drivers and adjust and prep the cars for each run.  One thing I wanted to take a closer look at was the new Tozuda Impact Indicators, made mandatory by SCCA (Sprintcar Control Council of Australia) and fitted to the top of drivers' helmets.  What makes this device controversial however, with drivers like Cam Waters speaking out against it, is that the device hasn't been certified by FIA or Snell, thus ceding the warranty and homologation of driver's helmets, since now, an unapproved accessory has been attached.  Sprint Car Hub have a great video on why this is a big deal.  Safety should always be number one, but a device that is not approved by the appropriate governing bodies and manufacturers can sometimes be just as dangerous as not having that device there in the first place.

The large amount of rain that the track had had the day prior seemed to make the cars extra tough to drive.  I've never seen Sprintcars bounce, pop wheelies and lift up their front left as much as I did during the President's Cup.  Regardless of track conditions however, these cars get very dirty, very quickly.

Ian Madsen would fly out of the gate with the overall Quicktime of a 13.039, showing he wasn't messing around with the competition.  McFadden, McCullagh, Grant Anderson and Brendan Quinn were also unsurprisingly up the top of the time sheets as well.

In between the Sprintcar wars, the Street Stocks literally tore up the track as they bumped each other clockwise and anticlockwise around Avalon Raceway.

Jamie Veal would run away from the rest of the field in Heat One despite an early yellow flag bunching the field back up.

Ian Madsen would continue his perfect form with a win in Heat 2, ahead of David Donegan and V8 Supercar driver Cam Waters.

Arguably the most popular driver, James McFadden would hold off Brooke Tatnell in Heat Three for the win ahead of Tim Hutchins.

Brock Zearfoss would take the first victory for the Americans in Heat 5, ahead of Marcus Dumesny in the beautiful no.1 Valvoline car and Bobby Daly.

Queenslander Ryan Newton would grab victory in the final heat race for the Sprintcars, before the main races of the night. 

Drivers would begin to get really racy in the main races, starting with the C Main.  Chase Randall would grab another win for the Americans and progressing to the B Main.  Alex Attart, Jett Bell, Luke Thomas and Marcus Green would join him, finishing in the top five and transferring also to the B Main.

The entire width of the track would be used in the B Main as Grant Anderson led to the chequered flag ahead of Jordan Rae, Carson Macedo, Sheldon Haudenschild and Brad Sweet, all progressing to the final race of the night, the A-Main.

Before long, it was time to determine this year's President Cup winner.  Ian Madsen would fend off James McFadden early, before McFadden fell into the clutches of Jamie Veal.

Three cautions would bring a hault to the races proceedings, including a scary head on collision for Tim Hutchins.  Everyone was relieved when he clambered out of his wrecked Sprintcar.  The final caution would give McFadden and Veal one more shot at Madsen with two laps to go.

However, to no avail. Madsen would claim victory ahead of Jamie Veal in second and James McFadden third.

From here it was off to Mount Gambier for the Australia Day King's Challenge, then on to the big one, the Sprintcar Classic at Premier Speedway.

The annual K Rock Cup, held at Avalon Raceway is a prestige event for the Super Sedans in Victoria.  It's looked forward to by the teams and drivers, and also speedway fans and families.  This year's entrant list was packed with high caliber drivers including previous winners and national and state champions, coming from all over the country to have a shot at wearing the K Rock Cup jacket.

In addition to the Super Sedans, the Super Rods would also join the nights schedule, as well as the Crash and Bash crew.  What makes this event popular with families was the demolition derby at the end of the night.  The Crash and Bash isn't quite like a demo derby, but almost just as chaotic.

But first let's have a look at the Super Rods.  Remove the body reminiscent of a Lada Niki, Holden Barina, Ford Prefect or Daihatsu Charade and underneath you have a Sprintcar derivative.

One giveaway that these are different from your regular Sprintcar however is that the rear tyres are staggered in the opposite direction (the left rear being larger than the right).  This means that the Super Rods turn right and race in a clockwise direction around the dirt ovals of Australia. 

Suspension is the same as a Sprintcar, whilst the engine is a 360 cubic inch V8 which sits inside the mild steel (not chrome moly, like a regular sprintcar) chassis.  Super Rods can also move freely as the have a gearbox and starter motor.

On track visuals however is where the largest difference is, which stems back to the category's history.  The Super Rods originated in the 1960's as the Heavy Weight Hot Rod class.  As the sport evolved and cars became faster and lighter, the category was renamed Super Rods.  To hark back to the hot rod style body shapes, the cars are fitted with fiberglass body shells. 

If you for some reason don't want your car to look like a Hot Rod or vintage Ford Prefect, you can decide to make your sprintcar derivative look like an angry Mini or VW Beetle.  Or if you have a love for terribly cheap hatchbacks, you can make it look like the soviet Lada Niki, horrible Holden Barina or a Daihatsu Charade.  Regardless of the body shell, these cars look awesome as they're thrown around the clay. It also looks like the drivers control their cars from the backseat, so you could say they are professional backseat drivers.

As the sun shone through the trees and set, the Super Rods battled in their 10 lap heat races to start as high up the order in the Final.  

The highest placed drivers in the heats would battle one-on-one ​​to determine the front of the grid for the final.  Jacob Pitcher would win each of his battles to start from pole, with Dane Court starting alongside.

For the 30-lap ​, everyone was chasing down James Pitcher, as the midfield ran the middle and high lines of the track in attempts to move up through the competitive field.

As the race came down to its final laps, James Pitcher had been reeled in by Dane Court and Allan Pitcher. ​​ In the heat of the battle, Allan Pitcher spun in turn one, with William George unfortunately having nowhere to go, climbing over the rear tyre.

With 3 laps to go, Court would have one final go at Pitcher, but would be unable to overtake as they came to the chequered flag almost side by side, Pitcher winning the Super Rod final by half a car length.  Jamie May would use the high line all race to finish third.

The feature event for the K Rock Cup as always was the Super Sedans.  Teams competing in the packed grid were at the track early prepping for the night of racing. 

Throughout the heats, the drivers kept it very clean, yet still raced inches from one another around the clay bowl.

With first and second finishes in his respective heat races, Mick Nicola Snr would claim the pole position for the prestigious and anticipated final of the K Rock Cup.

The sedans would line up on the front straight, waiting for those most famous words in motorsport. 'Gentleman, start your engines", and the roar of the V8's would begin, setting the stage for the 30-lap feature.

The race would go uninterrupted, from the drop of the green flag to the wave of the chequered.

Despite pressure from Tyson Moon in second and Jamie Collins in third, Mick Nicola Snr would lead the entire race, adding the K Rock Cup jacket to his collection of trophies.

However, the final race for the category that makes the K Rock Cup particularly popular with families and young kids was still to come. 

Crash 'N Bash is a form of speedway racing that allows contact and spinning out other drivers for position.  The cars are colourfully decorated and often given a theme ranging from superheroes to creepy clowns.  Boots and doors are bolted together, whilst the insides are completely stripped out minus the bare essentials and a roll cage.

As previously mentioned, contact is acceptable and kind of encouraged, however you cannot purposefully wait for someone, or cut the track to target a specific person. 

With carnage being commonplace in these races, they can be quite difficult to follow in the sense of who is leading and which cars are a lap behind.  They are very much races of survival, and if you can keep it clean, you'll most likely find yourself near the front.

​​The nights schedule would consist of nine heat races, six in the anticlockwise direction, and three clockwise before the 30-lap final.  For all the chaos, there would be minimal yellow flags, only if a car was completely stopped on track. Otherwise, these partly insane drivers and their passengers would push their cars even when plagued with broken suspension and flat tyres.

With the water truck adding some last-minute slickness to the track for the final event of the night, the Crash 'N bash crew would hold everyone's attention as they bruised their way to the chequered flag.  If the previous races were hard to follow, this one was imcomprehensible.

Cars were spinning at each end of the track, scraping the wall as they put the power down out of the corners.  Body panels were falling off and rear drivetrains were barely holding on within an inch of their lives.

After the 30-lap demolition, some donuts were had on the Avalon Raceway burnout pad, because who knew what was going on at this point.

Somehow, the officials had kept track of all the cars, and it turned out that Jackson Basten had claimed victory in his mighty quick Falcon BA Wagon. Nathan Taylor and Jay Nicolaisen would finish second and third, concluding a night of close quarters racing from all three categories.

Around 2000 years ago in Rome, gladiators would battle beasts and other​​ gladiators in front of large crowds in arenas.  They would be clad with armour and shields, contesting each other with spears, swords and occasionally on chariots.  Gladiators would have to kill or be killed, fighting for success and as many of them were criminals, their freedom. 

Gladiator fighting was outlawed in 404 AD by Emperor Honorius.  It was a brutally violent sport, used as entertainment for the rich and elite.  Despite the cruelty of this inhumane sport, you can certainly marvel however at those successful gladiators for their skill and bravery, particularly as many would become leaders of armies that would go to war.  It's these traits that lead me to believe gladiators are around today.

They battle on dirt and clay, riding beasts with 410 cubic inch hearts.  They clash with other riders for glory, whilst battling for control over their wild creatures that have a mind of their own and a tendency to rear up, twist to inconceivable angles and throw off their rider.  I'm not talking about Sparticus or Emperor Commodus, I'm talking about Sprintcar drivers.

These guys and girls are some of the most underrated drivers in motorsports, and Sprintcar racing is a diamond found in rough clay.

The recipe for this modern form of gladiator fighting is every motorsport fan's dream.  These winged beasts are powered by irate 6.7 litre V8's revving to 9000rpm, with the power to weight ratio similar to a Formula One car.  Despite racing on tracks that are only approximately 400 metres long, they still can reach (250kph) 160mph down the short straights.

With no clutch and just a single gear, all 900 horsepower is sent straight to the rear wheels.  The rear tyres themselves are staggered, meaning the outside tyre is of larger diameter than the inside tyre, which makes the Sprintcar turn left.​

Inside, that direct drive runs straight between the driver's legs, as he wrestles with the larger-than-life steering wheel to keep the beast turning left and not into the concrete.

The obnoxiously large wings provide the Sprintcar with more than its own weight in downforce (680kg) whilst the higher sideboard on the left of the car helps it turn in the corners, whilst also protecting the driver in a scary rollover.

So, a methanol injected V8, strapped to a stiff chassis with a similar wheelbase to that of a classic mini, the power to weight of a F1 car, plenty of downforce and chunky staggered tyres, you have all the ingredients for one of the craziest and perfect racecars ever.

Multiply them by ten, twenty or more and throw them into a dirt clay colosseum lined with concrete and you are now watching some extremely exciting and adrenaline inducing racing.

That's why those who strap themselves into these old school inspired racing monsters are today's gladiators.  They're adrenaline junkies, fighting for track position inches from others and a thick layer of concrete, lap after lap after lap at over 100km/hr. 

For teams, these cars are quite easy to set up.  To fully build a Sprintcar, it takes a team 5 hours and adjustments to the wings and dampening of suspension can be done easily on the fly, in between runs.

To set the grids for the shorter heat races, drivers race against the clock, demonstrating their speed and cornering ability to the spectators.  Luke Dillon would go 'Quicktime!' with a 13.061 second lap.

American gladiator Chase Randall would win his heat race in dominant fashion as Grant Anderson would become wounded in a battle with Kale Quinlan.

In between the Sprintcar action, younger drivers would take to the track in their F500's.  These are smaller versions of Sprintcars with 500cc engines and much smaller rear wheels, designed to train the next generation of Sprintcar drivers from a young age.

Although nowhere near as powerful, the racing is just as fierce, they look glued to the dirt, riding on rails as they shoot into the left turns.

Heavy, twisted metal contact is also just as violent.  The chariot falls to the earth, as a deafening silence falls on the colosseum.  Safety in motorsports have come an extremely long way, but watching a car hit the rear of another, hop and flip upside down, landing heavily on top of the concrete and flail back down to earth will always be chilling.  The silence afterwards whilst waiting for the driver to get out seems to last hours, whilst in reality, the safety crews work quickly and in minutes, the driver is standing on his own two feet, saluting to the fans.

Despite the tight competition among the next generation of Sprintcar gladiators, Kobi Wright showed his speed all night, claiming the victory in the F500 final.

Back to the full sized machines and the lower finishing drivers in the heats would battle to make to the B-Main.  The top two finishes in the C-Main race would advance, starting at the back of the grid in the B-Main.

To set the grid for the A-Main Sprintcar final, drivers would run qualifying laps in the bronze, silver and gold shootouts.  Be one of the two fastest in the Bronze, and you'd advance to the Silver shootout.  The fastest two drivers of the Silver Shootout would then head to the Gold shootout to have a shot at starting on pole position.  Grant Anderson would bounce back from his crunch in the heat race to go fastest and start from pole in the A-Main in this year's Avalon round of Sprintcar Speedweek.

The B-Main saw plenty of high-speed congestion at the back of the field, whilst Brendan Quinn ran away with the victory.  Daniel Peska, Chad Ely and Cody Maroske would join Quinn to transfer to the final race of the night.  The grid was set, and the gladiators were ready to do battle one final time at Avalon.

They circled the track in rows of four, a salute to the fans and those who have come before. Before the off, they form back into their rows of two and with the wave of the green cloth, the colosseum erupts.

The contest would end early for some.  Just as he sacrificed the lead to Luke Dillon on lap 2, Grant Anderson would run wide into the concrete, flipping over, with Jake Smith clipping the now stricken sprint car having nowhere to go.  Both their adventurous nights, over.

After the restart, drivers would get into their rhythms to finish this 35-lap race.  Luke Dillon would hold the lead for a while, before McFadden would chase him down.  Drivers that started from the back were making their way through the field as a battle between Randall and Veal raged on.

Lapped traffic would now play a part as James McFadden would overtake Dillon for the lead as he went around a lapped car.  In doing so, he squeezed Dillon into the wall. Dillon would continue but fall back out of contention for the win.  Jamie Veal would then attempt to snatch the lead off McFadden but to no avail.

There was no slowing McFadden down as he would take the victory for Round 3 of SA/VIC Speedweek.  Jock Goodyer would use all of the racetrack to climb up to second in the closing stages, with Jamie Veal finishing third.

​​Boxing Day for Australians means one of two things, busy shopping sales or sport.  Although the cricket test matches get most of the attention, along with the Sydney to Hobart yacht race, all over Australia at drag strips and speedways, the racing competition is more than fierce. 

Just as the Cricket goes for a whole five days, and the Sydney to Hobart yacht race goes until the final day of the year, this final week of the year is called Speedweek for the Speedway community at large.

The largest events during this year's Speedweek are the state championship rounds for Sprintcars (replacing the World Series until it returns for the 2023/2024 season).  That doesn't mean however that any other speedway racing held during this final week of the year is ignored, quite the opposite.  

Modified Sedans are much similar to Street Stocks, them being stripped out sedans that were sold in Australia.  The engines for Modified Sedans must be from factory, however, can be as large as 4.5 litres. The bodies can also be upgraded from body panels of the same series of automobile.  The most interesting difference I noticed was the wheel and tyre combination.  Unlike the Street Stocks, chunky rubber and off-road wheels are permitted, with tyres being the maximum size of 8 inches or 265mm.

Before you knew it, it was time for the main attraction to begin the nights action.  All the Sprintcars and their teams would head to the centre of the speedway to set their qualifying times. 

Drivers would be pushed out for a few practice laps before coming in again allowing their team to make any adjustments on the car.

​David Donegan would go quickest overall on the 390-metre clay track in his Sprint Pig, followed closely by Corey McCullagh.   

Qualifying would set the grids for the five 10-lap heat races of the night.  Drivers would need to be at the front to score points for a chance to qualify for the main races at the end of the night and therefore have a shot at the overall win. 

The Heat 1 win would go to Jordan Charge, Chris Solomon would win Heat 2, whilst Jacob Smith, Brett Milburn and Grant Anderson would claim victory in Heat 3, Heat 4 and Heat 5 respectively.

Next up would be the bronze, silver and gold shootouts. Four cars on track at a time to determine the how they would start the main event.  Impressively, Bobby Daly and Chris Solomon would transfer all the way from bronze to the gold shootout, battling for the top four spots.  However, it would be Grant Anderson who would go ‘Quicktime’, landing him the pole position spot for the A Main, with Solomon alongside and McCullagh and Daly right behind.

The rest of the field would be set behind them in the A Main or classed into the B and C Main.  Finish in the top 4 in the C Main and you’ll graduate into the B Main.  Finish top 6 in the B Main and you’ve got a shot at the A Main, the final race of the night and the one for the Gold Cup.

Jett Bell would have a comfortable lead in the C Main until a yellow flag bunched up the field.  From then he would unfortunately go backwards until a flat right rear tyre ended his race completely and any chances at advancing into the B Main. 

​That’s sometimes how it goes in Speedway racing.  A certain win is put in jeopardy after a yellow flag and the field being bunched up. The last thing you want sometimes as a driver is a complete reset with only a few laps to go.  This wouldn’t be the last time it happened during the night either.

​Ashley Cook would win the C Main and thus advance into the B Main along with Steven Spark, Grant Stansfield and Tim Van Ginneken. 

​Before the final two Sprintcar races of the night, the Modified Sedans would go head-to-head for Boxing Day glory. 

Despite the packed grid, there was no stopping Brad Wicks, after not only winning both his heat races, but claiming a dominant victory in the main event to claim the Modified Sedan' s Christmas Cup title. Tristian McGraw would claim second followed closely by Kye Walters.

​With the Sprintcars back on track, Michael Tancredi would claim victory in the B Main, advancing to the A Main with the rest of the top 6 setting the field for the 25-lap showdown.

From the drop of the green flag, Grant Anderson and Corey McCullagh would drive away from everyone on the low groove of the track.  Even after a couple of cautions and resets, nothing seemed to phase them.  

McCullagh would however get past Anderson with less than ten laps to go, building a lead.  With only three laps until the chequered, the yellow would be brought out again, meaning there would be one last sprint to the finish.  One the final lap, Brett Milburn would pip Anderson for second. 

​No one would have anything for McCullagh during those final laps, allowing him to claim Gold Cup victory.

Other than holding weekly test and tunes for drag cars and larger themed events throughout the year, ​Heathcote Park Raceway hold what they call the HPR Sportsman Series.  A competition style event held throughout each year, allowing teams to go up against other drivers and vehicles in the same drag racing class in a more casual environment.  The weekend before Christmas, I headed to Heathcote to see what it was all about.

For the first four hours of track action, drivers were given multiple runs to test and tune their cars, find any issues and get a feel for the track conditions. 

Most importantly, it would give the drivers and their cars a base of quarter mile times for the competition in the afternoon, which would be crucial in getting the most out of the DYO format of racing.

Whilst the drag racers were focusing on getting the fastest times they could, setting up their cars for the afternoon's competition, the bogans were making as much noise and clouds as possible, figuring out the best way to destroy rear tyres in the most flamboyant fashion.

DYO (which stands for Dial Your Own) allows the drivers to nominate a time for them to race against instead of racing another car from lights out to the end of the quarter mile, whilst still racing another car. 

So, let's say your best time during the test and tune was 14.1 seconds, you would nominate that as your time.  Which means if you line up against someone with a nominated time of 10.1 seconds, you will get a 4 second head start. 

This allows the racing to be all down to the driver, rather than which car is technically faster. 

After the pre-stage burnout and lining up at the Christmas Tree, the driver needs to focus on getting the best reaction time when the green light flashes.  They're on their own from then on, whilst the other car hunts them down to the line.

The winner is the first to cross the finish line at the end of the quarter mile, however, if the winner goes faster than their nominated time, it is an immediate loss, giving the win to the other competitor.  However, if you think you can go faster than your nominated time, you can change it in between runs.

At the end of the day though, the overall winner will be the most consistent.  The driver who can get the best reaction off the line and most critically, as close to their nominated time as possible without going faster than it.  Your car may be five seconds slower down the strip than the car lining up alongside you, but if you can do all of the above, you're in a good position to stand on the top step of the podium at the end of the day.

Last year, although it doesn’t feel that long ago, I took a brief look at Motorcycle Speedway at the Broadford Motorcycle Complex.  This time around would be a club day held by SSRAV, with not only Speedway motorbikes, but flat track racers and something I’ve wanted to photograph for a while, Sidecars!

First let’s take a closer look at the speedway bikes and flat track racers.  Both types of racing are quite similar, with riders hustling their bikes around a flat dirt oval, leaning into the 180-degree corners, foot to the dirt for stability, centimeters from other riders for a racing blur of four laps.

So, what are the differences? Speedway bikes notoriously are fitted without brakes. The riders powerslide much more aggressively into the corners, and at the rear of their bikes are dirt deflectors to minimise the height of dirt flown up by the rear wheel, which is powered by a 500cc methanol injection engine. 

Flat track bikes however are fitted with brakes and are heavier and more powerful than their slimmer and lighter speedway brothers.  The existence of brakes allows for different cornering techniques more comparable to standard road racing.  Flat track racing originated in the U.S, racing on ovals made of wooden planks.  Post WWII, they would make the switch to dirt for safety.

​Both of these categories of motorbike racing are spectacular to watch, riders dancing with danger, engine between their legs, hanging onto the steering, balancing their bike around others at full throttle for four very fast laps on loose dirt.  However, there was one category I particularly wanted to check out, one that may even be more exciting than motorcycle speedway and flat track in every way. 

These are Speedway Sidecars. This mental sport originated here in Australia, with its popularity stemming from the first Australian Sidecar championship back in 1931 at Exhibition Speedway.   Two bikers ride in unison to keep their sidecar on track with as much traction as possible.  As the rider controls the acceleration and steering of these 1000cc powered sidecars, the passenger moves his body forwards, backwards and from side to side around the rear of the three-wheel sidecar to provide as much rear traction as possible, in the right place at the right time.  

​Often these passengers will be centimetres from the ground, with their left leg being the highest part of their body off the ground.  You must have extreme stamina and quick reflexes to push the rear of the sidecar to the ground to find grip on the loose dirt surface of the speedway. 

Unlike solo speedway, where contact between bikes is forbidden, contact is inevitable with these larger machines, however, you are not allowed to recieve a racing advantage, such as barging another sidecar off the racing line to make an overtake.

Attending SSRAV's club day at Broadford only got me more interested in Solo Speedway and Sidecar racing.  Maybe a trip to Gillman Speedway for the Australian Speedway Championships​ is on the cards?

Think of the best drift circuits in the world and their iconic corners.  Meihan Sportsland and its backwards entry tempting first sweeper, the Irwindale Speedway banking and the late Ebisu Drift Stadium chicane jump towards the pit wall.  These three examples have one thing in common, encouraging drifters to get the rear of their car as sideways as possible, and as close, if not, rubbing onto a concrete wall.  Calder Park's 'Run The Wall' layout at the north end of the national circuit shares this same trait.

One long half circle shaped wall, with the slightest of angled banking where the asphalt meets the concrete.  Drifters not only have to consistently slide with their foot to the floor because of the corner's sweeper-like characteristics, but also be as accurate as possible to get as close to the concrete as possible.  A tricky thing to multitask no doubt. 

I've wanted to photograph this layout since shooting my first drift event back in 2019.  Unfortunately, due to track works on the drag strip (where this layout is located), it hasn't been used since late 2019.  Now though, with the drag strip up and running again, it was time to let rip on a lot of people's favourite  section of Calder Park.​

Before drivers run the infamous wall though, they must navigate this awkward left and right couple of corners.  Many drivers I noticed tiptoed through this section early in the day, the right hander being deceivingly tighter than a simple ninety-degree corner. 

The team at Keep it Reet had also brought along a very special guest all the way from the USA.  FC RX7 connosuir and self-confessed Unproffesional, Hert from Hoonigan would join the action, taking the Reet R32 for a spin throughout the night.

Being such a popular figure in the international car community, he took time throughout the night also for autograph sessions to meet Aussie fans of the grassroots drift master.  I guess the return of a very popular layout and the chance to meet Hert is the reason almost 3500 people came through the Calder Park gate, breaking the attendance record for a Keep it Reet event.

From drifting, car culture merchandise stalls, a very special guest, RC drift cars and a very colourful show and shine, there really was no reason not to be there on Friday night.

The activity on track however was what grabbed most people's attention.  Lots of close tandem action and big sends, all able to be viewed from the grandstands and now even from the infield of the circuit.  The only better seats in the house were the driver's seats themselves.  I also have to mention the AU Drift society, who were out all night in their numbers, side by side throwing it down along the wall, led often by Anthony Romano and Jamie Stevkovski.​

Two of my favourite cars from that first time shooting drifting were back too.  Alex Voigt's now LS swapped Mazda Bravo ute was making lots of smoke as Jamie Mackie's notorious LS swapped XY Falcon was entertaining the spectators in a new camo livery.

Speaking of big old Fords, this XP Falcon was being thrown around within an inch of its life.  Breaking traction and then suddenly gripping up, it looked like a handful to control, but the driver was always able to keep the angry Falcon in check.

Like any drift event, cars will break and get worn out, and this Friday night was no different.  Most of the big damage would come later in the night due to the cooler track temperatures catching people out.

At 9:15, the pits would attempt to become as loud as the track itself, with the Antilag competition.  The loudest cars attempting to turn as much air and fuel into an abundant amount of noise and flames.  I'm not sure which of these monsters was the loudest, all I know is that this FG Falcon and S13 Silvia where particularly bone rattling. 

Keep it Reet's last event of the year would finish like any other.  A classic game of scissors, paper, rock to win some free stickers, and the handing out of awards to those who really set the track alight.  And of course, there needed to be time to pick up any bumpers left by the side of the track after an awesome jam-packed night of enthusiastic drifting and an overall celebration of car culture.