By Ryan Grubb Plans to stage a special speedway meeting at the Newcastle Showground this Tuesday night have been abandoned.
Promoter Graeme Boyd made the call on Sunday afternoon after inspecting the Showground to find a waterlogged track, and a forecast of more rain over coming days.
Instead of holding out and hoping for an improvement in the weather Boyd decided on an early call rather than run the risk of a last-minute decision after competitors and fans had travelled to Newcastle.
Track preparation is always an onerous task for a meeting at the venue and Boyd acknowledged rain on Sunday had already increased the workload to get the track ‘just right’.
“I certainly did not want a situation where some of Australia’s best riders were not able to be seen at their best on a poorly prepared, or even dangerous track” Boyd said.
The meeting was to have given Newcastle fans the chance to see local stars including Jason Doyle, Sam Masters and Rohan Tungate, fresh from their Australian Championship success, along with sidecar legend Darrin Treloar and American and Japanese riders preparing for the Troy Bayliss Classic meeting next weekend.