Speedway Power Off; Last Meeting Today

Press, Volume CVIII, Issue 31654, 15 April 1968, Page 12

Speedway Power Off; Last Meeting Today

A dangerously slippery track, fallen pine trees, and lack of electric power forced officials to postpone the final speedway meeting of the season, which was to have been held at Templeton on Saturday night.

Gangs of competitors and officials worked throughout Friday and Saturday in an effort to clear the fallen trees and repair the damage in time for the meeting, but to no avail. The surface material of the crusher dust track was too slushy to be graded and without electricity it was impossible to run the meeting It will now be held at 2 p.m this afternoon and will feature the final rounds of the South Island speed-car and stock rod championships led respectively by R. T Hall and .1. Annan. A full programme of supporting events for motor-cycles, three-quarter midget cars and side-cars will be held during the meeting,

the first to be run in daylight this season. If the electricity was not restored in time there would be no great problem, the president of the Christchurch Speedway Association (Mr R. Lang) said yesterday. It was hoped to have an alternative generating system for the public address system and other essential services, although the power board had assured him that the faults would be rectified in time for the meeting Damage from the storm had been surprisingly light, Mr Lang said. Apart from being water logged, the track was unbroken and in the floodlighting system suspended above the track only eight bulbs and one shade were broken. A tree fell across the power lines leading into the stadium. About six large pine trees fell around the stadium during the storm and these have been cleared by competitors and officials.