My First Australian Sprintcar Championship

Don't Mind Me Dusting the Cobwebs Off

Yeah start writing some blogs pieces ZP, great idea... 4 months after writing my first introductory piece and 5 half finished pieces later here's some words about the my first Australian Sprintcar Championship as a photographer as I saw it through my own eyes.

The Battleground on the Mighty Murray

Being a not very travelled Sydneysider it was an eye opener trekking a third of the way across the country through flat open plains and little deserts to a place where dirt lawns is the most common aesthetic and the air is dryer than our hottest North Westerly fuelled 40 degree days in Sydney. In amongst these things you will find the oasis that is Murray Bridge, aptly named with its big old bridge across the even bigger and older Murray River. Nearly a stone throw away from both the town and river you will find the old school, country colosseum that is Murray Bridge Speedway that is as a venue as photogenic as they come despite its arid climate.

Finally, Some Atmosphere

Without being too critical of my home track and potentially pissing some people off in writing this. It has been hard not to think that the racing over the Christmas/New Years have essentially been high paying club shows with entry lists that have been made up of mostly our club day regulars with the exception of American Kalib Henry who was later joined by Cole Macedo and a few of the interstators on their way from Toowoomba to Premier. I say that with the utmost respect to our local racers and in no way am I disparaging the quality of the racing that we got to witness at the Sydney venue as it was as good as you would have seen anywhere in the country at the time. There is just an atmosphere that you get at these big events that you only get with the auras of the big name teams and drivers that proves there is no replacement for star power.

Time Trials, Nowhere to Hide

I really don’t understand the hate time trials get. The clock doesn’t discriminate or play favorites—it simply demands everything a driver and their car have to give, leaving nowhere to hide. This event’s time trial session was no different, as drivers battled the tricky cushion forming three-quarters up the track, creating some spectacular moments.

But this part of the event remains a contentious one among fans, and I just don’t get why. Especially with a two-heat format. It seems like fans always want more, more, and more. If they’re not complaining about a single-heat format that should be two, they’re arguing that it should be a three-heat format instead of two heats and time trials. Time trials are here to stay, and thankfully so. With the rising cost of racing, something has to give, and I think we’d all rather see healthier car counts than another set of heats where more equipment and tyres get torn up.

To be Frank? Wait who is Frank?

Shit happens hey. It is rare that us as fans can be afforded a "perfect" event. Infact its more often than not that we are witness to the exact opposite. Every venue and every event has its issues that can and can't be predicted. Statistically it is impossible to stay on top of all of the variables as humans to produce the perfect event every time. That being said I feel like it would be rather one eyed of myself to at least not touch on the shortcomings of Friday night and corresponding fallout that followed.

Mob Justice or a Show of the Sports Greatest Issue?



I’m all for organizations and sporting bodies being held accountable, whether they are volunteers or paid workers. But where does the line exist between holding the sport accountable for poor performance and making the sport look worse by acting like a hate-fueled rabble, tearing apart a venue and the sports officials online? When does the crossover occur, where the issue of event management is overshadowed by the public reaction, which portrays us as a bunch of drunk toddlers throwing tantrums and making questionable, barely legible attacks and comments on social media?

It has to be said that the team at Murray Bridge did an outstanding job repairing the fence. The equipment was there and ready, everyone knew what had to be done, and within less than an hour, we were in a position where the fence was fully repaired. It’s an untenable argument, in my opinion, that anything regarding the repair could have been done better. The whole team involved should be commended with the highest regard for their efforts in carrying out the repairs.

So it wasn’t the fence repair, well, sort of... A delay is a delay, no matter how quickly it’s resolved. Everyone has seen the public discourse, thanks to the very public shaming of the events from Friday night, driven by the usual suspect chasing the monetization of his content. In my opinion, there wasn’t one singular cause of the outcome that saw the night cut short after three laps of the B main. Instead, several factors created the perfect storm that led to an untenable scenario for the event to continue. The fence delay, debates over the curfew, cars not being ready on the grid when the fence was repaired (even after the repair team had informed the relevant parties well in advance), two drivers' meetings, and track reworks all contributed to what was certainly not an ideal first night of a national title.

Why did this happen? At this point, it doesn’t really matter. The damage is done, the social media mobs get their hits of dopamine and likes to give themselves the warm fuzzies that they only get from tearing down the efforts of the people involved in this sport. How does the sport stop this from happening again? As I mentioned earlier, no event is perfect. There’s a laundry list of contributing factors that lead to an event being successful, many of which are beyond human control. One thing is for sure: no one who had any control over what happened on Friday night wanted to see it unfold the way it did, and you can bet your bottom dollar that everyone will be taking stock to ensure it doesn’t happen again. As they say, a mistake is only a mistake if you don’t learn from it.

A Display of Putting Your Best Foot Forward

Everyone was a little jarred mentally from the way the night before unfolded but the show must go on. Saturday was a new day, but as new days come, they also bring new challenges.

The heat was relentless, with an arid 38-degree day testing everyone—from the track prep crew to the teams, volunteers, and spectators on the hill. The field was certainly worse for wear after night one, with several scratchings and overnight rebuilds. But the cream of the crop was still there, ready to go to war for A1.

The Crowds Arrived

The Friday crowd was excellent, the best I have seen since the final meeting at Archerfield. Saturday still put Friday to shame. Despite all of the issues the night before the atmosphere was amazing with standing room only in a lot of places that would certainly contribute to a few issues in myself finding a spot later on to shoot the A main from the spectator side of the fence.

Big Meeting Energy

There is a lot that goes into making a race meeting memorable. A lot of them incredibly cliche like fireworks but they work. I feel like all of the boxes where ticked on Saturday night in terms of presenting and Australian Championship and the vibe in the crowd reflected that.

The Gamble

Yes, it’s been done, I know. Gavin Skene set the trend with his shots from the scissor lift at Premier Speedway several years ago, capturing an awesome photo of the top three taking the flag. Nakita Pollock has also pulled it off with great success multiple times at the same event. That’s the downside of being late to the game, I guess—with both of them working so hard to find new angles, it’s inevitable that I’ll end up walking a path where their footprints were first. It’s frustrating to constantly judge myself that way, but it is what it is when there’s only a handful of us willing to look at an infield full of photographers and think, “Yeah, there’s enough of us here to cover the event for the track if I mess this up by going outside the fence and get nothing.” at such a critical part of the event. But there’s more to it than just getting the shot. When I went for the same angle at Archerfield during the final ever show at the venue, it gave me such a unique insight into how the crowd and atmosphere tied into the racing. It was something I hadn’t experienced since I was a fan myself, sitting in the stands. That night became one I’ll cherish for the rest of my life.

Fun Runs

Now for the fun part, navigate the packed spectator hill and people leaving the venue to get on to the track for podium presentations. Shout out to the flaggy for letting me jump the old gate to get on to the track!

A Weekend of Highs and Lows

I think we can all agree that over those two days, we saw both the best and worst outcomes this sport can produce, something that no doubt left people feeling some type of way about Murray Bridge and Sprintcar racing. Personally, my own efforts behind the camera were shaped by that same contrast. I don’t travel well alone, and the 2,500km round trip absolutely scared the shit out of me. 13 hours each way with nothing but me, myself, and I. But nothing ventured, nothing gained. Sitting in my hotel room on Saturday morning, I didn’t know what to think. Had I seriously just spent money traveling a third of the way across the country, spent money I was never going to make back in photo sales, for what we saw on Friday night? It didn’t matter. I was there, and there was no turning back. Charge the batteries and hope for a better day. And we got that. Saturday was everything a premier event should be. A night that made pushing through both the sport’s and my own personal lows more than worth it. A weekend of contrasts. A weekend of trials. A weekend of racing. But most importantly for myself a weekend that was the first Australian Sprintcar Championship I got cover with a camera and no matter the outcome that is an opportunity I will be forever grateful for.

If you got this far shoot me a message on what you think, if I am out of line, I you agree or if you think I should honestly just stick to taking photos or hell if I should not take photos at all!

Thanks for reading

ZP