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Added: 19 Dec 2012 |
Category: Past Oval Racing |
Festive Meetings |
As we come ever closer to the festive period, I thought I’d write a quick piece to reflect on the Christmas meetings and what I make of them.
For many a year when I was younger, boxing day meant one thing, The big two match on boxing day, then as I got older and started NIF2 that changed and it became about the Festive meeting at Nutts Corner Raceway, that changed again in 2007 and now it’s back to the big two match.
In the pre NIF2 era, I was simply an F2 fan, and if they weren’t on, I wasn’t there, so I don’t have a lot of memories to draw on from festive meetings at other tracks to draw on, other than things I covered with NIF2.
When I think back of the festive meetings I’ve attended, it’s hard to think of many stand out moments. In 2002 boxing day was my first meeting with my own digital camera, I think it about 8MB of memory and took around 12 photos. It snowed in 2002 and the infield was white, I recall there was a patch of the track which kept frozen and it was resolved in the simpliest of methods with Ian Thompson getting salt from the burger van to thaw it out.
In the mid naughties, there was a Saloon Championship took place at Nutts Corner Raceway and provided a decent turn out of saloons while other classes struggled with numbers.
You’d have seen all sorts of cars appearing and running with whatever was the closest class as drivers tried to get a bit of out of season track time. You’d also see any amount of cars out with numbers scored out and you’d no idea who was racing them.
In more recent the Van Bangers and Robins Irish Championship at Nuttscorner Oval as well as the Winter Nationals at Ballymena Raceway have brought a bit more hype around festive meetings.
This festive season sees boxing day action at Nutts Corner Raceway with F2’s, 1300 Saloons, Juniors and Super 1600’s. Sunday 29th will see the first festive meeting at Tullyroan Oval, where there is currently (at the time of writing) 17 Big Vans booked in for their Van-dalism meeting. The Robins will race for their Irish Championship and 2.0 Hot Rods, Lightning Rods, ProStocks and Junior Productions complete a six formula line up.
Ballymena plays host to the Winternationals on New Years day with the National Hot Rods headlining the bill alongside Stock Rods, Junior Rods and Gp 2 Lightning Rods.
That just leaves me to wish you, my readers, a Merry Christmas!
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