This year’s comeback of the Millicent Show not only witnesses the comeback of the usual sights such as show bags and fairy floss, but the reignition of the spectacle that is Stadium Cross.
The Millicent Show and Stadium Cross event ran by the Mount Gambier Junior Motorcycle Club have gone hand in hand for three decades, so the silence of last year was deafening.
But the fireworks in the sky and on the track will return tomorrow night which kicks off a two-day extravaganza of racing at the heart of the show.
The event is the highlight of the MGJMC calendar and president Richard Humphries said spectators could witness a different style of racing than the usual grass-track events held during the year.
“It is nice a mixture between motocross and supercross,” he said.
“Motocross is more of an open and fast style of racing whereas Stadium Cross is tighter sections with big jumps.
“It is a smaller track without the extreme jumps and produces nice, tight racing.
“Having the rides in the background and to race under lights in front of a good atmosphere from the crowd is also very cool
“So it is a very big spectacle and we look forward to it every year.”
After so many missed the buzz of racing last year, Humphries said entries were looking strong considering the continual challenge for Victorian riders to participate.
“We have been pretty lucky with COVID in South Australia, so we are looking at having around 170 to 190 bikes which will be an awesome achievement for the sport in our region,” he said.
“Anywhere from 150 to 200 riders it is always jam-packed with just 11 classes and 25 gates available.
“It brings a lot of people from out of town bringing money into the region, so it is a ripper weekend in many ways.”
Practice and three rounds kick off the action on Friday night followed by another three rounds on Saturday.
The main event is the Dale Teagle Memorial Race which is a 15-lap feature event containing the top scoring expert riders and top three MX1, MX2 and Women’s riders.
The race is in honour of Teagle, who “built the track off his own back” in the 90’s and the trophy bearing his name is highly sought after with many big names nominated this year in a bid to get their hands on it.
“We have some big riders signed up already including the top three in the state,” Humphries said.
“We have Brett Metcalfe who has been in a top five rider in America for a long time and is certainly fast.
“Mitch Norris and Daniel Banks and a few others from Adelaide are coming down.
“There are plenty of strong locals like Brad Thompson and Brad Ross will be chasing them down on a familiar track.”
There will be a new winner of the Dale Teagle Memorial Race with 2019 champion Zach Wright unable to race due to the border restrictions in place.
It has been a significant undertaking for the club to get race-ready with a series of working bees and practice sessions ensuring the track will be in tip-top shape this weekend.
Humphries said the surface was primed for a huge weekend.
“The track has come up very well and REM has done a great job,” he said.
“The weather looks to be perfect, so the biggest thing will be trying to keep the moisture in the track to keep the dust down so it is friendly for everyone.
“We will even have a big screen there with a cameraman sending a live-stream to the Facebook page.
“We invested a lot into this event and it is great the public can support it and watch some good racing.”
