Willowbank Raceway regrets to announce the cancellation of next week’s round two of the New Year Series, scheduled for Friday the 14th and Saturday the 15th of January.
The Willowbank Raceway Management Committee made the decision earlier today after reviewing the state of the Raceway following the extreme weather situation of the past month, in conjunction with the serious weather forecasts for the coming seven days.
Willowbank Raceway Managing Director Steve Bettes said the decision had been made with the best interests of the competitors, spectators and officials in mind and after extensive consultation with weather forecast providers.
“This is an unprecedented decision in Willowbank’s history, but it is also an unprecedented situation in which we find ourselves,” said Bettes.
“Over the past month the state of Queensland has been hit hard, with news programs estimating that 200,000 Queenslanders have been affected by flooding.
“In the surrounding areas, roads continue to be cut and rivers flooded, with many competitors unable to make it to Round One of the New Year Series due to floods in their home towns.
“It is likely that if the event were to continue next weekend, many competitors vying for results in the ANDRA Pro Series and Rocket Allstars Series would be unable to compete and therefore disadvantaged through no fault of their own.
“The Raceway’s grounds are sodden from the previous weeks of rain, and the risk of damage to the facility is high.
“With the forecasted extreme weather to come over the next seven days, I can only see the situation in our local area worsening.
“The Management Committee resolved to make this decision one week out from our start date in an attempt to lessen the impact on our racers – with many travelling from across the country – and our officials and spectators.
“Hopefully, those planning to travel will be able at this stage to recover travel costs, minimising the financial impact upon themselves, something which would not be possible if this decision was left closer to the Event start.
“It is with sadness that this decision has been made, but we believe it to be the right one.”
Fans who have pre-purchased tickets to Round Two will be automatically refunded, please send any enquiries to admin@willowbank-raceway.com.au
Willowbank Raceway is Queensland’s premier drag racing facility and hosts four major drag racing events each year – the two-round New Year Series in January, the Australian Top Fuel Championships in March and the Castrol EDGE Winternationals in June. The Queen’s Birthday event is the largest drag racing event outside of the US and is the season finale for the ANDRA Pro Series calendar.
