Sport
10 April, 2026
Success on and off the clay
NIGHT three of the Easter Trail last Sunday signalled the end of what has been hailed a successful 2025/26 season for Warrnambool’s Premier Speedway.
The Warrnambool track has hosted 11 race meetings (including two, three-day events), with the season running from last November through to April 5, and has welcomed some of the best Sprintcars, Modified Sedans, Street Stocks, Super Sedans, Formula 500s, Speedcars, Wingless, Super Rods and juniors.
“Our season has been outstanding; the positivity and the overall vibe at the club is amazing,” incoming general manager at Premier, Rikki Stewart said.
“Easter Sunday was fantastic for us as a club. It was the perfect ending to an amazing season here in Warrnambool.
“The crowd was solid and the competitor numbers were solid despite the current fuel crisis.”
Stewart said the club was grateful for the support of the general public, as well as each competitor, for their support throughout the year.
“We came together as a club and steered the ship to another successful season at Sungold Stadium,” he said.
“Having started the season without a general manager, it was heartening to see the amount of support we received; people understood that we were in a transition period and supported us along the way.
“Crowd numbers were up on each meeting this year and the racing was superb.”
Stewart said he believed all the “little changes that were made in the off season have improved our product massively” and the team will continue to build off the back of what was a successful season at Premier Speedway.
“Moving forward, we’re looking to continue building the positive vibe, making the venue a happy place and somewhere that families and competitors want to attend,” he said.
“We will continue to improve on our race surface; this season has been as consistent as I can remember in my time at the club.”
According to Stewart, the club now aims to install a permanent, large screen TV at the venue which will offer replays and clear footage for everyone at the venue.
They are also looking at adding extra corporate boxes, giving the public an opportunity to utilise a box on race nights.
“We have several projects listed but some of these may take a few years to complete,” he said.
“We’re looking at ways to increase our overall capacity in the venue, making it safer while offering our paying public a better experience.”
Stewart said he was grateful for the opportunity to become the next general manager of Premier Speedway and was excited for what the future holds.
The club will host its end-of-season dinner at the Warrnambool Racecourse on Saturday, May 16.
