'Confident it will be right': Dirt track doctor gives speedway surface OK

Former Victorian sprintcar driver, now Northern Territory-based Allan Barlee, has been working closely with the Allansford club since early this year to help improve the track, which has been the subject of criticism after the opening two meetings of the season.

Barlee, who works in the earth-moving industry, is a former Australian 360 sprintcar champion (2010) and has been involved in maintenance and redevelopment of tracks all over Australia.

Under Barlee's guidance, Premier Speedway had the track material and water tested before adding some material they found was lacking.

Barlee has been in Warrnambool this week tutoring the club's curators ahead of Max's Race on Saturday, December 19 and will leave on Sunday.

"All I'm here for is the one per cent things, just the little bits of methodology to help them get it so that it's consistent," he told The Standard.

"We've had one show this year where the track after winter was exceptionally wet so it was fairly difficult to prepare. I've now shown them how to dry the track out. Right now we're wetting the track up because it's too dry so there's a whole combination of methodology that you have to do.

"We're hoping that the few things that we've added to it now (work), the guys that are doing it are doing a fantastic job, they're trying to learn on the go. They don't have 40 years of earth-moving experience to fall back on.

"It's just the one per centers, the little tricks of how to finish off the surface before the cars go on it and that sort of thing.

"You can't turn a pig's ear into strawberry jam. But this material here, it's got all the right traits, we just have to train it. Make it work a bit nicer for us."

Barlee said he was working with the curators to find a "middle ground" for Max's Race.

"What they've done from the last meeting until now is due to the fear of rain coming - which was forecast - they've shaped the track and packed the track very hard so that the water doesn't get in. It is just a big sponge. They did the right thing there," he said.

"What I'm doing right now is opening the track back up now, getting rid of some of the compaction and putting more water back in. Because the aim is to have a consistent race surface layer, where the moisture content is even and the compaction is even, so that the race surface just shaves off gradually and doesn't come off in big chunks and doesn't dig big holes."

Barlee, who had raced at Premier Speedway for 25 years before retiring, said daylight saving in Victoria, coupled with Allansford's temperamental climate provided unique challenges for curators.

"Daylight saving is a huge issue for track preparation," he said.

"It's still daylight at 8.30pm at night and it's the hottest part of the day when you've got sprintcars on the track doing time trials and heat races. It's really dicey to put water on the track in the hottest part of the day.

"The wind that comes in off the ocean is another issue. The dew point (is an issue). (Curators have) got to make judgement calls and half an hour later the weather can change."

Damage to tyres has been a common issue for drivers this season however Barlee said it was a nationwide problem due to the softness of the tyres in Australia.

As for a potential full track replacement which could cost hundreds of thousands of dollars, the speedway guru believes it won't be needed.

He said material previously put into the track had just three per cent organics but thanks to the material added, levels were now at nine.

"What I've found to be at other venues, if you can be at 12 maybe 15-ish per cent, it just helps the clay break open, helps it accept water, helps water come back up throughout the night, helps it be friable (shave off gradually)," Barlee said.

"If you haven't got the organics in there you've just got this dense potting clay that once it's there, if it's too soft it deflects, if it's too hard it just turns into a brick.

"So there's still some things that can be done to this material. We'll know by 7.30-8pm tomorrow night how it's going to react to the few little changes that I'll make to their preparation methodology.

"By the end of this weekend I will have used all my ammunition. Then it's up to the club to work out whether or not it's going to be moving forward with this material or not. But I'm confident that it'll be all right."

Premier Speedway held a one-off practice session for several drivers on Friday, December 15 to test the surface.

Barlee hailed the idea because it gave curators an opportunity to try things they wouldn't do on a race night.

He said Premier was going above and beyond to ensure the track was suitable.

"Everyone that works here to get this venue for a race meeting is trying their hardest and wanting to learn and wanting to understand the material," he said.

"We can't do anything about the tyre, we can't do anything about the weather. There are so many factors out of our control.

"And the other one (factor) is the link between the driver's foot and his brain. We're just hoping that the weather gods are going to be sort of kind to us (that) it's not 40 degrees, the wind's not blowing a gale.

"We have a good car count. Management has taken on board some issues with programming - when they put sprintcars on the track and all these sort of things. Everybody's doing everything they can to make it work."