Club's vow: New track surface to 'restore our proud reputation'

The Allansford-based club anticipates spending upwards of $100,000 to "restore our proud reputation".

Orange clay, sourced locally in south-west Victoria, will replace the black clay circuit which has been under the microscope throughout the season after the Easter sprintcar trail finale on Sunday, March 31.

"Over the past three years since the introduction of the black-coloured clay, the club's reputation has been impacted as a result," the club said in a statement.

"The change of clay allows us the opportunity to restore our proud reputation and ensure Premier Speedway remains a leading speedway venue in Australia."

Premier Speedway general manager Michael Parry told The Standard the extensive work, which will begin on Monday, April 1 and take at least a week, was a financial step the club needed to take.

Parry said it would be a combination of club volunteers and "a lot of external contractors with the right equipment and trucks" who would oversee the alterations.

"It is an estimate. We're trying to do a structured approach, hence it will be done over a week rather than trying to get it done over a couple of days," he said.

"We'll take our time and make sure the new material we extract is what we want.

"It (the money) comes out of club funds. The Grand Annual Sprintcar Classic is our revenue generator for the season, so the profits from that will be absorbed into this and I guess the club is fortunate with its history that we are able to fund it.

"We don't need to go into any debt but, like any club, it's not an endless supply so down the track when we want to do some venue improvements, it's money we now have to try and recoup."

Visibility was a crucial factor in deciding on a new surface.

The orange clay, "found only eight kilometres away from Premier Speedway", would help both drivers and volunteers.

"From a safety side, when there were ruts and things, drivers were saying, coupled with the speed they do, that they can't actually see them (on the black clay)," Parry said.

"From our safety crew's side of things, it's hard to locate debris. They're a couple of safety things a lighter colour will eliminate."

Parry said the orange clay - similar to what has been used in the past - would also help against the elements.

"Going from a dark colour to a lighter colour clay should help us, particularly in Victoria with daylight saving, with the heat," he said.

"A dark colour absorbs the heat so we're hoping a lighter colour clay might not bake the track as much."