champion speedway opens may 15th
Great News for local racing fans…Champion Speedway in Owego will open its doors for its 47th Anniversary year, Saturday, May 15th, at 7pm, with the East Coast Patrick Ahlund Championship/USSGP Qualifier! Fans will be welcomed in the stands but social distancing guidelines will be in place.
The racing promises to be the best it has been in recent years and the sport looks to be making a strong comeback with a full Division 1 field already signed up for the Opener. Among the riders committed to race the Opener are regulars…current track Champion, Spencer Portararo, of Maine, who was the top NY scorer in the US Open National last season, Lenny McBride of Windsor, who has 4 Track Titles, Dave, Jonny, Dan and Dalton Oakden of Rochester, Dave Clark of Newark Valley, Keith Hawkins of Nichols, Alex Heath and Brian Hollenbeck of Owego, Jesse Diem of Apalachin, Mike Cortese Jr of New Jersey be looking to make an impact at the famous track this season while a few rides by veteran heroes like Tuff McBride, Mike Robinson and more, are in the works! Watch out for Andy Kourafas, Trenton Lane and Caleb Stewart who are very promising riders that put on a great show in the Support Division last summer. A large turnout of new adult and JR riders have been seen at practice sessions recently and there seems to be a resurgence going on in the sport.
The ATV turnout was very strong last year and is expected to keep growing. Local pros Shane Smith, Donnie Archibald, Stoney Ray, Chris Merwin, Dan Hawk, Dylan Hawk, Lonnie Whitmore, Toby Relyea, Tony Hanbury and Bruce Stauder are just some of the names that will figure in on the action! The Quad program grew to such large numbers that a new track for ATV’s and Karts is being constructed in the back parking lot area. An all-new BMX course is under construction at Champion currently as well.
The tracks promotion team will also be operating races at Action Park East, Champion’s sister track, in Greene, New York, with an opening date of May 29th.
The Friday night dirt go-kart races will be promoted by Brian Mills from Deposit, NY. A special schedule of kart racing on Saturdays will also be happening at Action Park East and will be headed by Brandon Clapperton.
Action Park East and Champion will play host to the US Open Championships Memorial Day weekend and also the US National Championships Labor Day weekend. A 3-day Monster Truck event will run at Champion Speedway Oct 1,2 and 3.
Start time for Saturday for the ATV races is 4pm. The Speedway Show begins at 7pm. More information can be found at www.eastcoastspeedway.com or www.speedwaybikes.com
Speedway Motorcycle Racing in the US by RC Jones
www.speedwaybikes.com
US Speedway Motorcycle Racing. Riders profiles, race results, and schedules. Tons of photos and a For Sale section. On the internet since 1995.
East Coast Speedway
www.eastcoastspeedway.com
Champion Speedway began in 1975. It immediately became an entertainment star with its “Sunday Night Speedway” program attracting thousands of spectators weekly.