Speedway & NASR Background

The sport of dirt track and asphalt automobile and motorcycle racing in Australia on small, enclosed, circular tracks can be traced, in embryonic form at least, to the 1900's however it was during the 1920's that it really became popular with world famous tracks opening such as the Sydney Showground and West Maitland in NSW, Wayville Showground in SA, Claremont Showground in WA, Kardinia Park and Melbourne Exhibition in Vic and the Brisbane Exhibition in Qld.

The first official Speedcar or 'Midget car' event held in Australia was staged at Melbourne's Olympic Park on December 15, 1934 under rules and regulations of the Midget Car Drivers Association whose name was later changed to the Victorian Speedcar Drivers' Association. The Victorian Speedcar Championship was inaugurated in April 1935 and still stands as the second oldest Speedcar race in the world behind the American Thanksgiving Grand Prix held in November 1934.

The Victorian club also organised the first Australian championship however as Speedcar racing spread interstate the official national title is difficult to trace as each rival track and sanctioning body held their own title in each state, this continued even after a national body was formed.

Speedway was revitalised with the introduction of crash and bash Stock Car racing in the mid 1950's and the first meeting at the Sydney Showground drew an estimated crowd 40,000 spectators. Lightweight Stock Rod/Hot Rod/Sportsman/Super Modified/Modified racing began in the early 1960's and later evolved in to Sprintcar racing while the heavier version developed into V8 Dirt Modifieds.

Meanwhile the mighty midgets enjoyed a golden era during the 60's that is still revered today. In December 1964, the Sun newspaper wrote that speedway racing was now the second most watched summer spectator sport behind first-class horse racing, easily out doing cricket, tennis, athletics, trotting and greyhound racing.

Sedans took over as the number one category in Australia during the 1970's racing on dirt and paved tracks while Sprintcars developed towards the end of the decade and really flourished in the 1980's, so much so that a national series was organised to really showcase the division. Branded the Australian Sprintcar Championship Series (ASC Series) we now know it as World Series Sprintcars.

The 70's also witnessed TQ's (small versions of Speedcars) morph into a number of classes such as Three Quater Midgets, Micro Midgets/Sprints, Junior/Compact Speedcars, Grand Prix Midgets, Mini Sprints, V6 Sprints, Litre Cars and Formula 500's. Along the journey many sedan categories developed however only five are controlled by the Australian Saloon Car Federation (Speedway Sedans Australia); Super Sedans, Modified Production Sedans, Production Sedans, Street Stocks and Junior Sedans.
 
Traditionally speedway's administration has been fragmented across various sanctioning and category groups but that changed with the formation of NASR in 1997. NASR has worked hard to develop unified standards in safety, training, presentation and performance, improve the profile and standardise and develop management skills at all levels.

In 2006 NASR was ratified by the FIA, through CAMS, as the internationally recognised controlling body of speedway racing in Australia, becoming the first speedway body anywhere to achieve FIA delegation of authority. Today speedway racing offers a cosmopolitan smorgasbord of racing to wet the appetite of any motor sport enthusiasts or to provide a fun family night out.

The main national classes today are 360 Sprintcars, AMCA Nationals, Compact Speedcars, Formula 500's, Junior Sedans, Junior Quater Midgets, Late Model Sedans, Litre Cars, Modified Production Sedans, Production Sedans, Speedcars, Sprintcars, Street Stocks, Super Sedan, V8 Dirt Modifieds as well as Classic/Vintage demonstrations. There are many other state classes, that NASR hopes to unite in the future.

The corporate structure of the organisation includes a company and an incorporated association both operating under the direction of a common board (NASR Board). Each state has an incorporated state branch to which tracks and competitor clubs and associations belong. There is National Council under which the state branches come together to identify, and take part in, the process of rationalisation and development of common policies and procedures.

NASR has its own office building in Norwood South Australia and has a growing and enthusiastic professional team of staff to fulfil its function as an effective and efficient governing body for speedway. Within its company structure NASR franchises out World Series Sprintcars and has direct involvement in running the National Super Sedan Series in partnership with the ASCF/SSA.

WSS celebrates its 20th anniversary in season 2006/07 and is well known in motorsport community for providing an exciting and well organised show. The annual championship series conducts itself to the highest profile and is one of the most successful events on the calendar. Meanwhile the fledgling NSSS continues to grow in stature and prestige.

A national licensing system has been introduced and currently 9,745 members are licensed to the peak body. It is expected that this figure will continue to grow. NASR has developed a comprehensive Public Liability Insurance Program that acts as the last line of defence in NASR’s Risk Management Program, which includes track inspections, track risk audits, a track operator’s manual and safety training. NASR has also developed a solid Personal Accident Insurance Program for all members to take advantage of.

NASR, as the peak body in Australian Speedway, is constantly working diligently as an industry advocate and plays a vital role in representing the speedway industry in discussions with other major motor sport organisations, Government bodies and external regulators.

Speedway is "The Best Kept Secret in Australia" for potential sponsors as the many millions of fans will attest. There are over 12,500 participants in the various forms of Speedway throughout Australia. Tracks and promoters spend millions of dollars a year on advertising events and track upgrades while competitors have hundreds of millions of dollars invested into their equipment and their own businesses that support various categories of speedway as well as other auto racing and automotive industries.

Speedway Racing, in all forms and divisions, (except Solo and Sidecar racing which is controlled by Motorcycling Australia) is the centre focus of NASR as it serves as the nucleus and controlling body for over 60 track operators, 15 sanctioning bodies and almost 10,000 members comprising of drivers, car owners, crew, officials, media, safety team members and fire fighting workers offering a single point of contact for the industry.

Facts About NASR

NASR takes its legal compliance and governance obligations very seriously, and would like to reiterate to both its members and to the general speedway racing community that it does not and will not engage in any form of illegal anti-competitive behavior.

NASR and Speedway Racing in Australia

· NASR was formed in 1997 to operate as the governing body for speedway racing in Australia. As a single point of contact for speedway racing, NASR works together with the sport's stakeholders in developing a united approach to the overall management of the sport. As part of this, a national licensing system was introduced for NASR members.

· NASR's Mission Statement is to ensure unity, leadership, and direction for speedway racing in Australia by developing standards in safety, training, presentation and performance, improving the profile of the sport and establishing a promotional image for the industry.

Some of NASR's achievements to date include:

· Establishing speedway racing's first and only national peak body for all of speedway, providing a single point of contact for the entire sport of speedway racing.

· Creating a single national licence, transferable between all recognised classes.

· Making available general insurance discounts to NASR members, and developing additional specialist insurance products of both liability and personal accident insurance for competitors, crew members, officials and race facilities.

· Practising risk management for the safety of all participants and the public and for the continuance of reasonable insurance premiums, benefiting all of its members.

· Development of a Track Operators Manual for the successful conduct of events

· Development of industry minimum track standards

· Introducing common National Racing Rules and Regulations for racing divisions to utilise.

· Developing a code of conduct together with policies and procedures.

· Introducing a National Junior Driver Development program.

· Creating and offering speedway racing competitor’s promotional materials to help raise the professionalism of the sport, such as Autograph cards.

· Creating and managing NASR National Safety Training seminars in each state.

· Creating a National Media Accreditation process for NASR tracks to manage and process national, state, and local media representatives.

· Owns and supervises World Series Sprintcars

· Owns and operates National Super Sedan Series

· Development and implementation of National Drug and Alcohol Policy

· Formation of the Speedway Safety Advisory Committee

· By becoming NASR members, speedway racing competitors have access to the governing rules and judicial procedures of NASR, are given the ability to participate in the future development of the sport, and can make a contribution towards the overall management of the sport and the public perception of speedway racing.

NASR Licences

· NASR licences are issued on the condition that licence holders abide by the provisions and rules of NASR. Once a licence is granted, NASR licence holders are entitled to race in all categories recognised and sanctioned by NASR (so long as the licence is granted for racing in that category). This position is taken by NASR to ensure that the highest safety standards possible are maintained in the sport of speedway racing in Australia.

· NASR provides personal accident insurance coverage to its licence holders as a member benefit. NASR is entitled to negotiate insurance for its members and provide such cover as a component of its licence. NASR licence holders are also free to obtain alternative insurance from other providers.

· However, NASR licence holders will only be entitled to make a claim under one policy should they become injured while racing NASR-sanctioned categories. Further, if they are injured while racing in a category not officially recognised by NASR, NASR licence holders will be unable to make a claim under the insurance coverage provided by NASR.

· Where a speedway event at a racing track is a NASR event, and NASR is providing racing services to drivers by allowing them to compete in the NASR event, NASR is entitled to state that all drivers competing in the NASR event are required to have a valid NASR licence.

· Please note that NASR licence holders are still free to race in non-NASR events. NASR licence holders are also entitled to purchase additional insurance from any insurance provider of their choice, and are free to join any other organisation affiliated with speedway racing.

Categories and Divisions of Speedway Racing in Australia

· NASR already recognises approximately 100 different speedway categories/divisions of speedway racing in Australia in which licensed competitors can race.

· All of the recognised classes comply with the minimum safety requirements outlined in NASR's risk management policies. These policies have been developed in order to ensure the safety of everyone involved in speedway racing, including competitors, officials and mechanics as well as the general public.

· For these reasons, as well as to ensure that divisions are appropriately monitored and managed, NASR has developed a policy of only accepting new classes of speedway racing once a complete proposal in the form of a business plan, meeting all of the criteria specified by NASR, is submitted. In order to ensure that classes have an adequate number of participants so that the sport as a whole remains competitive, NASR expects that new classes should have adequate competitor numbers before they are recognised.

· The NASR policy in relation to new racing categories helps to ensure consistency in the sport of speedway racing, and to ensure that speedway racing as a sport is as safe as possible.

· NASR does not seek to prevent NASR licence holders from participating in racing categories other than those officially sanctioned by NASR. NASR licence holders are free to participate in any category of racing that they choose, whether recognised by NASR or not, and are also free to purchase a licence from any speedway racing organisation of their choice.
However, should NASR licence holders wish to participate in a category of racing not approved by NASR, they are not entitled to participate under their NASR licences.
Further, if NASR licence holders are injured while racing in a category not officially recognised by NASR, they will be unable to make a claim under the insurance coverage provided by NASR.

Speedway Racing Tracks in Australia

· Approximately 60 speedway racing tracks in Australia are insured under the public liability insurance scheme administered by NASR.

· Approximately 40 – 50 speedway racing tracks in Australia are not insured by the NASR public liability scheme, depending upon their current operating status.

· A claim in respect of the personal accident insurance offered as a benefit to NASR licence holders is able to be made for any NASR-recognised category of speedway racing occurring at any recognised speedway track, regardless of whether or not that track participates in the public liability insurance scheme administered by NASR.

· Individual speedway racing tracks are entitled to determine the criteria upon which drivers race at their venues.

Speedway & NASR Background sources: NASR archives, Speedway a Go Go and Speedway Superstars by James Cockington, A History of Australian Speedway by Jim Shepherd.