John McCallum: Western Springs Speedway Manager on tonight's races being the last at the stadium

Drivers at Western Springs Speedway will make their final laps tonight after 95 years of racing at the venue. 

After tonight's last set, races will be moved to Onehunga's Waikaraka Park. 

There has been some controversy over the move with claims of a lack of consultation. 

Speedway Manager John McCallum says tickets for the final event are selling quickly. 

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:06):
You're listening to the All Sport Breakfast podcast with Darcy
Waldgrave from News Talk S'B.

Speaker 2 (00:12):
Seventeen minutes after eight. The end of an eraror we're
talking Western Springs, the final night of the speedway. We've
joined now by promoter, longtime guest on this program, John McCallum.

Speaker 3 (00:26):
Good morning, Good morning, Darcy.

Speaker 2 (00:28):
Quite a day for you and Western Springs. It's the
end of an era. The final curtain is being drawn.
Well you even know. Western Springs has been very good
at escaping from death row previously. But for all intents
and purposes, tonight's it isn't it.

Speaker 4 (00:44):
As far as we know, it's it, Darcy, But like
you so rightly point out, it's had more lives than
most cats, and it does raise from the ashes. So
let's see what the future holds. But right now, as
we sit today, this is that tonight.

Speaker 2 (00:56):
Yeah, first and foremost the action of an evening. How
are you celebrating what's been what nearly a century of
race cars?

Speaker 3 (01:05):
Yeah?

Speaker 4 (01:05):
I mean, how do you try jam that into one
one four hour show? But we've got legends from each
the classes from over the years, probably the guest of
honor being vari Briggs, the four times world champion, ninety
year old brigoes he's the important to the occasion. He's
flown down from Los Angeles to be with us tonight
and lots of other guests along the way. They've got
a big car show, but also the stuff going on

(01:26):
to try and make it work.

Speaker 2 (01:27):
Barry Briggs cool Worth entry price alone that I'm saying
that are there any tickets left? Can people still go
or not?

Speaker 3 (01:37):
We're getting pretty close. Yes, they can still go, but
I wouldn't.

Speaker 4 (01:40):
Leave it too late in the day to be getting
to the box office. I think we'll have the house
full sign up in some stays today.

Speaker 2 (01:45):
As far as the feature races, what are we looking at?
What categories are we in?

Speaker 4 (01:50):
So we've got every class running tonight, which we never do,
hence the program meets day jam.

Speaker 3 (01:54):
We've got all the categories on display.

Speaker 4 (01:57):
But the feature feature race, if you like, is called
the Springs ninety six to celebrate ninety six years of
midget racing, ninety six years of speedway.

Speaker 3 (02:04):
Sorry, we have a ninety six lap midget race. Wow?
And how big is the field?

Speaker 2 (02:09):
Mate? How many measures have you got arguing around that dirt?

Speaker 4 (02:13):
We're going to try and roll twenty two out to
start that, and there's a couple of twists in it.
Darcie is firstly to qualify your car for the ninety
six flap race and the time troll you're going to
put a retired driver on. So we had a little
practice on Thursday night at Waikaaka and we saw Wayne
Green hadn't sat in the car for over twenty years.
Leaf Meskovic, sixty eight years of old, hadn't set the

(02:35):
car for thirty five years. The Insley brothers, both former
national champions, back in the.

Speaker 3 (02:40):
Car after twenty years. So those guys are going to
run the qualifying and then the.

Speaker 4 (02:44):
A driver will take over wherever they've qualified them and
they'll run the ninety six slap race.

Speaker 3 (02:49):
Wow, I like that.

Speaker 2 (02:50):
You should have had another twist. Anyone that's completely talented
behind the wheel and has never driven one before, we'll
throw them in the wheel because my hands up, mate.

Speaker 3 (02:58):
Yeah, you'd have a go.

Speaker 4 (03:00):
And of course a midget car won't go ninety six
lap throughund Western Springs, So.

Speaker 3 (03:04):
At the midway point we're going to pull them all.

Speaker 4 (03:05):
Than for a pit stop on the infield in front
of the crowd, they cruise, will come out. They've got
a Formula one style five minutes to throw some fuel
and tires and get right into the driver, I bet,
and line them up and go again.

Speaker 2 (03:18):
It says it staged so you don't lose any time,
or is it just go right back to your start again?

Speaker 3 (03:24):
It is staged. You just your stage.

Speaker 4 (03:26):
You pull it in the order you were running and
then you push off and the order you stopped. And
if we were up to lap forty five, we go
lap forty six, we kicked straight back into it.

Speaker 2 (03:36):
So the main drivers, who are the crowd going to
be looking out for? Who are the weapons coming to
the end? The last kind of teen laps.

Speaker 4 (03:44):
Well, I mean go Michael Pickens, you know ten times
you did on Champion.

Speaker 3 (03:49):
I'm sure he wants to be the last feature win
at Western Springs.

Speaker 4 (03:52):
Brad Mosen's been his career ruining Michael's party.

Speaker 3 (03:55):
I'm sure he wants to do it again tonight.

Speaker 4 (03:57):
Yeah, Rock Masakvis, young Ben Morrison, the new Aukland champion,
Allikinsley one.

Speaker 3 (04:02):
Of the other young guns.

Speaker 4 (04:03):
There's an array of them and the ninety six laps.

Speaker 3 (04:06):
Who knows if anyone could win.

Speaker 2 (04:08):
It, Mosen and Packins. You're right about that. That's been
an amazing brawl for I don't know how long now,
I thing as long as I've moved in Auckland City,
and I think that's what the crowd want to see,
some of the best of all times actually having a
thrash right toward the very end, and I'm thinking that's
probably going to happen. I've just put the kiss of
death on it. Sorry about that.

Speaker 3 (04:27):
John McCullum, Oh, well, what happens happens. That's as they say,
that's racing, Darcy.

Speaker 4 (04:32):
We can't control everything, but we can only set it
up and hopefully we get the grandstad finished we will want.

Speaker 2 (04:37):
And if people can't get there playing to you, just
on a walk up a hill and watch it from
up there. But is there any any other feed anywhere
else they can watch it?

Speaker 3 (04:45):
John? Yeah, we broadcasted on live stream.

Speaker 4 (04:47):
If you go to our web page or old Facebook page,
you can find the live string link and enjoy it
at home with your mates and a few beers and
you'll get to see all the action in the interviews,
the replays everything right in under.

Speaker 2 (04:59):
Now Facebook or what is it? Western Spring Spring Speedway.
What is it?

Speaker 4 (05:02):
Yes, Spring Speedway, Western Springs, any of those will find
it or Australia web page wester Spring Speedwy.

Speaker 2 (05:08):
Wow, it's really quite the night. It really is the
last time while fingers crossed it is, and the last time.
The sound of those cars will echo all over the city.
It's going to be missed. Some people won't, but those
people don't count. We'll miss it. Ay, John McCallum, thanks
very much for joining us here. You have a fantastic evening.

(05:30):
Enjoy it for all of your worth.

Speaker 3 (05:32):
Thank you so much, Darcie. I'm going to make the
very most of it. Thank you you should too.

Speaker 2 (05:36):
Good on your John McCallum sad day for motorsport in
Auckland City, Phil. The only constant is change. Tradition is
the illusion of permanence. Got to move forward, otherwise would
still be in caves. Twenty three minutes after eight.

Speaker 1 (05:54):
For more from the Your Sport Breakfast with Darcy Watergrave,
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