Redeveloped speedway lights up Bordertown
International dirt-track racing competitions and light shows will come to Bordertown after a major redevelopment of the Tolmer Speedway.
The $3 million-plus redevelopment was completed in June 2024 and saw the old track ripped up and replaced with a new state-of-the-art facility featuring ultra-high-performance LED lighting from VAILO.
The new track is suited to all speedway classes, from sedans to 410 Sprint Cars, and there are hopes of attracting both national and international drivers.
Speedway racer Patrick Merrett, who is a member of Tolmer Speedway, said the upgraded speedway will put Bordertown on the map and make it “not just another town along the highway between Adelaide and Melbourne”.
“It’s right on the edge of the highway, so everyone sees it when they’re driving past,” he said.
“I think our population is only about 3000 people, so to have such a marquee track of Australia in Bordertown, it’s going to bring tourists to our town.
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“We’re anticipating getting crowds from 3000 to 10,000 people, so when our population is only 3000, it’s going to be quite big for the town.”
Merrett said the old track was replaced due to safety concerns, including a deteriorating catch fence.
He said the new track is an exact replica of the I-55 Raceway in Missouri, USA, considered to be one of the best in the world.
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“We thought if we recreate one of the best in America in Australia, it’ll be a big draw card to the town,” Merrett said.
“We GPS scanned the track over in America and then we were able to put that information into the tractors and graders to do it exactly the same – so it’s to a T.”
Besides replacing the old track with a wider, reshaped track, the project also involved installing a new wall and catch fence, new underground services and an upgrade to switchboards.
Funds raised for the project came from the Tatiara District Council, the South Australian government, the Tolmer Speedway Club and donations from local and statewide businesses.
Merrett, who is director of Bordertown Pumps and Refrigeration, installed the new signal lights and track lighting, which will “sparkle” for light shows.
The lighting system was custom-designed by VAILO, owned by 40 Under 40 alumnus Aaron Hickmann, to achieve an average of over 600 horizontal lux using 56 of its Zenith Gen V fittings across 14 outer and two inner track poles.
“We won’t have them flashing when cars are racing, but when someone goes over the finish line, we can do effects with the lights so they all sparkle and add entertainment to the show,” says Merrett.
Merrett said they also hope to hold other community events such as a rodeo on the track but not before hosting speedway meetings.
“[Speedway racing] is just one of the most exciting forms of motorsport, where the track’s always changing,” he said.
