Speedway's version of Formula One will return to the Canberra region for the first time in more than 27 years on Saturday night when the ACT hosts its first-ever "kings of wings" races for the 900 horsepower winged sprintcars.
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Nineteen of these aero-equipped racecars will fire around the 420-metre clay bowl off Pialligo Avenue, developing cornering speeds and huge downforce pressures which haven't been seen on a local speedway in decades.
Speedway proprietor Murray Johnson said track preparations had been underway for two weeks, with water going down since Wednesday to compress the clay and have it ready for when the methanol-burning winged wonders arrive for the "regional rumble".
"We have reshaped the track corners slightly because sprintcars are so different to anything else we have had at our track before," Mr Johnson said.
"For many people in this region, this will be the first time they have ever seen sprintcars racing wheel to wheel on a dirt track. And trust me, they won't be disappointed; it's amazing.
"As they circulate at speed, there's so much pressure on the right hand rear tyre that they generate a clay cushion that keeps building up as the night goes on. And the corner speeds and lap times will get quicker and quicker as well."
Multi-titled speedcar champion and NSW sprintcar star Michael Stewart, who spends his weekdays driving excavation machinery, is the local region's big hope for success on Saturday night.
The Collector driver, whose father Chris was one of the region's biggest open-wheeled speedway stars during the dizzy heights of the old Fraser Park raceway, will be wrestling the fearsome Bohud Racing machine around the tight track. One of his key rivals will be a driver whom he raced against as a teenager in go-karts, Jackson Delamont, from Young.
Production sedans, with drivers coming up to Canberra from country Victoria, and Legend cars will provide support racing for the sprintcars.
Michael Stewart said spectators who haven't seen a sprintcar race before will be "blown away" by the spectacle.
"These things are genuinely wild to drive; real monsters," he said.
"And it always feels like the car wants to kill you because of the extreme power to weight ratio.
"And because we've never had them out at this track before, there's so many unknowns. There will be a lot of guesswork around setting up the car.
"But it will be a heap of fun. I'm so looking forward to it because so many people who are going haven't been to a sprintcar race in Canberra before and have got no idea what to expect.
"And the fast cars will catch the slower cars so there will be a lot of traffic movement. It will be fast and spectacular."
Mr Johnson said this will be the biggest speedway event in Canberra in years. More than 1000 tickets are already sold and he urged spectators to use the free shuttle buses provided from Seiffert Oval, in Queanbeyan, as parking at the track will be limited.
"We only have five meetings a year and every one is a sell-out," he said.
"I've no doubt this will the biggest speedway event we've ever seen here and hopefully launch us into the NSW regional series next season."
Tickets are available online (www.eventbrite.com.au). Gates open at 2.30pm and racing starts at 5pm.
