Speedway legends back for a worthy cause

A long and emotional event on the Coates Hire Bunbury Speedway calendar, the Krikke Boys Shootout is set to take on a new, charitable twist in 2011.

In what is sure to be a nostalgic spectacle for the thousands in attendance, speedway legends Ron, John and Shane Krikke will all get behind the wheel of sprintcars at next month’s show to raise money to fight prostate cancer.

Set to be held as part of the entertainment on Saturday March 5, the South Western Times Laps for Prostate Cancer will see the trio, who have not raced sprintcars seriously for over a decade, back behind the wheel.

They said the South Western Times Laps for Prostate Cancer was a great initiative.

‘‘It is going to add something else—I’m going to make a fool of myself, maybe,’’ John joked.

‘‘It’s been a long time since I actually sat in one.

‘‘We’ll get out there and we’ll do our best. I’m not going to hang around I’m going to give it a good shot.’’

‘‘It’s certainly going to add another element of emotion to the weekend,’’ Shane said.

‘‘I think everyone involved deserves a big pat on the back, and who knows it might become a regular feature on the program for each Krikke Boys Shootout.’’

The Flex Motorsport team has provided two new cars for the event, featuring the faces of the late Darryl and Jason Krikke on the wings, whom the event is named in honour of.

The wings, signed by all World Series Sprintcar drivers from the recent WArounds of competition, will be auctioned off for prostate cancer research.

‘‘Obviously the crowd are going to want to see us perform a little,’’ Ron said.

‘‘It’s going to be quite a big thing to jump back in a race car and get up to some serious pace.’’

Flex Motorsport driver Nathan Brady said the organisation was thrilled to provide two new machines for the event.

They will be displayed at Harvey Norman and Bunbury Centrepoint Shopping Centre next week.

Anothernewattraction on the Saturday night will be an aerobatics demonstration over the Speedway.

Presented by the Bunbury Flying School, a competition will be run where one lucky member of the crowd will win a joy flight.

Aerobatics pilot Shannon McKeon this week said that experiencing aerobatics was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.

‘‘We’ve had people who’ve done sky-diving and bungee jumping come and fly with us, but out of those they reckon the best sensation they’ve ever had is with the aerobatics,’’ he said.

‘‘Bungee jumping is just up and down, that’s it. Skydiving you do one jump, that’s it.

‘‘In the Nanchang, we do full aerobatics, pulling 6Gs of gravity on the body.

‘‘I’d say one in every four people manage to lose their lunch.’’