18/05/2026
Avalon Volunteer Official Enjoys Karting Success
On any given night of competition Neil Soutter is one of the unsung heroes at Avalon Raceway, volunteering his time, along with countless others, to ensure that the drivers and spectators can bask in the glory of the on-track action!
Neil’s roles vary from attending to one of the two pit gates, managing the re-start cone or administrating the infamous white chalk line which determines, well according to officialdom anyway, where the races commence!
All important tasks when it comes to the smooth running of a Speedway event.
Given Neil’s Speedway interest, it comes as no surprise that the bug well and truly bit, whilst attending the Avalon Raceway Swap Meet some seven or eight years ago!
The result being his son making some laps over a couple of seasons, before the inevitable occurred and Neil too took the track!
The 2025-26 season has been a career one for Neil, with a second-place finish in the Doug Drew Memorial and a strong run at the Queensland Title, where he finished just off the podium in fourth!
Then during April back-to-back events at Timmis Speedway, Mildura saw team Soutter stand tall!
On April 11, the Victorian Title, in warm conditions, the three heat race format produced a 1st, 5th and 3rd place finish, good enough to secure a starting position of third in the final!
Amidst the helter-skelter of the early going an inadvertent spin would see Neil go to the rear of the field, however, not to be deterred he pedaled his way back through the strong field to secure third place and the right to claim V3 as well as being rewarded as the weekend long Hard Charger!
Two weeks later and Neil was back at Timmis Speedway for the SKAA Australian Title, which was run over two days (April 25 and 26). With three heats on the first day of competition and a single heat and finals on day two, Neil excelled to be the high points Man come feature time, thus securing a pole position starting slot amidst a standout field of karts!
After a strong start and some tight, competitive racing Neil spent a majority of the race in second, peppering away as he sought one more coveted spot, eventually crossing the line in third to claim the Title of Australia 3 in the Standard Heavy Class.
The entire Drew Family and Venue Management know that Neil is extremely proud of his results, and we congratulate him on this amazing achievement!
Well done Neil!
