Victoria gets track schedule shake up

Revolution 6 has been moved to the Darebin International Sports Centre in Victoria as one of several shake-ups to the state’s track schedule. The next of the Revolution series races was to be held at Hisense Arena, however will now be held at DISC on February 27.

The change is just one of three different moves in Victorian track events in the last fortnight. Revolution 6 has moved venue after races held in the February/March period have failed to attract large crowds, according to Harry Hart, director of promoter Cotter Pin.

“While we’ve had sell-outs at past events, crowds have been down at recent meetings making it very difficult to justify the high costs associated with running an event at Hisense Arena,” said Hart. “We have a great track at DISC and the Australian Madison Championships proved that if you fill it, it offers a terrific atmosphere for the riders and the crowd.”

Cotter Pin’s Revolution series, which is modeled off the successful British series by the same name, will be crucial in the development of Australian track cycling, according to Cycling Australia Chief Executive Officer Graham Fredericks.

“The Revolution concept will play an important part in the growth of track cycling in Australia with plans to role it out into other states and create a truly national track series,” said Fredericks. “With the Track World Championships scheduled for Melbourne in 2012 and the World Cup an established annual fixture, it is important that we build a track calendar around these events to leverage the momentum they create in the sport.”

The Victorian Madison Championship has also received a date and venue change, with the race also going to be held at DISC instead of its original Ballarat location. The race has been moved back from February 14 to February 21.

The state’s Men’s Omnium Championship has also been moved. Instead of its original date on December 11, the race will join the Masters Championships on April 10 at DISC.