AT long last, the South Coast Raceway roared to life last weekend, with contestants from across the country descending on Portland for the South Coast 660.

Proceedings kicked off with Friday afternoon’s test and tune, with 75 cars tested and tuned across the day, with South Coast Drag Racing Association spokesman Ben Phillips saying it was a great way to kick off a weekend of racing.

“Not only did the drivers obviously get to test out their cars, but also giving the track some use before the actual event made sure it was better prepped for the weekend’s racing,” Phillips said.

Hot temperatures certainly had little impact on spectators’ desire to come from across the southwest region and further to enjoy two days of formal racing, with the qualifying events taking place on the Saturday and the eliminations on the Sunday.

“We got massive crowds out there for the two days… to be honest I just think everyone was so happy to be back at the track,” Phillips said.

With a total of nine different classes and 165 total entrants – an association record – there was plenty of racing on display for all to see.

“We had people from across the country out here for the weekend… I was speaking to some of the racing teams from interstate, they told me they turned it into a bit of a holiday,” Phillips said.

“They came out here a few days earlier and left a few days after because they wanted to see what else Portland has to offer.

“It’s a big boost to the community to have people coming out here for multiple nights and supporting the local community.”

He added that the association was very thankful for all the work done behind the scenes by workers and volunteers, and to the people who attended and supported the event.

“Thank you to everyone who supported the event. The racers, spectators, and most importantly the volunteers, officials and our track sponsors who all made sure this could go ahead,” Phillips said.

The South Coast Raceway is far from done, with its next competition – Wild Bunch Wars – set for January 21.