Will it be the daring of the 'young guns” or the canniness of those with a little more age which wins the 2014 SunLive Principals' Challenge at Baypark on March 1?

That – says Roger Bailey, who is speedway manager of Baypark Speedway – is the question for the challenge, which will pit older principals against younger ones in a race to see which school has the Bay's fastest principal.

'The competition is keen and we are encouraging students to get behind their principals like they did last time. We have nine new entries this year, and seven women – so there will be a much stronger female presence on the track.”

Nik House of Welcome Bay Primary will be on the grid to defend his title, but he's on the lookout for a different vehicle as the one he drove to victory is up for sale. 'Damien Harris from Mount Primary, who came a close second to Nik, will be in the car he drove last year –so that may give him an edge,” says Roger.

'It's very generous of the race car drivers to make their ministock cars available to the principals because they take the race very seriously – there's no holding back on the track.”

The atmosphere at the inaugural races at the ASB Baypark on December 1, 2012, was electric and Roger says it's sure to be just as amped up this year.

'We are still taking entries; obviously we want to push it as far as we can, but we have to be careful with how many cars we have on the night.”

Each principal will require sponsorship from a local business, which involves covering base costs, such as licence registration, safety gear and their car's sign writing. Sponsorship opportunities will open once all entries are confirmed, says Roger.

'We're also looking for other sponsors, for uniforms, T-shirts, etc. So if community businesses want to get involved from that perspective, that's great.”

Keep following The Weekend Sun and SunLive for coverage leading up to the second SunLive Principals' Challenge in March 2014.