Another very good night of Speedway action at the Eastland Group raceway on Saturday night when the two main events on the programme produced some great entertaining racing. The Gary’s Painting and Paperhanger Ministock Best Pairs and the 30 lapper Streetcar Race both had huge fields that kept the good sized crowd well entertained.
28 cars faced the starter in the opening Ministock race where the drivers only found out who they had been paired up with after their final race meaning that all had to drive to the limit all night long. 8 young drivers from Hawkes bay joined the locals for three very good heats of racing, the opening heat going to local driver Ethan Cook (76g) from Hawkes Bay’s Quinn Ryan (46b) and another of our local drivers William McClune (61g).
They were followed home by Daniel Corrin (24g) one of the defending title holders, Hawkes Bay driver Alice Bayley (96b), Logan Taylor (98g) and Mitch Fairhurst (85b). Race two went the way of Corrin from Nic Gibbins (55b), Alice Bayley, Ryan, Taylor, Ben McArthur (71g) and Simon Jones (49b).Ryan and Corrin had a real battle in this race but Ryan paid the price for some over driving early in the race and was put back two placings.
Ryan did set the fastest lap of the night for this class in this race with a very quick lap of 18.036 secs. Alice Bayley showed her great ability to hold out the chasing pack in the final race of the night for this class with a very good win from Cook, McArthur, McClune, Max Bayley, James Kirk (31g) Fairhurst and Corrin. Once the names had been drawn the winning pair to take home the 09-10 season were Corrin and Gibbons who had amassed 117 points between them. Coming home second were McClune and Benjamin Hindmarsh (38g) with 110 points from Taylor and Nikki Ellmers (18g). Alice Bayley was the highest individual point’s scorer with 78 from Cook (75points) and Corrin (74points). Great to see a couple of the new drivers , Ellmers and Hindmarsh featuring in the placings I am sure this will spur on all the rookies to better things as the season progresses.
Jason Jones (81g) was the pick of the Stockcar class with two wins, the other going to Brett Lloyd (92p). Jason Harding (86g) with 2 seconds and a third was the most consistent while Toby Pickering (27G) was also right on the pace with a second and third placing. Former Streetstock driver Shane Walker (21g) had his best night picking up a third and forth placing. Plenty of hard hits once again the feature of this class with a number of drivers looking at some very late nights in the shed over the coming weeks to get their cars ready for their big meeting here on the 12th Dec. Lloyd had the fastest lap of the night on the way to his win that been 18.434 seconds.
Sidecar pair Deane and Rob Miller (9g) had a clean sweep of the Sidecar races also having the fastest lap of the night (15.465). Stu Priest and former National Champion Mike Bond (59g) pushed the Miller pair hard all night but had to be content with 2 second placings and a third. This pair who are racing together this season for the first time are getting better with every meeting and will be ones to watch as the season progresses. Clive Ireland and Brendon Webber (56g) are also starting to hit their straps with a second and third placing, mechanical trouble in race two putting paid to a good result while holding second place.
A small field of Saloons was on hand to produce some very close racing that involved a number of crashes and near misses. Local driver David Moorcroft (8g) won the opening race but then loaded up with mechanical woes ending his night. Steven Martin (29b) beat home Ralph Scott (86g) in the opening race and then followed this up with a win over Rotorua visitor Murray Guy (13r) and Scott. The final race for this class had Hawkes Bay driver Mark Haymon (18b) take out the win from Scott. This race was marred by the deliberate straight line hit on Guy by Martin who had taken exception to the way Guy had passed him on the final lap. Martin should be stood down for some time for this deliberate act but i was informed by the referees that no punishment was handed out. I am sure all who saw this incident would be more than a little surprised that no action was taken.
Once again the Streetstock class turned on some great racing with the local drivers joined by David Hunter (92b) and Ben Yeoman (16b) from the Meanee track. Three different winners from the three races showed just how close the racing was in this class. Frank Hartley (71g) fronted up in his last seasons car while he tries to get another Diff for his new Toyota, the old HQ Holden taking out the opening race from Cody Gooch (6g) and Dave Miller (44g). Ben Donaldson (4g) took out race two from Hunter and Travis Gooch (7g) while the feature race went to Brendon Gooch (3nz) from Cody and Travis Gooch. Plenty of action in all three races with Anton Mckay (99g), Ken Hazelton (14g), Yeoman and Patrick Pollard (28g0 all in the thick of it. Donaldson had the fastest lap of the night in the opening race with a time of 19.122.
Wayne Hall (99g) won the opening two races of the night in the Production Saloon class but mechanical trouble in the feature had him suffer a DNF. This race went to his brother Mike (88g) who also had a second place in the opening race. Jed Miller (85g) had another good night with three 3rd placings while Steph Rangi (31G) enjoyed her best night with a good second place in the second race of the night. Shaun Kingi (8g) also drove well with a second placing, 4th and 7th while the fastest lap of the night went to Wayne Hall in the second race of the night with a very good time of 17.243 seconds.
To finish off the night 37 cars fronted up for the first of the 30 lapper Streetcar races. The field featured a mix of new drivers to the track and some old heads making a welcome return and it was one of the older heads who stole the show. Former National Streetstock driver and now Top Targa and Tarseal track driver Nigel Patterson showed his class with a masterful drive avoiding all the carnage to take out the victory. He had to work hard for the win which only came after early leader Blair Gordon who had lead for a good majority of the race faded over the final couple of laps to eventually finish 3rd. Between him and Patterson was another of the regular speedway drivers in Brendon Gooch while club committee member and Ministock rep Graham Brown enjoyed his first time out coming home in 4th place just ahead of Derby king Neil Gooch who was driving in his 84th derby. Plenty of action with Awapuni School getting great value for money out of their driver who came home in a very good 11th place while the local Sun Shine Bus entry driven by Matt Todd came home in 7th place. Unfortunately mechanical woes hit the Te Wharau school entry and it only completed 4 laps. The large field produced plenty of mayhem with some of the newer drivers letting the excitement of the event getting the better of them which created a number of big crashes. Glen O’Conell was on the receiving end of a deliberate straight lining the driver of the offending car in this case banned from the next few derby’s , O’Conner did record the fastest lap of the race with a time of 18.357 and a top ten finish overall.
The club’s next meeting will be on the 12th Dec and will be the last meeting before Christmas and will feature the very popular Stockcar Classic with a top line up of cars expected for this event.
Richard Jones.
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