A truly massive weekend of speedway cumulated to an epic win for Shane Harwood in the PTS Super Stock Stampede, the 693n Ben Smith Rocketship in the hands of Harwood, showed a clean pair of heels in the winner take all feature race to continue his “out of retirement” success over the past month. A packed house watched an epic Saturday nights racing after wet weather put a halt to racing halfway through Fridays program, a quick change of format and a couple of catch-up races were added for a huge 28 race meeting on the Saturday.
The program was a work in progress after ferry issues meant many of the North Island drivers were unable to attend the weekend, the Stock car Summer Slam held over from December added to a huge weekend for the “Bash and Crash” classes, plus Ministock Mania and the Historic teams challenge, the pits were busting at the seams.

A few late withdrawals from the South and ferry issues cut the Super Stock field down a bit, but the class was still there, 3 Rotorua Ashton (Dylan, Caleb and Kendyll)cars and Bryce Vazey, Meeanee’s Jacob Buckrell, Adam Groome, Quin Ryan and Thomas Stanaway joining NZ GP champion Gisborne’s Tim Ross from the North Island, a good mix of locals and Christchurch cars made for an entertaining weekends racing, there were plenty of winners over the weekend as they accumulated points to find your final grid position for the final all in race, group rounds before grid-reverse-grid all-in races leading up to the feature race. The racing was fast and few major incidents until the last all-in race when it all went massively wrong for Vazey and Stanaway, both getting caught-up, Vazey climbing the fence and Stanaway left on his side when the dust settled, both ending their weekend with roll-cage damage and will highlight the TikTok reels this week.

Harwood was unstoppable in the feature while an epic battle raged behind them, Canterbury’s Jake Berry and Lloyd Jennings changing places with defending champion Brett Nicholls sneaking in a peek over 15 huge laps, it was still not sorted until the final corner with Jennings just holding on from Berry, Nicholls inches away from nudging both cars wide in the final turn, the crowd pumping from an epic showdown on a perfect racing surface.

The Stock cars ran a completely new format and what a huge success it was, the cars were paired as teams then they raced in groups to earn points towards making the top 6 teams to advance to a three lap sudden death teams race, 6^thtaking on 5^th with the winner taking on 4^thuntil the top team would be in the last showdown. The racing was fast and furious all weekend, a couple of Nelson cars clear targets after the South Island title a few weeks ago, the return of 3x S.I. champion Keightley Teece added an extra edge, he was needing plenty of deep heat after being bumped and bashed on both days, he had good pace and gave as good as he got.

The match-ups for the top 6 were always going to be intriguing, racing as individuals for points then switching to getting the first over the line to advance was new to many drivers, with only 3 laps, the format was out of left field, but ended up being a home-run. The first challenge was between the teams of Jack Rarity and Zoe Connolly against Melisa Gifford and Troy Cleveland, the latter pair getting the edge and moving on to take on the ladies combination of Brook McPherson and Amber Brooks, a change of winning cars but for the same team as Cleveland moved the 6^th place team on to face the 3^rd place team of Canterbury Crusher team mates Tyler McPherson and Harley Robb, the Crusher pairing too good and they advanced to face the Nelson team of Dylan Clarke and Riley Eathorne.

The upset that was about to unfold had the crowd pumping when Eathorne outgunned McPherson and managed to avoid Robb to take an electric win, the final showdown had the crowd on the edge of their seat, the top points pairing of former 2nz Sheldon Arapere and Canterbury Crusher Wade Sweeting were firm favorites but a gearbox malfunction for Arapere slowed their chances of the success, Clarke and Sweeting were in block-mode, Arapere tried to stay with Eathorne but when Eathorne managed to slip clear of Sweeting, he had an open final lap to take the win and set the crowd alight, Clarke already doing donuts, the format a clear winner on the night which should have a copy-write for the Nelson club promotion.

The Ministock Mania always provides plenty of close racing, a few thrills and spills to be had over the weekend, a strong contingent down from the North Island had been taking in the 2 weeks of racing in the South, M.I.P. winner Meeanee’s Deegan Butcher and the winner of Woodford Glens Ministock meeting a week earlier Cohen Wright leading the northern charge, Huntly’s Casey Wade forgoing a big meeting at his home track to make his final meeting in the Youth grade would be at the Nelson club. 6 North Islanders making a formidable line-up in the North v South challenge on the side.

Drivers raced in groups over the weekend there were just 3 points separating the top 4 drivers after 2 nights of racing, Butcher winning the Mania title in his last drive in the Youth grade, local Jack Burson finishing just a point behind from Rotorua’s George Crawford, with Wright 4^th   and Conley Webley 5^th, a couple of referee relegations costing Burson and Wright in their final place positions.

The North picked up the team win, a few North Islanders returning south in May to battle again in Oxford. The Junior section was a close battle between eventual winner, the younger Crawford brother of Jimmy and Canterbury’s Marcel Vlaanherer, only 2 points between them at the wash-up, local driver Jayden Vibert finishing 3^rd overall. 

The classics were devastated by the ferry crossing saga, many unable to get across the ditch, the club bar still full when old yarns weren’t being told over a few Fanta’s, the winning team went to the classic duo of Herbie and Peanut where first place only earns 3 points but 4^th spot could earn 10 points, it was handicapped but in reality the points didn’t matter, the lads just gutted many others were left stranded with boat cancelations. 

The Productions ran their Pam Nixon memorial meeting, the numbers boosted by a few returning cars, the youngsters taking out the top results, while Geoff Watson was all a flap when both his rear doors popped open in the first race. Vaughan Cornelius taking the win from Fee Frans and Pam Nixon’s daughter Krissy Wolf finishing in 3^rd.

The Streetstocks ran a best pair format, they were quick to get amongst it even with the South Island just two weeks away at home, Cody McCarrison getting a little too keen and getting an 8-day (Fiji) holiday from SNZ, Ryan Musgrove jumping into the car for the final 2 heats, Steven Soper and Josh Atkinson finishing 3^rd overall from Ryan Morrison and Tim Pine, it will be a public holiday in Westport for winner Brian Shaw while partner Harry Moffit-Schwass was just happy to finish on top and drive the car on the trailer.

The Mark Thorne Sidecar memorial was won by Brent steer and Wade Thorne, a flat racetrack providing good racing, Rob and Harley Martin were runners-up with the Christchurch pairing of Paul Anderson and Ella Hurst-Whitworth in 3^rd, the bikes getting plenty of track time in recent weeks.

While rain dampened things on Friday night, a packed house got to witness one of the best meetings in seasons, the racing has just gone to another level in recent weeks, the South Island Streetstock title should be a doozy in a fortnight and then finishing the season off at Easter, the track has to be one of the best racing surfaces in the country and the drivers are getting the best out of it, with only a couple more cracks at getting a speedway hotdog, it will be good to end on a high over the next 2 meetings, the Stampede set to return same time next year, lets just hope the ferry’s have sorted out their issues, I hold my breath… 

Jody Scott

BM Photography
Article added: Sunday 19 March 2023