How good was the weekend? Well, they’re still going at the track, the Rees Tour drivers having a day to catch-up on some much-needed sleep and some TLC on their cars. The marathon past 72 hours of speedway taking in Friday in Blenheim, then the double-header at Milestone Homes Top of the World (South) Speedway, leaving some wary bodies and plenty of nuts and bolts to check before heading to Greymouth for Tuesday. That’s not accounting for the travel, from Auckland to Invercargill, the weekends meeting had drivers from all parts of the country attending the multiple championship event. 

The biggest Youth Ministock event ever held in the South Island drew the big guns to Nelson for Ministock Mania, the Stock Car Summer-Slam moved to another level again this year, the format envied from the many first-time participants. Last year’s Stampede itself set the foundation of what played out at the NZ Super Stock title here in January, the Nelson track provides the perfect background for drivers to produce epic storylines every time, the rollercoaster action over the year more exciting than an Indiana Jones movie   

There was a different vibe this year, the Rees/Vazey farewell tour a big part of the weekend, they blended into the formats as the pits were doubled from their usual size to accommodate the drivers, it was a chaotic time for the committee as they organised drivers into groups and worked out the race order as numbers were confirmed, but once that was sorted it was down to business. The change of days to Saturday and Sunday to compliment  the Friday meeting at Blenheim didn’t affect the crowds, the warm weather baked the track in sunshine with the early evening’s racing,  there was little time to rest as the races ticked over at a steady pace, the visiting drivers  enjoying smoothness of the meeting as it built to the epic climax of the Stock car Knockout rounds that concluded the meeting. 

Super Stock Stampede

There were a few late withdrawals, the numbers meaning it changed to a 5 heat with an all-in final first past the post feature race, 3 wins in the heats saw Asher Rees top the format once again heading into the feature race, but with no Jack Miers, it was a unimpeded run to the finish line, Shane Harwood jumped into second off the start with Peter Rees chasing hard, it was ten years ago when Asher won the NZ Stock car title here with Peter in support, locals Alex Hill and Brett Nicholls 4th and 5th respectively. There wasn’t the huge hits and crashes from previous Stampedes (you can’t expect that every year), but speed was to the fore, there were some rocket ships out there, Trent James, San Hughes making the most of their Rees race car weapons, Blake Hearne seemed to have lost all his luck, flat tyres and broken bits kept his crew busy, Jason Moir returned to the track after a 20+ year absence, piloting the 21n machine in his original colours, he got some solid laps in, the car needing track time to sort some gremlins out. A couple of seasoned campaigners of Ian Clayworth and Peter Field running into mechanical issues early on the weekend.  The man of the hour Paul Vazey loves the Nelson track, in his farewell tour he has son Karl itching to get into the car when he finished Ministocks, one of the founders of stock car racing that Vazey originally started in Palmerston North, a chance to tick his bucket list off, racing at all the South Island tracks before he hangs up his helmet. 

Stock Car Summer Slam

The Stock Car Summer Slam has climbed to another level, with the extra number of cars, the format expanded the knockout stage of the event to 12 finalists, double from the previous 6, the key to winning the event is finishing races and banking points to get your pairing further up the ladder to avoid too many knockout races. There were 5 pair races before the knockout stage, a tough effort for car and driver on a busy track, the racing started to fire up as the meeting went on, Kohu Whalon getting the big send late on night 1 but was back for more on Sunday. The wins in the heats were shared, Michael Rowe, Wade Sweeting, Callum Flavell and Troy Clevland claiming victories.  There were some great pairings, sadly the two old school heavy hitters of Justin Hutchby and Blair Lockett not doing enough to make the top 12, it was Blairs son, 1st year driver Mitch Lockett that ended in 3rd place in the knockout with follow Whanganui partner Blair Reeves Smith. The North Island pairing of Callum Flavell and Jade Symes had some great team work to get through a couple of knockout races. Jack Honeybone and Murray Grieg used their decades of experience to claim a win, but a flat tyre saw their chances disappear. Ben Taylor put the hit of the knockout on the 59c of Jay Holtham, but it ultimately failed as he spun while doing it just metres from the finishing line allowing Ben Smith to take a last grasp win, the damage to Holtham’s car too much for the next race, ending parked in turn one with Smith unable to match two on one. The pairing of close family relations Brittany Carpenter and Dylan Hall had some great moments getting through several tough encounters to make the final but were no match for the fresh pairing of Cando Canterbury Crusher team mates, Wade Sweeting and Gavin Marshall, the Blenheim duo collecting the Summer Slam trophy. it was a fitting end to the racing, the thrill of the fast multiple knockout races each building in suspense as they got down to the final encounter. 

Ministock Mania

The biggest number of Ministocks entered in a South Island event unfolded at Nelson over the weekend, with the calibre of entrants at its highest, M.I.P. senior and Junior winners, Lachlan Timmins and Jack Anderton, Oxford NZ Youth champion Connor Turner, CTRA 1nz Conley Webley, Manawatu champion Harrison Cheetham plus Blenheim feature and W/G Ministock challenge winner Locky Martin. It wasn’t the best weekend for the M.I.P champion, Timmins being collected by a spinning backmarker in an epic battle in Blenheim for the lead with Connor Turner leaving the front right tyre hanging off the car, before it was to go horribly wrong in Nelson getting caught in a pile up before being spun round the ending up launching skyward under the Webley car, sustaining substantial damage, ending his trip south. 

The referees were kept busy, a few relegations and plenty of racing incidents saw the fortunes of a few drivers take a big nosedive, the results saw the senior Mania prize go to Palmerston North’s Jayden Clark, with locals Andre Musgrove 2ndand Locky Martin 3rd, the junior section had Lukus Smith on top with Blenheim’s Tate Carpenter 2nd and local driver Bailey Jefcoate 3rd. The future of speedway looks strong with a few possible champions strutting their stuff over the weekend, the number of second and third generation drivers ever growing in the sport. 

Streetstocks

The open club championship was up for grabs over the weekend, the numbers weren’t huge as a few locals were missing, the cars from Blenheim and Dean Dingwall from Palmy a welcome boost, it was the Blenheim cars that held the ascendancy heading into the final heat, some last minute blocking give the locals a chance to save face and get Ryan Musgrove into a tied run-off for first with the Eastern States driver Paul Gane, the first lap spin by Musgrove on Gane enough to stop the club title heading over the hill. The racing slowly warmed up as the heats ran by, plenty of flat tyres and mechanical issues kept results on a knife edge, the NZ title will be here next year, a few cars needing a solid rebuild over the winter months as the season takes its toll after some big meetings over the past month. 

Historic’s

The return at the annual Historic Stampede meeting saw the debut of the orginal113m Proctor Highrise rebuilt by local Mark Dalton over the past few years, it ran faultlessly on its debut and was a real head turner, The range of cars featured multiple eras of racing as the class follows the Rees tour around the South Island. They provided a refreshing look at seasons past as the latest versions strut their stuff over the weekend, at one stage the race was stopped to pick up a bit off the track, the commentator mentioning in jest, it might’ve been a driver’s pacemaker. The winners were 1st Marty McFadden and Mike Noedell with Darren Goulding 2nd and Darrin Thomason 3rd. 

Modified’s

A few late withdrawals left a field of 5 to contest Sunday’s meeting, 2nz Brad Lane and 53h Barry Hunter part of the Rees tour, were joined by 22c Hayden Corbett, plus Greymouth’s Iain Whyte and Reuben Brown. It was 7 years since the Modifieds last raced at the Nelson track, the once strong class in Nelson fading out when drivers retired. The feature won by the 2nz car as he heads to Greymouth for a dash on Tuesday and the South Island title and Goldrush over next weekend, a huge line-up due in Greymouth, before rejoining the tour to race in Cromwell and then Christchurch, a busy few weeks ahead. Rueben Brown dashed out to win the opening race with Lane taking heat 2, before winning the feature from Hunter and Whyte. 

The Summary

The Stampede was a refreshing change to the championship meetings so far this season, the long build-up before the NZ Super Stock title was exhausting but relieving as the championship excelled in all aspects, it’s been a chance to take the throttle off a bit for winding back up to sort out the ever changing competition format of the Stampede meeting, no one really knowing who was turning up, but the skills of the committee once again produced a workable format that provided some top racing with the Stock car Knockout once again proving to be a smash hit. The biggest impact of the meeting might have been the introduction of Taylor Martin as a driver interviewer, the cheekiness was refreshing and set the tone of the meeting, first handed the mic at King of the Coast last year, if he decides to give up racing he will have a spot waiting in the commentary box (my retirement could be imminent), the interview with uncle Brett Nichols worth reviewing again. It was a magic weekend with the club rooms overflowing with a huge BBQ feeding the masses, a lively prizegiving with over $2000 dollars raised for Youth Cystic Fibrosis doing the club proud, it’s what the Stampede has come to represent, the visitors made to feel part of the Nelson Speedway family as stories and banter carry on long into the night. 

Jody Scott

BM Photography

Article added: Saturday 22 March 2025