The 3rd running of the Streetstock Tri-Series was a chance for the Southern boys to get some idea if the Upper South Island boys are on the pace and get some vital laps on the NZ, GP and S.I. tracks when they return to in the New Year. The drawback for the Tri-Series this year was that the one weekend that the Tri-series runs, Gisborne choose to run the North Island title, thus the regular travellers that usually came down across the Cook Strait were busy. 

The racing in the Tri-Series has proved to be just as intense as the title meetings, a great way to get match-fit in a busy field where speed was the main focus without the major contact, although it was just as chaotic when things went wrong, plenty of damage from racing incidents and finding being in the wrong place at the wrong time meant the sledge hammers often came out. 

The big spill in Blenheim went to Shaun Andrews, nicknamed “The Goat” like his animal namesake when they get a fright, they often fall over upside down and pretend they’re dead, well Shaun did just that. The speedsters were on form, but unknown to a couple, the flat tyre fairy was waiting in Nelson. Tom McSherry and defending and S.I. champion Ben Jenkins needing a run-off to decide the nights champion, Jenkins claiming the spoils. Simon Bland just a point off, it was about to change when they jumped over the hill to Nelson. 

The Ryan Musgrove show was in full HD sitting 10 points behind the leaders after Blenheim, it was moving day in Nelson, the heat 1 win followed by a 3rd and a 4th, he made up 7 points on the series leader Ben Jenkins to sit just 3 behind as they headed to Greymouth. It wasn’t so lucky for McSherry and Bland, both keeping up with the pace after heat 1 with Bland 3rd and McSherry 5th, but it was all the points Bland was to get after DNF’s in the next 2 heats, ending his chances, McSherry kept in touch with another 5th but a DNF in heat 3 left him hoping Musgrove and Jenkins had some bad luck. Kahu Ephia was the next car on the points after Nelson, sitting 18 points behind the leaders who almost had a race up their sleeve. 

The concertina effect was in full force in Nelson, having a busy track causing mayhem for many following cars who often ended up with more damage than the original instigators. Matt Watson’s car cracking welds end to end, the chassis looking like a banana, it was the last meeting for a few. The goat car lame with a destroyed clutch, back home to get fixed before the title. 7 cars not making the final heat in Nelson, lady luck had gone home early. 

The tired and somewhat beat up crews ambled down to Greymouth for their final round, a two-horse race between Jenkins and Musgrove to decide the title unless both had major failures. Mike Jones taking a likening to the West Coast track, A win in heat 1, 3rd in heat 1and 4th in heat 3 to win the Greymouth round and leapfrog into 3rdoverall in the series, Cory Shumacher and Simon Bland tied on points for 2nd in the round after the heats, Shumacher getting the nod for 2nd. The series leaders tied just a point back in 4=, the 3-point gap not changing in Greymouth, Ben Jenkins successfully defending his Tri-Series crown from Ryan Musgrove. Ben ending on 198-points, Ryan on 195 and Mike on 164, the next 4 were Schumacher on 157, Bland on 156, McSherry 154 and Epiha on 153. 

The Tri-Series has found a window that has worked, hard fast racing with a strong following, hopefully the North Islanders can return next season, organisers Erin and Cody McCarrison getting good support from all the drivers involved and main sponsor Lift N Shift. 

The Youth Ministocks joined the Tri-Series, they were racing for individual honours and were paired with a Streetstock driver under the guise of “the Young and the Dumb”. The Youth Ministocks are seriously competitive in the Upper South Island, any number of drivers can win, no one driver has dominated the grade this year.  It was down to the wire with individual points, flat tyres to Locky Martin in Nelson and Eli Gare in Greymouth proving costly, Eastern States driver Tate Carpenter getting the series win on 188 points, Nelson’s Cort Higgins 2nd on 177 points and another E-States driver Bailey Jefcoate on 167 points just pipping Gare on 166 and Kade Taylor on 165. The “Young and the Dumb” title went to the pairing of Ben Jenkins and Cody Hogarth on 338 points, Ryan Musgrove and Scarlett Gray on 333 in 2nd with Kahu Epiha and Cort Higgins 3rd on 330 points. 

The Youth Ministocks are the biggest grade in Nelson, while Blenheim have gone from a lone driver Charlie Boone a couple of years ago to having 9 cars on the track at their last meeting, great news for a club that was struggling for numbers, they have gone from strength to strength, the competition amongst the drivers drawing new drivers to the grade at both clubs. It was good to see Youth Ministocks back in Greymouth, once a regular grade, it has fallen away over recent years, the lone driver now contracting to Christchurch, hopefully they will get a healthy field when they hold the Youth King of the Coast later in the year.   

Its s busy weekend of racing, Friday, Saturday and Sunday, switching the rounds from Blenheim to Greymouth from the previous year seemed to work, most would be able to get home from Greymouth to start work on Monday, a few coffees likely needed to start t working week. The window works, hopefully the Rotorua boys will whisper to their club not to run the N.I. on the first weekend in December next year and a few can return, as a few of the Southern boys commit to the Northern Series that runs around Easter time in the Central North Island. 

The question to who has an edge heading towards the NZ title in Nelson on January 9th and 10th after watching the tri-Series, well, its just too close to call, there is little between the cars, it will come down to who has the club numbers in the final, who has friends and who can avoid the dreaded outside flat tyre ruining title chances, there’s nowhere to hide on the Nelson track, best of luck to all. 

Article added: Tuesday 30 December 2025