Written by Pete McNae

Perry Soper left speedway for many years – but speedway never left Perry Soper.

The self-employed painter and decorator, and Nelson streetstock driver, is part of a speedway family and was involved in youth ministocks years ago – around 18, he estimates. He raced alongside the likes of younger brother Steve and other notable local names such as Liam Smith, Jayden Corkill, Troy Currie, Brian Shaw and Jason Fox. But while those guys stayed close to the sport in stockcars, streetstocks and three-quarter midgets, Soper drifted away (literally) when he finished with the youth ranks.

He built his business and competed in a drift car (“I wasn't good enough to take it that far,” Soper says) while staying connected to speedway through Steve and dad Neville's exploits in streetstocks.  

“I'd been umming and aahing about getting back into it,” Perry, now 32, says. “Steve was going really well (he earned 3NZ twice in a row) and him and dad were teams racing with the Nelson Knights and getting a big kick out of that. I felt like I was missing out and probably needed to get a car and get back into it.”  

That opportunity arrived through unfortunate circumstances. In November 2021 on a club night on his home track, Milestone Homes Top of the South Speedway, Soper senior was unintentionally flicked head-on into the wall and suffered a particularly nasty fracture. While it was always his wish to return to the sport, that proved to be Neville's last race outing to date.

And with Steve juggling speedway and a rugby career (initially as captain of West Coast in the Heartland Championship and currently as a club professional with Norwich RFC in the UK), there were a couple of cars at Soper HQ.

“I'd had a turn in dad's car before then and was seriously looking at buying one of my own to race with dad and the brother but then things changed.”

Sure enough, at pre-season practice there was another Falcon spotted getting around rapidly, although fully sideways, drift-style. Perry Soper was back in the game.  

“Yeah, those first few runs were enough to prove that what looks spectacular isn't always the fastest way round, I had to re-learn a little bit when it came to tucking the bum in and not making myself a massive target,” Soper says.

Ahead of this weekend's Richmond Exhaust and Radiator Specialists-Prokut New Zealand Streetstock Championship on his home track, Soper has matured to become one of the local frontrunners. He picked up two wins and a third at Nelson's opening night, winning the Trackman Trophy by a clear 6 points and cracking the lap record when he got the 53N Falcon around in 16.857s. Nelson's second meeting was tougher, with one win and third overall, proving Soper's point that you can never relax around the Richmond track. 

“I'd say it is my favourite track, but it has its challenges. If you don't want to get nailed, don't think you can pass anyone out by the wall – it is just too tight and you're a sitting duck out there.

“For a big meeting like the [national] champs, it's going to be wild. Everyone who shows up will be a good driver, but some will make mistakes and there will be some gear wrecked because there just isn't room for error in a big field at Nelson.” 

Soper has caught on quickly, though. He's already competed and qualified at national title meetings, teams raced for the Knights at the State of Origin meeting at Woodford Glen, performed strongly in an elite field during the initial Streetstock Tri-Series and added that Trackman Trophy to other podium placings at home and away 

He is as quick to share the credit as he is to get around Nelson's tight 354m oval.

“I wouldn't be doing this without dad – the car is a bit mix and match but it's basically his and he knows streetstocks and how they work inside out. I'm a painter, not an engineer, so while I have learned a lot more than I knew before, that's only from getting alongside dad and trying to absorb it.

“Same goes for the brother. Steve is a really successful driver, even when he was only able to be sort of part-time with speedway. He'll come back to it when he's done with rugby because he loves speedway and he loves these cars. Him and dad know how to make the Falcons work.”

Soper's current car is what's currently popular in streetstock racing, the BA Falcon. Soper says they make plenty of torque and, on a testing track like Nelson, even a budget-build can produce the goods. There will be cars among this weekend's field that cost multiples of what it has taken to get the 53N on the track, though. 

“Nelson is an equaliser because of its shape and size but we will have good drivers, the best drivers in the country, here. The strength is probably Dunedin, the results show that – every one of those guys is good but that final 26 on the Saturday will have guys from all over the place – I'd be surprised if the South Island lets a North Islander walk away with the 1NZ though!”

There are contenders locally, too. Nelson has featured in the past with Steve Soper twice carrying the 3NZ while Cody McCarrison has been 2NZ. Ryan Musgrove must rate among the unluckiest competitors at championship meetings and Laurie Harrington, Taylor Lynch and Jordan Gillespie have showed early-season promise.  

“You can't plan too far past night one on the Friday,” Soper says. “Everyone goes into qualifying with the same goal and, if you make it through, that script goes out the window and you plan again for the Saturday. 

“I'm never going to sit here and say I'll do this, that or the other – but I'm happy with how the season has started and the car is really performing, so it's the driver who has to be switched on. 

“If you turn up on the Friday and it's going sh**, it's probably me.”

• Perry Soper races with the support of Neville Soper (“nothing happens without dad”), Steve Soper, Perry's partner Holly and daughter Lacey and sponsors Soper Painting and Decorating, DH Builders, Bateman Motorsport, Richmond Exhaust and Radiator Specialists Ltd and Tyre General. 

      

• The Richmond Exhaust and Radiator Specialists New Zealand Streetstock Championships, in association with Prokut, will be run at Nelson'sMilestone Homes Top of the South Speedway on Lansdowne Rd, Richmond this Friday 

• and Saturday, January 9-10. The weekend also features the Super Saloon Super Cup.

    

•   Photography by BM photography

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