Eager fans await teams champs
‘‘My family have been involved for more than 60 years. It was my granddad who actually helped renovate this track.’’ Andrew Mchugh
The roar of V8 engines, the electricity of the crowd and inevitable screech of metal-on-metal smashes has Palmerston North stockcar fans salivating for the upcoming New Zealand Superstock Teams Championship.
Diehard fan Andrew Mchugh is one Palmerston North man who will be on the edge of his seat at the Central Energy Trust Arena this weekend.
The 20-year-old has been involved in the sport for most of his life. He remembers watching his first race at just the age of 3.
‘‘The one vivid memory I have is seeing a crash right in front me.’’
Stockcar racing was a sport which ran in his family’s blood, he said.
‘‘My family have been involved for more than 60 years. It was my granddad who actually helped renovate this track.’’
When his grandfather became heavily involved in the sport in the 50s, it was expected the following generations would follow suit, he said.
Mchugh has watched more races than he can count and admits he is an ‘‘avid fan’’.
‘‘It’s exciting to watch. People from all over come to watch it.’’
About 15,000 people were expecting to flood the arena over the weekend for the annual event, pumping an estimated extra $1.6 million into the Manawatu economy.
Mchugh said it was the ‘‘smashbash’’ action of the sport which drew in the crowds.
Crowdgoers went wild for the speed of the sport, as well as seeing the stockcars flip, crash, and bash into one another, he said.
‘‘At the end of the day it does come down to crowd involvement.’’
While the V8 engines would echo about the Robertson Holden International Speedway, Mchugh said the roar of the fans would be just as loud.
‘‘Some drivers say they can hear the crowd over the top of their engines and they’re V8s.’’
The middle of the grandstand was the best place to see the racing unfold, Mchugh said. But his personal preference was to be on the corners, where the crashes often happened.
But there was more to racing than booming noise and clanging metal. It was a popular sport that brought people together.
Mchugh said he knew of families with ties to the track dating back three or four generations.
‘‘It’s something that we just can’t get enough of.’’
Dion Van Beuzekom said stockcar racing was his passion.
‘‘I just love it. It’s an addiction really.’’
After getting involved in the sport about five years ago, Van Beuzekom said he lives for it and attends every meeting and race he can.
‘‘It’s the crowd, it’s the noise, all the crashes – it’s all entertaining.’’
He expected families, ‘‘petrol heads’’ and people from overseas to be lining the speedway grandstand for this weekend’s championship match.
The superstock teams championships is one of the largest, regular events for Manawatu, and takes place on Saturday and Sunday.