Super saloons come to Palmerston North speedway
The super saloons roar into Palmerston North tonight for the running of the North Island Championships at the Robertson Holden Speedway.
The popular super saloons head the meeting, beginning at 6.30pm, with stockcars, sidecars, and adult and youth ministocks also racing.
The night finishes with the entire saloon field of more than 20 starters in a one-race shootout over 30 laps for the title.
No-one will ever forget the battle between the Flynn brothers, Steve and Grant, and Mark Osborne.
At the Teams’ Champs a few years ago they battled side by side for virtually the entire 30 laps in a race that almost upstaged the superstock teams’ final.
Osborne won’t remember his last visit in February, to the Teams’ Champs, fondly, as he spectacularly rolled in front of the grandstand, taking him out of the meeting.
Mt Maunganui’s Chris Cowling, who was runner-up at the recent New Zealand title race and was the driver to beat at the Teams’ Champs this year, will start as favourite.
But on the tight Palmerston North track, where the super-saloon drivers even attempt going three wide through the corners, predicting the eventual winner is always difficult.
It’s likely to come down to the first three rows of the feature, which are decided on the qualifying races.
Cowling’s fellow Mt Maunganui drivers are sure to have a big say, especially Dan Corrin, as well as the only female driver in the field, Caitlin Hayward.
Along with the Flynn brothers, Matt Kwok and Darren Melling, from Hawke’s Bay, and Wellington’s Matt Eckersley and Donald Gregory are class drivers who have a real shot at the title.
Interestingly, Palmerston North has three contracted drivers, with former national champion Mick Quin, Martin Halcrow, who has shifted from Wellington, as well as the South Island’s Peter Dickson, who is contracted to Palmerston North for the meeting.
Drivers will have two qualifying races each to determine the starting positions for the feature.