New combo shows their class
Mike Zachan and Ben Franklin secured their first major title together when they won the North Island Sidecar title at the Robertson Holden Speedway on Saturday night.
Only recently teaming up, Zachan and Franklin have a massive pedigree with other team-mates, Franklin with Paul Humphrey and Zachan also with Humphrey as well as Jason Mckinley, both winning multiple national titles.
Zachan and swinger Franklin survived a high-quality field of 25 combinations, three qualifying races and three finals to win the AFC Motorcycles title by the narrowest of margins after a last corner pass in the third and final race.
The field of five that made the final looked similar to what is likely to make the national final, to be held at Gisborne in a couple of weeks after it was rained out a month ago.
Fellow Palmerston North team of former national and multiple major titleholders Russell Stuart and Andrew Parker, who made the final after a gruelling repechage, looked to have secured a run off for first place with Zachan and Franklin until
Zachan pulled off a spectacular pass on the last corner of the third heat and raced the final 50 metres to a narrow win.
Zachan and Franklin had looked like the team to beat after winning each of their qualifying races by a big margin. Twice they did not win the start, but their outstanding speed took them past those ahead.
They then won their first final race, but a second place had them just a single point ahead of Stuart and Parker who won the second final after only managing third in the first race.
Third place went to the Auckland combination of Peter Adams and Jason Hira.
Despite being unable to race in the third heat, their five points were enough to keep ahead of Kihikihi national champions David Gannon and Daryl Pearce, who were well off the pace.
The other finalists Aaron and Bryce Rose wrecked their title hopes in the first final when they missed the start, losing more than 100 metres, an impossible deficit over four 431-metre laps.
Twin brothers Cody and Seth Hodge have dominated the Youth Ministock class in Palmerston North since they began racing, with the 20-lap final for the Manawatu¯ title virtually their swansong.
The class is for youngsters up to 14 years old, and with the twins having turned 15, they are seeing the season out before stepping into stockcars next season, where they are sure to be at the front once they settle into the much quicker class where contact is allowed.
The Ministock classes are, in theory, non-contact.
After three qualifying heats to organise grid positions and to cut the field down to 32, it was no surprise to see the brothers both on the front row in what was a highquality field of visiting drivers.
It was a surprise, though, to see them drop out of the lead and down to fifth and sixth early on.
They slowly worked their way back once those in front started lapping traffic, and with eight laps to go, Cody hit the front followed by Seth Hodge right on his brother’s back bumper.
They crossed the finish line in that order, with Wellington’s Ethan Donohue and Kurtis Tinetti close behind.
Greg Pickerill won the Sprintcar feature ahead of Stephen Taylor after they had shared a race each.
The Minisprint races were shared between national champion Shane Dewar and Grand Prix champion Elliot Heron. The third race went to Stratford’s Shaun Dickie.