● BWD deal
Two-time national champ says deal with Polish club next step to Grand Prix
All the best riders in the world race in Poland and it’s a step closer to racing in the Grand Prix. I’m only 24 so I’ve still got plenty of time
Bradley Wilson-Dean
Hawke’s Bay’s two-time national solo bike champion Bradley Wilson-Dean says his latest contract is another step closer to becoming world champion.
Wilson-Dean, who raced at Meeanee’s BJ’s Bakery & Cafe Fireworks Spectacular Meeting on Saturday night, has secured a three-year deal with Poland club Wybrzeze Gdansk which he will begin next month.
“It’s the next step up for me. All the best riders in the world race in Poland and it’s a step closer to racing in the Grand Prix. I’m only 24 so I’ve still got plenty of time,” the Karamu High School product explained.
Wilson-Dean, who has been part of title-winning teams in all three United Kingdom-based divisions during his last three seasons in Britain, will continue to race in Britain too.
“I’ve got a five-day training camp in Sweden next month as well as commitments in Poland and England, including a crack at Ice Speedway. It’s pretty scary out there and spikes are used on the bikes. People say it’s too dangerous but you never know if you don’t give it a go,” Wilson-Dean said.
“I’m living the dream. I’m racing overseas for seven months of the year and home relaxing for five months. Racing is my fulltime job . . . I haven’t had a 9-5 job for four or five years now.”
He was one of five riders in his class on Saturday night. Wilson-Dean didn’t complete his first race after his rear chain came off at the start.
He won his next two in front of a crowd of more than 4500 and his last race was from the back of the field on a handicap start. Wilson-Dean will aim for a third consecutive national title in Auckland on January 6 and if his international commitments allow, a third consecutive New Zealand Grand Prix title in Christchurch on March 2.
Kevin Milne Memorial Trophies were up for grabs in the production saloon and ministock classes. A longtime Meeanee Maulers and Hawke’s Bay Hawkeyes supporter, Milne, raced in production saloons and sponsored the ministock class before he died in March last year after a battle with cancer.
He would have been proud of the quality of racing in both classes and the manner in which Hawke’s Bay’s Denton Hodgkinson recorded two wins and a second placing in the
11-strong production saloon class where the trophy was up for grabs in the feature.
Hodgkinson also won the trophy last year.
Points were accumulated across three races to decide the trophy winner in the 28-strong ministock class. Two seconds and a third placing saw Ryan Dorward win it by three points from fellow host track drivers Liam Danielsen and Thomas McEwan.
Several contenders for the Meeanee Maulers stockcar team raced in a Napier-Hastings teams race which Napier won after the in-form Justin White, who is in his first full season in the class, secured the chequered flag. Four cars didn’t finish the race and Napier’s Ethan Cross impressed with his hitting tactics.
White also impressed with the manner in which he took clubmate Regan Penn out on the way to winning the feature race for their 27-strong class. Penn and Ben Milne were the other heat winners in the class.
Hawke’s Bay-based Palmerston North-contracted national sidecar champions Russell Stuart and Andrew Parker won all three of their races in their 10-crew class including the top five feature from the back of the field in spectacular fashion. A Hawke’s Bay crew, which raced together for the first time on the nigh did well to finish second after recording a win and second placing earlier in the meeting.
Spectators witnessed superb racing from the 10 superstock drivers. Thomas Stanaway won two of the heats and fellow Hawke’s Bay driver and Magpies rugby prop Jason Long the other.
In the first heat the top three finishers all recorded lap times under 18s.
A nine-minute fireworks display, which again lived up to the meeting’s name, ended the meeting.