Grid Bombers explode
In one of the best derby teams’ finals seen at Palmerston North’s Robertson Holden Speedway, the Grid Bombers beat Munta Motorsport to win their first title.
A field of 22 teams had been whittled down to just eight for Saturday night’s quarterfinals, including two of the event’s big guns, Team Kaos and the Takapau Terrors.
With the top two points scorers making the final, it wasn’t just the usual first past the post that would determine the makeup of those getting through to the next round.
In the final, the lead swapped three times, with first the Grid Bombers then Munta Motorsport looking like they would win the race. The block cars from each team did outstanding jobs to either hold up or take out the race leader.
By the race’s end few in the crowd had any idea who was leading, as first the white flag signalling one lap to go was shown to a Grid Bombers driver before he was taken out. It appeared Munta Motorsports’ Troy Honeyfield had hit the front, but ahead of him the chequered flag popped up for Ethan Goldsack, to take the win for his team.
It was a second consecutive final for the Bombers, who were beaten last year by New Plymouth team Dad’s Army.
In the race for third the entire Kaos team was excluded. Bush Bashers and race leader Bryce Sowry was just metres from winning the race, before Kaos driver Darrin Hoskins, in a highly dangerous and illegal move, drove the wrong way up the track, smashing into Sowry and halting him in his tracks.
Sowry’s car was demolished, while Hoskins’ screamed around in tight circles with no-one able to do anything, until one of his team-mates pushed his car up against Hoskins’ car with the engine still screaming. After initial concern, an ambulance was called on to the track and Hoskins, still in his car, was removed from the track.
In earlier quarterfinal races, Munta Motorsport shocked top-seeded Wanganui Vulcans 175-20, with the Bombers doing the same demolition job on Shake’n’bake 185-10. Bush Bashers surprised the Takapau Terrors 130-65 and Kaos beat GM3J 125-70, but neither team scored enough points to make the final.
A small field of just 11 drivers contested the Manawatu¯ midget title, but it would have made little difference if there were more such was the domination by New Plymouth’s Duane Hickman, who won the final by a massive four seconds. Stephen Taylor finally secured a title in Palmerston North, winning the Manawatu¯ sprintcar crown by more than three seconds. In the race to the first corner, Taylor got the edge on Greg Pickerill and it was was over. Pickerill finished second, well ahead of the improved Kendall Savage.
The night ended with a huge field of 75 cars in an entertaining demolition derby.