Double success for Hemi at speedway
It was appropriatewayne Hemi won the Palmerston North Partsworld 248 Global Challenge and the Lynette Denton Memorial in his Cornet Ford powered superstock, The Redwaka, because the racing was red-hot all night at the Robertson Holden International Speedway.
The quality of the drivers competing in Palmerston North on Saturday was never in dispute as the likes of former New Zealand superstock champions Hemi, William Humphries, Malcolm Ngatai and 1NZ Asher Rees contested the title.
446GB Max Hertzog was the only overseas entrant, representing Great Britain.
Fifty-two superstocks were split into two qualifying groups, with the top 16 going through to the 32-car field for the finals races.
The opening superstock race of the night was all go from the first lap, with Seth Hodge being rolled in turn two.
Shortly afterward his twin brother Cody followed in his tracks and broke several fence posts leaving turn one.
But it was Hemi’s night, after matching and bettering the blistering pace of heat winners Humphries, Kerry Podjursky and Shane Davis to fight off Ngatai and Rees to take a win and set the stage for the final heats.
There was close racing and plenty of action all night, with one of the biggest hits an accidental one by Jordan Dare on Wellington’s Simon Davis, who had spun up in turn one.
Luck also played a role in the final as several competitors retired with punctures, including the super impressive Jaydenward, who started off the front and was in the leading group.
He was forced to retire with a flat right rear after coming from grid 16 to 3rd in his first finals race and then, remarkably, from grid 32 to 5th in the second race, won by Ngatai.
The popular modifieds returned to race for the Manawatu¯ Modified Champs and put on a great show after a nine-year hiatus. Quality drivers weren’t lacking either, with 2NZ Blair Mcfee having good battles with 1NZ Brad Lane and 193H Syd Ferguson.
Mcfee won the title and received warmapplause from the crowd on a warm night.
A nasty spill in front of the grandstand shortened the sidecar programme, but all involved walked away to race again.
Keiran Payne and Mikey O’neill have extracted maximum speed from their rig and have been going well all season.
There was an abundance of stockcars, which were also split into two groups, with 258P Neville Harrod coming up with one of the biggest rolls of the season.
Kyle Lampp produced the goods and landed an exciting win.
The Hodge brothers did double duty and competed in the Manawatu¯ Adult Ministock Champs, with Cody Hodge winning the title to round out another great night at one of the best speedway facilities in the world, right in the heart of the city.