An Easter speedway extravaganza
The two-night Easter meeting on Good Friday and Easter Saturday will have something for every fan with the noncontact international sprintcar and midgets taking centre stage at the Robertson Prestige International speedway where racing will begin at 5.30pm each night.
Friday night will see the Western Springs Midgets attempt to qualify for a 30-lap feature taking centre with the Two Wide Super Nationals for the superstocks and super saloons.
If that isn’t enough action for fans, action is guaranteed with about 30 streetstocks out to win the feature or at least ensure another driver from their home track takes the win.
Capping the meeting off will be the coveted Brent Lowe Memorial Stockcar where a full field of 36 drivers race for the title over three heats.
The action doesn’t lessen on Saturday night either, with the Two Wide Open Wheel Nationals for the midgets and minisprints, as well as the sought-after Manawatu Sprintcar title up for grabs.
Sidecars, stockcars and youth ministocks make up the meeting.
If everyone hasn’t had their Easter weekend fix of speedway, Easter Sunday will see Winged Thunder 12 at the Harrisville Speedway near Ohakea, Bulls, with racing beginning at 12pm.
The non-contact classes have attracted large fields, some of whom will get three nights’ racing after competing at the Robertson Prestige International Speedway the two previous evenings.
There will be 22 sprintcars along with a full field of midgets and minisprints.
The midget field may not have Michael Pickens, who is racing in Australia, but his greatest rival in recent years and current New Zealand champion Brad Mosen will head the star-studded field.
Mosen last year was hit by the highs and lows of motorsport. After winning the Manawatu title on the Friday night, he crashed out of the final midget series race the following night.
After being top points’ scorer for the feature, Mosen then drew the 10 card which saw him start back in the pack.
He survived the first crash which saw half the field taken out on the notorious first corner at the Roberston Prestige
International Speedway, but had no luck on the second restart and crashed out. Mount Maunganui’s Peter Hunnibel showed you didn’t have to be a star to take out an important feature as he stayed on what appeared the slower pole line for the meritorious win.
The Midget 30 will include two Palmerston North racers in Shane Dewar and Karl McGill, both of whom are on the rise up the highly competitive national ranks.
McGill will be hoping for a better meeting than last year’s Easter meeting when he spectacularly barrel-rolled, destroying he car and putting him out for the remainder of that season.
Fans will take a second look when they see superstock driver Brett Hyslop who will also debut in a midget, driving one of Dewar’s spare cars.
Hyslop has had an impressive season in his superstock and many will look to see how he takes to racing the small high-powered midgets.
Jordan Russ will also race on his home track.
Other visiting midget drivers include 3NZ Mitch Fabish, last year’s champion Hunnibel, Whangaui’s Brent and Glen Huijs, Hayden Williams, Ryan Baker, Travis Buckley and Mitch Osbourne will be in the field.