Big field expected for Manawatu stockcar title
The Manawatu Stockcar Championship doesn’t have the same history as the superstock title, with it only being raced for since the 1993-94 season.
Until then, the stockcar class was just one class but in an effort to make stockcars more competitive, they were split into two separate classes, with more restrictions in the stockcar class. The intention was also to make it more affordable.
Both stockcar classes may use the same chassis at the Robertson Prestige International Speedway as around the country’s tracks, but there are restrictions with the engines and also the tyres; stockcars have road radial tyres, but superstocks can use the much grippier Hoosier, or similar make, but also a lot more expensive.
The late Robin Pratt who died a few days after an incident on the track at the Robertson Prestige International Speedway and now has a coveted event named in his memory, won the first event in the 1993-94 season, before doubling his win in the 1996-97 season.
Incredibly, but probably not surprising, there has never been an out-of-town winner, with the bevy of Palmerston North drivers in the field ensuring any visitor that is in the hunt after two of the three heats is taken out in the third and final race.
In fact the only visiting drivers to make it onto the podium have been hardcharging father and son Dion 2014-15 and Kaelin Mooney 2021-22.
The early days saw the title spread around with Kerry Dawick 1994-95 the second winner followed by David Marshall, Chris Ash and then Peter Bengston, who moved to superstocks and along with Scott Miers, has won a record 10 teams’ championships titles.
Murray West headed Bengston the following year before John Durning was a popular winner in the 2000-01 season.
Multiple national championship winner Graeme Ward surprisingly only won the title once, but his son Jayden Ward, also a national champion, won in three consecutive years from the 2013-14 to the 2015-16 season. Graeme Ward won his title while he was 1NZ while Jayden Ward uniquely won while he was 1NZ, 2NZ and 3NZ.
The time came for the most-winning national stockcar champion Peter Rees who spread his four wins out, taking the titles in 2003-04, 2005-06 and in consecutive seasons from 2010-2012.
Peter Rees has since made his name in superstocks and as the biggest builder in the country in the stockcars, superstocks and ministocks. He is also the father of three-time current superstock national champion Asher and Ethan, one of the unluckiest drivers to not win the national superstock title.
Other winner have been Chris Gommans,
George Frear, Kevin Large, Rob Mason and Rob Miers, while Darrel Wallace, a winner in 2012-13 along with Ward have both been instrumental in the two Canterbury Glen Eagles Teams’ Championship titles in the last two years.
Brendon Tye, Kyle Taylor, Roydon Winstanley, David Lowe, Matt Phippen and Daniel Burmeister have been the most recent winners. Kyle Rowe, current titleholder national champion and winner of the King of the Arena last week, will be out to end his season on an even higher note this Saturday, in what is expected to be another huge field in the biggest class at the Robertson Prestige International Speedway.