Rain delay can't dampen youth speedway thrills
Despite weather setback, young racers ignite speedway
It was the turn of the young drivers to race in the limelight at the MG Taranaki Stratford Speedway, when the Repco Youth Ministock Spectacular took to the tracks at the weekend.
Youth ministocks cater to the younger generation of racers, with those aged between 12 and 16 eligible to race. The class is a popular and successful breeding ground of champions with many of Stratford’s, not to mention speedway’s, top drivers throughout the country having begun their racing career in the class.
The Repco Spectacular was supposed to run on Saturday with a heap of qualifying races in the afternoon before the finals in the evening, but persistent showers forced the event to move to Sunday, with organisers running a reduced race format to squeeze everything into an afternoon of racing.
Competitors were divided into two groups for qualifying with the top tier of drivers racing in the tier-one event over three 12-lap heats, while the remainder raced in tier two over two 10-lap heats.
Rotorua competitor George Crawford, who qualified well with a second and a fifth placing, proved to be the fastest driver on the track and won the tier-one event after winning race one of the finals before placing seventh in race two and then third in race three. He won overall by a two-point margin over Palmerston North racer Boston Joblin while Stratford driver Lucas Hurley was the first of the locals home in third place.
Neeve Smith from Hawke’s Bay won tier two ahead of Vindylin Stanway and Cadyn Booker, both from Stratford.
Although the Youth class isn’t the fastest, it was great to see the skill and capability of these young drivers, many of whom aren’t even able to drive on the road yet.
Almost every race was won by a different driver, showing that there are plenty of future champions coming through the ranks.
On the same day, the Demolition Derby Teams Champs were held. Six teams battled over qualifying races before facing off against each other in the finals.
Brogan Racing and JYD won a qualifying race each, while Naki Bits and Karmageddon won two apiece. With all points tallied, the finals saw Unforgivin take on On Smoko for fifth and sixth place with Unforgivin taking the win. JYD beat Brogan racing to take third place, while, after a brutal race that saw a number of cars eliminated, Karmageddon won the final against Naki Bits. After the team racing, any cars left running raced in the all-in Demolition Derby which was won by Joshie Aldworth.
The Saloon Plews Memorial was won by Blake Hooper, who won race two and finished second in the others. Bradley Korff, who was gifted a race one win after Jarrod MacBeth’s driveshaft blew apart on the final lap, was second overall after recording two wins and a fifth-place finish, while Craig Korff claimed the third step on the podium.
Superstocks raced for their 60th Anniversary Cup over three heats. Shane Denham raced well all day, including a win in race two and won the cup ahead of New Zealand ranked number two Blair Uhlenberg while Logan Sharpe was third.
The next event at MG Taranaki Stratford Speedway is on March 8 and 9 and will feature the Plant and Fabrication Services New Zealand Modified Championship along with the CANAM Minisprint series.