Winter blast cuts two-dayer short
The squally spell of winter weather which inconveniently arrived right on time for the long weekend meant only one day of the two set aside for the Percy Poharama Memorial speedway races was able to be completed.
Spokeswoman Lizzy Perry said everyone did the best they could in the face of such inclement conditions which allowed only seven of the 33 races scheduled for day one of the annual event to be run on Saturday before it “just pelted down” forcing organisers to shut up shop.
Thanks to good organisation and volunteer assistance alongside plenty of patience shown by both the local and visiting drivers, the club was able to ”hammer through” all of the second day’s programme on Sunday even though the odd passing shower kept the track extremely muddy and slippery.
“Everybody had a great time,” Perry said of Sunday’s racing.
Highlights, for wont of a better term, from Sunday included the entire field of stockcars getting stuck in the mud in the day’s opening race, Kaikohe’s Darren Emm coming unstuck and running up a bank at the south end of the track after failing to pull off a dramatic, late passing manoeuvre in the men’s saloon grade race, and still managing to finish first equal after the re-start; while the bash-emup antics of the teams demolition derby racing between Taipa (Dusty Demons) vs the Rest (Dirty Rottens) kept punters amused. Perry said the major event of the club season again attracted drivers came from all over the upper half of the North
Island, including one from as far south as Wellington.
Notable winners at the afterevent prizegiving on Sunday night were Pam Fisher (Taipa) and Dylan Epiha Wrathall (Whangarei) who picked up the Percy Poharama Memorial trophies in the C-Saloon women’s and men’s grades respectively, Wally Scott (Dargaville) presented with the Production Men’s Trophy, while Rob Anderson (Taipa) took out the stockcar trophy and the infamous Stockcar Stirrer award was shared by James Payne (Taipa) and Chris White (Dargaville).
That event concluded the 2018/19 season of racing for the hosting Taipa Stock and Saloon Car Club which now prepares to celebrate its 30th anniversary of the opening day of the coming season this October.
CROQUET
Two Far North clubs shared the spoils after the inaugural provincial junior interclub series was completed earlier this month.
It was noted the competition had been introduced by the governing Northland Croquet body over the 2018/19 season to help develop and introduce junior players to a competitive environment outside their own club programme.
The format saw each team (made up of one senior player and three juniors) member play two single games and two doubles on competition days.
The championship was hosted by all the operating Northland clubs once a month during the season on a homeand-away format. The trial year went extremely well and produced some very exciting, close games with Kaitaia and Kerikeri going on to share first equal.