Fireworks fly on the track but not off it
Wind and rain cancels speedway fireworks display
Abig crowd turned out for the TradeZone Wanganui Fireworks meeting at Fast Lane Spares Oceanview Family Speedway on Saturday night, but the fireworks were restricted to the track.
In a decision that disappointed most of the crowd, and the Wanganui Stockcar and Speedway Club organisers, the fireworks display was postponed.
The fireworks crew from the Kairanga Lions Club deemed there to be too much wind and too much moisture in the air for them to safely let off their explosive cargo.
The Lions Club has been doing displays for many years and has an excellent safety record and the WSSC had little option but to accept their decision.
Before that however, the crowd was treated to some excellent racing, with fields inflated by rainouts at Wellington and Stratford, while Palmerston North Speedway’s meeting was cancelled part-way through, so the Wanganui crowd was fortunate to even get racing.
A small but classy Superstock field topped the bill, with Trent James taking out the opening race ahead of Josh Kahui and Mark Johnston.
Wanganui Warriors captain Zane Dykstra took out the second heat in dominant fashion, heading home James and Kaelin Mooney, all driving brand-new Rees-built cars.
The action ramped up in the final heat when Mooney was stopped early in the race. With a teams meeting coming up at Huntly in a fortnight, Mooney decided to get some blocking practice and cruised the pole line, generally making a nuisance of himself as he slowed car after car.
Gerry Linklater survived the chaos best, beating Johnston home, with Dykstra a long way back in third.
Dion Mooney won the first Stockcar race, as Callum Sturzaker, having his first drive of the season ran into problems within sight of the finish line. 1NZ’s Josh Walsh came home in third place.
Gisborne racer Haydin Barker took out the second heat ahead of Blair Reeves-Smith and Mooney, and Walsh took out the final heat ahead of Hailey James and Cody Alabaster.
Cameron Hurley took out the opening Minisprint heat from Glen McCutcheon and Jack Lammas Martin.
After that it was the McCutcheon show, with the Palmerston North driver making a fantastic start to the second heat from row two to head off Dylan Smith and Hurley, with the minor placings reversed in the final heat as McCutcheon took out a commanding victory.
Another full field of Youth Ministocks faced the starter, and the promise in the class, the locals, came to the surface with Wanganui drivers taking the first four places. Ethan Linklater won from Benjamin Tulloch, Paige Smith and Devon Wilson.
Stratford speedster Chase Korff took out heat two ahead of Blake Luscombe and Fletcher Hoskings, then repeated the dose in heat three, winning from Rhyan Dobson and Bailey Arapere-McPhee.
Hoskins won the final heat after a race-long battle with fellow Wanganui drivers Wilson and Tyler Wilson.
Riki-Lee Kauri took out a hattrick of wins in the Adult Ministock class on Opening Night, and when she won the opening race on Saturday, ahead of fellow Palmerston North drivers Caleb Keane and Charlie O’Hara, it looked like deja vu.
However, Lloyd Clark from Stratford had different ideas, winning the second heat from O’Hara and Brayden Shaw, then heading Kauri home by half a second after an excellent final heat, with O’Hara picking up his third top-three finish of the night.
Brent Hackett won the opening production saloon race from Shayne Hughes and Hayden Miscall, but Miscall turned the tables in the second race, winning from Mike Lovell and Hughes.
The third heat was abandoned after a few laps when persistent drizzle set in, turning the track into a very slippery mess.
The Wanganui Stockcar and Speedway Club was meeting on Monday night to reschedule the TradeZone Fireworks, and the outcome of that meeting will be advised on the Oceanview Speedway Facebook Page – https://www.facebook.com/WanganuiSpeedway.
The club is also taking steps to ensure that all those who attended on Saturday night can attend the rescheduled fireworks display at no cost.
Meanwhile, racing continues this Saturday night from 6pm with a club night.
The fireworks disappointment aside, the 2023-24 speedway season is off to a flying start.