Speedway season opens in Whanganui at Oceanview on Sunday
It's been a long off-season, but the speedway drought will finally be broken on Sunday when the 2019 season at Fast Lane Spares Oceanview Family Speedway roar into life.
And what a season it promises to be – fifteen meetings, including the granddaddy of them all with the Elite Mechanical New Zealand Superstock Championship on January 3-4.
The Wanganui Stockcar and Speedway Club is thrilled to have the support of Mike Mooney from Elite Mechanical and Engineering Ltd and Steam and Machinery Ltd as naming rights sponsor for the national championship.
Entries for the NZ Superstocks are rolling in steadily.
Stratford Superstock driver Wayne Moss (25S) was the first driver to sign up, with his entry form emailed back within hours of entries opening.
Despite his television commitments, former 2NZ and 3NZ Jordan Dare got his entry in quickly, and already there's a strong local presence with Shaun Smith (53V), Max Holloway (81V) (ex WHS student), Carl Burns (25V) and Scott Duncan (23V) all having completed the necessary paperwork.
Although the championship is ten weeks away, the WSSC is expecting large numbers of Superstock competitors to attend race meetings prior to Christmas to dial their race cars into the tight Oceanview track.
That starts on Sunday, with more than 30 cars from all over the North Island entered to race at the season opener.
Leading the challenge will be current 2NZ and former 1NZ Peter Rees.
Although based at Himitangi, Rees races out of Gisborne, and his influence has given the class a real boost at the east coast track.
Rees' younger son Ethan will also be in attendance, both of them in brand new cars.
Other Gisborne drivers expected include James Mallia, Gary Davis, Mark Cromarty and Bradley Kendall.
After winning the ENZED New Zealand Superstock Teams Championship last season as part of the Christchurch Glen Eagles, Peter Rees' older son Asher is running out of Kihikihi this season.
He and the other Mukka Motorsport drivers Benji Snedden and Dan Hole will make their presence felt.
Also coming from Kihikihi is the Wade Racing team of Jared Wade, Stefan Roigard, Dave Roigard and former Stratford Scrapper Mitch Vickery.
The Stratford contingent is headed by long-time racer Phil Ogle, and includes Blair Uhlenberg, Daryl Roper and Scott Williams, while Baypark-contracted Bruce Williams has been a regular visitor to Oceanview over the last couple of seasons.
Palmerston North cars include Justin Roberts behind the wheel of the car Rees took to 2NZ last season, along with Brett Hyslop and the Dykstra Racing team of Zane, Ricky and Rangi Dykstra.
The prospect of competing for a NZ Championship on home clay has seen significant growth in the local Superstock field as well, with new and rebuilt cars along with new drivers.
The four-car SS Motorsport team is a standout.
Shaun Smith and Carl Burns' cars have had extensive work over the off-season, while Max Holloway has a brand new vehicle and Hayden Green has rebuilt the ex-Dykstra car he purchased at the end of last season.
The standard of presentation of these cars is exceptional.
Long-time Stockcar driver Shane Kells turned up at practice with the car he purchased from Christchurch.
The 87V machine is just 13 meetings old, and judging by the grin on Kells' face after his first drive, he's going to have plenty of fun.
The Jurgens Motorsport team are back, and we may even see the debut of Karl Jurgens' new 66V car on Sunday.
Sheridan O'Hara has again contracted to Wanganui, while Scott Duncan's car looks fresh in its new livery and the ex-Bob Smith car is now owned by Morris Doyle.
It will be driven by Jamie Cooper when Doyle is away working.
And an interesting addition to the field is a Ford-powered Kuriger from Invercargill, to be driven by the Sanson brothers from Marton.
The Stockcar field has also grown this season with new cars and drivers, and other wheelmen returning after a season off.
The new cars of Jack Purcell and Kaelin Mooney are standouts (ex WHS students), and we look forward to watching the progress of both drivers this season.
Caleb Gosney is another newcomer, having purchased an almost-new car from Wellington driver Josh Lockett.
Returning drivers include Trevor Greig, Gerry Linklater, Mark Johnston, Francis Potaka, Wayne Wright and Jason Wright, who has a brand-new Rees Spank chassis.
Trazarn Ryland-Annabell (ex WHS student) also has a new car coming, although it may not make it to the track this Sunday.
Also running on Sunday night will be big fields of Youth and Adult Ministocks, Production Saloons, Sidecars and Minisprints, with the Midget class set to make its season debut next Saturday, November 2.
With 25 races on the programme, the gates at Oceanview open at 3.30pm, and racing begins at 5pm.
Tony Stuart
Whanganui Chronicle 26/10/19
