Crowds out in force at Oceanview Speedway
The speedway season at Fast Lane Spares Oceanview Family Speedway took a big step forward on Sunday night.
A sunny Sunday brought the crowds out in force, and the racers delivered outstanding racing as five of the championships not completed in the 2019-20 season were decided.
Rain in Wellington forced the cancellation of Te Marua’s opening meeting, so Peter Rees and his Himatangibased team turned left onto State Highway One instead and headed for Wanganui.
Rees-built cars have been dominant in early-season action around the North Island, and Sunday was no exception as Peter Rees (10G) took out the West Coast Superstocks ahead of Benji Sneddon (471K) and son Ethan Rees (127G)
Each heat of the West Coast Superstocks was also a Memorial race, the first heat remembering the late Noel Kensington.
Shaun Smith (53V) led early in his impressive new car until he was passed by Sneddon. Smith threw everything at Sneddon as the laps counted down, and had to settle for second place, with Peter Rees in third, giving a hint of what was to follow.
The George Podjursky Memorial (Heat Two) was a Rees family benefit, with Peter showing his sons the way home, ahead in age order of Asher (126K) and Ethan.
Ahead of the final heat, Peter Rees sat on 44 points, two points ahead of Sneddon, with Ethan Rees a further seven points back.
Scott Duncan (23V) was an early casualty in the Craig Heibner Memorial, losing a front wheel. From the restart, Ethan Rees made his way to the lead ahead of 11G Josh Prentice, driving Peter Rees’ spare car.
Peter Rees came home in third place, two spots ahead of Sneddon, to give him a well-deserved title win. His own car, and others from his workshop, seem to have nailed the vital combination between power and handling, and with six New Zealand titles to his credit, Rees is one of the best drivers the sport has seen.
Young Rotorua driver Terence Dorrell (212R) dominated the Heiby Memorial Youth Ministocks, the other championship event on the programme.
Dorrell won the first two heats, and with a seven-point lead going into the third and final heat, just had to stay out of trouble to win the title.
Coming through from the back of the field, Dorrell had to navigate a couple of restarts in the closing laps, but finishing third behind Conor Linklater (72P) and Cody Ogle (13S) gave him the overall victory.
Linklater finished in second place, five points back, with Kurtis Tinetti (77P) capping off a consistent night with third place on the podium.
There was predictable carnage in the stockcars, with another big field on hand.
Former New Zealand Stockcar champion Josh Prentice ( 5W) took out the first and third heats, with Luke Miers (15P) continuing his excellent early-season form to win the second race.
Kaelin Mooney (26V), Trazarn Ryland-Annabell (33V), Trevor Greig (81V), Hailey James (18V) and Jason Wright (19V) all picked up minor placings, while Mooney won the Grand Slam, heading home Seth Hodge’s 12P superstock.
Clinton Green (27V) provided fireworks of his own when his stockcar caught fire after a collision in front of the large crowd at the Airport end. The fire was quickly extinguished, and Green exited the car safely.
Craig Mason (77S), Jack LammasMartin (157P) and Liam Whelan (32S) shared the adult ministock wins, while Bailey Goldsack (72V), Jason Pointon (71V) and Brent Hackett (434V) had a win apiece in the production saloon class.
In the sidecars, Aiden Foothead, swinger for Tony Hislop on the 17P machine had a lucky escape when he and the bike almost parted company. Jason Rees and Callum Innes (22G) had two wins, bookending a win in the second heat to John Hannan/ Nigel Sturgeon (19V).
The sidecars and production saloons will headline the next meeting at Oceanview on Sunday November 8, with their respective West Coast Championships, and the sidecars will also race for the much sought-after Karl Barritt Memorial.
To the delight of young and old in the large crowd, the Kairanga Lions Club delivered another spectacular fireworks display, lighting up the Wanganui sky.
Two meetings in, there are signs that 2020-21 could be one of the best speedway seasons yet at the Oval by the Ocean.
Tony Stuart, Speedway
Whanganui Chronicle 28/10/20