Stockcar racing sponsorship in honour of young driver

After this weekend's Christmas parade there is the usual charitable sausage sizzle.

"This year we're doing something a little bit different," says Kelly Scarrow of Mainstreet.

This year the cause is in honour of a young man who died earlier this year and the proceeds from the sausage sizzle will go to a 12-year-old ministock driver.

In February 14-year-old Chase Swanson-Ewing drowned in the Whanganui River. As a young child he had been a budding stock car racer, starting in the peewee class at Oceanview Speedway when he was four years old, taking to the track between races. He dreamed of racing ministocks when he got older and taking it further as an adult.

Unfortunately, his mum, Lou Baldwin, couldn't afford to get him into ministocks and the dream came to an end.

In Chase's honour, Lou, with a group of friends, has initiated a sponsorship to help some other youngster who may not have the resources to fulfil their dream of becoming a stock car driver.

Twelve year old Angus Mulholland is the lucky recipient. He races ministock number 69v.

"My uncle races a superstock and he had a ministock that wasn't being used, so he asked me if I wanted to race." Angus's uncle is Darryl Taylor who designed and built the first ministocks and instigated the youth ministock class for 12 to 16 year-olds.

Angus has driven in three race meetings so far and his car and that formerly driven by Chase will both be in this Saturday's Christmas parade.

The sponsorship is to support Angus in this stage of his driving career.

"I'm so proud of him," says Angus's mum, Monique Coughey. "So far we haven't left a meeting without breaking something on the car! But it's easily fixed." Monique's husband Colin Coughey does the car's repairs and there's always work to be done. "Now Angus is into it we are there every time there's a meeting."

Angus hopes to be driving superstocks one day.

Paul Brooks
Whanganui Midweek 9/12/20