Sidecars getting sideways at Oceanview
Wheels up: Aaron Rose (former WHS student) and Amelia Stanley raise up with a wheel stand. The NZ Sidecar Championship will be decided at Oceanview over the next two evenings.
Forty of New Zealand's best Speedway Sidecar racers will descend on Whanganui this weekend.
The Wanganui Stockcar and Speedway Club is hosting the Stevo's Distributors New Zealand Sidecar Championship for the first time since the 2001-02 season.
Riders from as far afield as Auckland and Invercargill have entered the event, to be raced at Supercheap Auto Oceanview Family Speedway tonight and tomorrow.
Sidecar racing has a proud tradition in Whanganui since the class started here in the late 1970's. Don Cosford and Phil Robinson were the first local riders to secure a podium place at the championship when they placed second in 1980-81.
Since then, four local combinations have won the coveted New Zealand title.
Tony Cave and Graeme Uren won at Rotorua in 1985-86, Nigel Belsham and Stephen Anderson at Whanganui in 1990-91, Murray Hackett and Steve Heibner at Whanganui in 1996-97 and John Hannan and Jason Walls were victorious at Wellington in 2003-04.
Many of the past champions from Whanganui will be watching the action this weekend.
John Hannan is still competing, with Bryce Rose as his swinger (passenger), and he is among the favourites to claim what would be his third title.
Hannan and Rose have been in excellent form this season on the 19V Suzuki powered machine, and recently won the Karl Barritt Memorial at Oceanview.
Another top contender will be the 46A combination of Russell Stuart and Andrew Parker.
Winners of the title at Nelson in 2010-11, Stuart and Parker won the West Coast Sidecars at Oceanview in November, and know their way around the Whanganui track.
So does Palmerston North father-and-son outfit Derek and Matthew Ramsey, regular attendees at Oceanview.
Derek Ramsay is a three-time third place-getter in the NZ Sidecars, but with his 18-year-old son Matthew now swinging for him will be expected to be amongst the front-runners.
Others who are likely to feature strongly are the current 3NZ combination of Jamie Moohan and Jacob Cooper from Kihikihi, South Island champions Lionel Green and Shayne Breach (73C) and 2011-12 1NZ Rob Miller, with swinger Kerwin Arnibaldi (8G).
Hannan tops the list of local hopes, whilst the stalwart of the Sidecar class at Oceanview, Craig Scott (with Kristie Wackildene swinging) can never be discounted.
Aaron Rose and Amelia Stanley (34V) have had no luck all season, but if that changes they have the ability to get right among the front-runners.
By Tony Stuart
Wanganui Chronicle 3/3/17