Speedway finale promises fireworks
The 2017-18 speedway season will end with a bang tonight.
Former WHS students Kyle Heibner, Scott McIntosh, Max Holloway & Callum Sturzaker all part of the star-studded field at Oceanviews final meeting of the season.
It's the final meeting of what has been a very successful season at Supercheap Auto Oceanview Family Speedway, and the organisers are determined to go out with a flourish.
Not only is there a full speedway programme, but the Wanganui Stockcar and Speedway Club's annual Demolition Derby will take place.
Later in the evening, the skies above Oceanview will light up with a Fireworks display.
Superstocks are the feature class of the night, with three Memorial races in memory of the late Noel Kensington, George Podjursky and Craig Heibner.
A quality field of superstocks will descend on Oceanview, led by current New Zealand superstock champion and victorious Palmerston North Panther teams racer William Humphries.
Humphries has had a dream season, as he was also in the championship-winning Palmerston North Panthers team at the ENZED Teams Champs in February.
Keeping Humphries honest will be the 3NZ car of Jordan Dare from Foxton, one of his Panthers teammates.
Dare was impressive in winning the West Coast Superstocks at Oceanview in November.
With superstock racing at Gisborne cancelled this weekend, driver and race-car builder Peter Rees will have multiple cars at the track along with his son Ethan – the current 1NZ in the stockcar class.
Ethan Rees also campaigns in superstock, and is fast developing a reputation as a very canny and skilled driver.
In keeping with the family theme, the Dykstra Racing team from Foxton will take family participation to new heights tonight.
Sons Rangi, Ricky and Zane will be joined by their father, Sjoerd Dykstra.
Sjoerd Dykstra has not competed in his own car since 2007, and this will be the first time he has raced alongside his sons.
Rebecca Barr placed third in the West Coast superstocks, and is regarded as a very promising driver.
She will be joined by a number of visitors including Jake Baker (Palmerston North), Darryl Roper (Stratford) and Alex Bright (Nelson).
Bright, who teams races for the Tigers, is coming up with crew chief Kyle Heibner, who will present the Craig Heibner Memorial Trophy on behalf of the Heibner family tonight.
Kerry Podjursky will head the local contingent.
Last season, the veteran won two of the Memorial races, but there is one which continues to evade him – the race in memory of his late father, George Podjursky.
The younger Podjursky has finished second in that race in each of the last two seasons, and will be determined to go one place better tonight.
Other locals to the fore will be Wanganui Warrior Scott "Scooter" McIntosh, the promising Max Holloway, the 65V and 66V Jurgens Motorsport cars and Brendon Sharland – who is getting the bugs sorted from his Rees-built Spank.
Big fields are expected in other classes as well, as local drivers and visitors chase the season points titles.
Dion Mooney has a 10 point advantage over Callum Sturzaker in the stockcar points, after missing two meetings while racing in the South Island, while in the adult ministocks, Bradley Korff has a handy lead over fellow Stratford driver Kyle Wilson, and in the youth ministock class, Flynn Wild is the meat in the points sandwich between leader Cody Hodge and his third-placed brother Seth Hodge.
Grant Loveridge has dominated the production saloon class this season, and holds an unassailable lead in the points heading into the final night.
A big crowd is expected at Oceanview Family Speedway, so the gates at the airport end of the facility will be open as well.
There is additional parking available near the airport, and marshalls will direct the public.
Gates open at 3pm and racing will start at 7pm. It promises to be an explosive end to the season.
Speedway
By Tony Stuart
Wanganui Chronicle 7/4/18