Dean Brindle takes Baypark Speedway’s Bay Piston Cup 30-lapper

Dean Brindle (22) makes an inside pass on Jonathan Allard during their fierce battle in the Bay Piston Cup.

Hamilton racer Dean Brindle and California’s Jonathan Allard were again the leading protagonists in Baypark Speedway’s annual 30-lap Bay Piston Cup Sprint Car feature on Saturday night.

But in contrast to 2022, when Brindle grabbed the win with a last-lap pass, the 2023 edition saw the race decided as the pair traded passes in the opening laps.

Brindle and Allard shared the front row of the grid, and after swapping the lead four times in the opening seven laps, it was Brindle who gained the upper hand in the lapped traffic. He raced clear by 3.7 seconds to claim the $5000 win.

The early laps saw the pair trading the lead with moves that demanded trust from both sides and thrilled the Easter Fireworks night crowd.

“I guess we know each other fairly well now and we can read what each other is going to do,” Brindle said.

“He was trying to take my line away and kill my momentum, and I was doing the same. It was really cool, hard racing,” Brindle said.

“My car was really good and we didn’t change a thing on it all night. It was a bit tight to start with in the feature, and it came to us later on.”

With lap times dipping into the mid-13-second range, Brindle said the Baypark track preparation is providing top-class sprint car racing.

“The track feels fast and it’s smooth. They are doing a great job with it, and I love racing here,” he said.

Rodney Wood completed the podium, while Cole Wood was the only other driver not to be lapped in the fast-paced 30-lapper.

Sam Waddell raced through the traffic to win the Bay Super Sundown 30-lapper for auper saloons.

Making only this third appearance of the season, Scott Hayward (Tauranga) set the pace in the super saloon car qualifier and raced to pole position in the 30-lap Bay Super Sundown feature by posting a second placing and a win in the heat races.

Hayward led the first 12 laps of the race, but pulled to the infield with an overheating issue. Sam Waddell took over the lead having already driven forward from grid eight, and he scored a clear 5.4-second victory ahead of Whitianga’s Bodie Abrahamson.

It was a race of attrition, with national champ Chris Cowling and Caitlin Hayward also ending up on the infield after a close battle for the second spot.

Cowling had a vibration in the car which he said got worse as the race went on, while a rear suspension breakage ended Caitlin Hayward’s impressive drive. Richard Dreaver (Palmerston North) continues to find pace in his new car and finished third.

The final meeting of the 2022-23 season at Baypark Speedway on April 29 will feature the annual Demolition Der-Bay and the Harry Fredrickson Stock Car Gold Cup.