The field line up for the final of the 26-car senior division of the Ministock 100 at Awapuni Speedway, won by Vinzent MacGregor, who started from pole position. Photo / Angus Bodle
The field line up for the final of the 26-car senior division of the Ministock 100 at Awapuni Speedway, won by Vinzent MacGregor, who started from pole position. Photo / Angus Bodle
The young racers in the Repco Ministock 100 speedway meeting in Gisborne on Saturday night painted a bright picture of the future of the sport.
MTF Awapuni Speedway hosted about 60 drivers aged 12-17 years for the championship.
“Well done to all of the winners,” Gisborne Speedway Club saidon its Facebook (Awapuni Speedway) page.
“It was a good night’s racing,” club president Sam Hughes said. “Great see so many young drivers doing so well in tightly contested races.”
The junior division (12-14 years) was jointly won by Aucklanders Jaxon Hazelman (28A) and Korbin Seales (17A). Gisborne’s Josh Coates (7G) finished third in a quality field.
Josh Coates (7G) was named Driver of the Night among the Gisborne contingent. He finished third in the junior division. Photo / Angus Bodle
The next best from Gisborne in that age group was Mila Jones (81G) in seventh.
Gisborne’s Zac Chiles (44G) raced well in the juniors, picking up a first and a second in two of the heats, but sustaining damage in a crash in heat 3.
Gisborne's Zac Chiles (44G) had a first and a second in the junior division but missed out on a place in the final due to car damage in a crash in heat 3. Photo / Angus Bodle
The senior (15-17) division was won by Gisborne’s Vinzent MacGregor, who races for Hawke’s Bay Speedway Club, behind the wheel of 5B.
MacGregor showed he meant business from the start of the first race in his age group. He got out to a handy lead and then showed the rest of the field a clean pair of heels to win by the length of the home straight.
MacGregor finished the three-heat qualifying series handily placed to start in pole position on the grid in the final.
It was a thriller, with just 0.647s separating him and clubmate Jimmy Crawford (972B) at the chequered flag.
Another Hawke’s Bay driver, Kaiden Beale (211B), was third.
The pits were a busy place on the night, as the youth competitors, their families and supporters worked on their cars and got themselves ready for the next call to the dummy grid. Photo / Murray Robertson
In the Interclub Challenge held as part of the championship, Whanganui won from Stratford and Baypark.
The ministock Driver of the Night honours among the locals went to Josh Coates (7G).
“Thanks to Repco for their continued support of our youth,” Hughes said. “They are the future of the sport in the town.”
The support classes, albeit with smaller-than-usual fields, turned on terrific racing.
In the streetstocks, David Hampton (88G) had two firsts, Cody Gooch (6G) two seconds, and Jared Ingoe (18G) a first, second and third.
Keelyn Smith (51G) and Duncan Pierce (983G) recorded third placings.
In the stockcars, Hawke’s Bay’s Tony Palmer had two wins and Shane Bunning (7G) and James Marshall (16H) also had wins.
Evan Mooney (77G) picked up three seconds and a third, and Willie Kaa (164G) had a second and a third.
The club’s next meeting is a double-header on December 5-6. The North Island streetstock championships feature qualifying on the Friday and finals the next day. The support programme features minisprint cars, the Ashley Scott Memorial for stockcars, superstocks, youth ministocks, saloons, TQs, production saloons and classic stockcars.
Meanwhile, Gisborne club drivers made several podiums in out-of-town meetings at the weekend.
Ethan Rees (127G) won the Robin Pratt Stockcar Memorial in Palmerston North.
Rodney Macindoe (7G) was runner-up in the 25-lap feature race at the Cromwell Raceway.
