Best saloon field for years

BEST MATES?: The best part about racing best pairs is you do not know who your racing mate is until the end. There can be no thought for who your 'best mate' is until it's all over. Cody Gooch(6G) and Anton Mckay(99G) will be among the action in that class tomorrow night. Picture by Liam Clayton

THE best line-up of saloon cars to race at the Eastland Group Raceway for years will battle for the track’s “champion of champions” title tomorrow night.

More than 20 cars will race for the Pit Stop championship title and also for the Bruce Ellmers Memorial Trophy.

“We’ve got such a good field because they all want to dial into the track ahead of the New Zealand saloon car championships here in early January,” club president Grant MacGregor said.

“It will be the highest-quality saloon car field we’ve had here for many a year.”

The line-up includes current 1NZ Steve Cowling, along with former Gisborne driver Dan Corrin (24M) and Michelle Wymer (75M). All three are from Mt Maunganui.

“The Gisborne drivers will be in there too, with Daniel (77G) and Ethan Cook (76G) and Dave Moorcroft (8G) all right up with the pace and racing well,” MacGregor said.

The champion of champions title will be decided over three 12-lap races.

“The top six cars in that event will then be inverted, with the winner going to six on the grid, and sixth to pole position for a 15-lap Bruce Ellmers Memorial Trophy race.”

In a night of features, the Robert Harris Streetstock Best Pairs is on.

“We should have at least a dozen cars for that and they won’t know who they are partnered with until the end.

“So that means it will be all-out racing for the whole field,” MacGregor said.

Heavy Equipment Services Youth MinistockThe other feature is the Heavy Equipment Services Youth Ministock Best Pairs with more than 20 cars expected to compete.

“Like the streetstock guys, the young drivers won’t know who they paired up with until the end of the three-race series, so every place will count.”

Ten sidecars are expected tomorrow night.

“We’ve got bikes coming from all over the North Island for it as preparation for the sidecar national teams champs which are on here in two weeks,” MacGregor said.

The line-up includes three combinations from Napier and a team from Kihikihi.

“We will run A and B grade races to even things out a bit,” Rob Miller said.

“We want to give the crowd a fast class and a reasonably fast class.”

A dozen cars are expected to line up in the stockcar races.

“They’re all local cars but it’s a class where the competition is fierce,” MacGregor said.

“We would expect to see Jason Lovell (67G) race well and he will no doubt be out to bank the club points.”

The production saloons complete the programme with a field of about a dozen.

“Bryce Simpson (98G) will be out there in his new Falcon for the first time this season.

“His dad has been working hard to get the car on the track and it will be interesting to see how he goes.”

Fraser Wright (44G), Lloyd Stuart (34G), Dylan Quinn (7G) and Dana Kingsbeer (83G) have all been racing well in that class.

The saloon cars will take part in a parade from 6.45pm.

The gates to the speedway open at 6pm and racing starts at 7pm.