CANTERBURY CROWN TO GISBORNE DRIVER

CANTERBURY CHAMPION: Hard-charging Ethan Cook (76G) from Gisborne Speedway Club won the Canterbury Saloon Car Championship at Kaiapoi on Saturday, nudging out the current 2NZ from Cromwell in the final. File picture by Liam Clayton

Gisborne saloon car racer Ethan Cook won the Canterbury Saloon Car Championship at the Woodford Glen Speedway at Kaiapoi, near Christchurch, on Saturday night.

Cook, driving 76G, was in superb form and held off current 2NZ George Phillips from Cromwell to win the title.

The event was staged over two qualifying heats and then a 15-lap final.

Cook won the final race by half a car-length from Phillips.

He started the first heat from Grid 4 and finished first, then went from Grid 17 in the second heat to finish fourth.

That meant he started the final in pole position.

Twenty cars contested the final.

“I dropped to third off the start because I had some motor issues,” Cook said.

“The engine kept cutting out.”

But it came right and Cook was able to take the lead with four laps to go.

“All the top three cars were battling pretty much all race and it felt great to win,” he said.

“It's an awesome result, against the fast South Island competitors.

“The saloon class is really strong down there at the moment.”

Gisborne's Sean Robertson (16G) also raced in the event.

“Sean made the final, too, but he had a tyre pop while we were under caution, and unfortunately that was his final.”

The season's not over yet for Cook and his team.

“We will look at doing some Easter championship meetings,” Cook said.

* Gisborne Speedway Club has a “club day” planned for March 12 and a big line-up is expected across all grades.