Fans get their money’s worth

DEMOLITION MAN: The damage to the car driven by Paul Mabey summed up the intensity in the team demolition series at Gisborne Speedway Club’s meeting on Saturday night. “I put the brakes on and tried to hold up a couple of cars and got smashed,” Mabey said. Picture supplied

SPEEDWAY

A BATTLE royal in the saloons, hard and fast sidecars racing and a smashing series of demolition derby team races highlighted an action-packed meeting at Eastland Group Raceway on Saturday night.

The 30-race programme rolled along smoothly and the big crowd got its money’s worth.

Daniel and younger brother Ethan Cook went for it in the Pit Stop Saloon Car Champion of Champions event before older bro emerged victorious.

“It was wicked to win this tonight, he said. “Ethan got caught up in the first heat and I was able to take it out.”

Ethan, in his 1NZ car, crossed first in Heat 2 and Daniel took the checkered flag in Heat 3 to seal the title.

“It’s good to keep Ethan honest. We were breaking lap records tonight and it finished at 14.62 seconds (to Ethan) — a new mark by point-2 of a second.”

Ethan said it was a good night’s racing.

He got one back on Daniel with a clear victory in the stand-alone race for the Bruce Ellmers Memorial Cup. Ethan went to the outside line coming out of turn 4 and passed three cars before pit corner to take the lead. He was never headed after that.

Gisborne had the sidecars team title in their sights when they took on Auckland in their final race. They were leading it, sitting first and second, but there was a crash involving an Auckland bike.

In the restart, the top Auckland bike got the jump and powered away to win the race and the title.

“Before the restart we would have won it,” said Gisborne’s Rob Miller. “But it was good the guys on the Auckland bike were not hurt.”

A composite team from Waiheke Island went home with the spoils from a hard-fought demolition derby team series.

They had drivers previously from Whanganui, Napier and Northland in the team.

“We’ve all raced together before and the boys were rapt to come here and win it,” said manager Daniel Gubb.

Gisborne Gladiators won their first Tyre General and Gisborne Host Lions Stockcar Teams clash with the Meeanee Maulers, but were outdriven by a dominant and hard-hitting Waikato Raiders in their second encounter.

Dylan MacGregor (5G) put on a classy showing to win the DJ Mac Panel and Paint TQ Championships.

Dave Gooch (1NZ) won the Phil Walsh Memorial Trophy for production saloons, with the three other heat results shared between himself, daughter Crystal Peach (3NZ) and Sean Robertson (16G).

“It feels pretty special to win the Phil Walsh trophy,” Gooch said. “And to do it back-to-back was even better.”

Results , Saloons — Race 1, Daniel Cook (77G) 1, Ethan Cook (1NZG) 2, David Moorcroft (6M). Race 2: E Cook 1, D Cook 2, Wayne Melling (227B) 3. Race 3: D Cook 1, Melling 2, Daniel Wallace (15G) 3.

Saloon Champ of Champs: D Cook 1, E Cook 2, Melling 3.

Bruce Ellmers Memorial race: Ethan Cook.

Production saloons — Race 1, Dave Gooch (1NZ) 1, Fraser Wright (44G) 2, Sean Robertson (16G) 3. Race 2: Crystal Peach (3NZ) 1, Gooch 2, Wright 3. Race 3: Robertson 1, Peach 2, Gooch 3.

Phil Walsh Memorial race: Dave Gooch.

Stockcars — Race 1: Jamie Harding (71G) 1, Les Hepworth (22H) 2, Bruce Harding (8K) 3. Race 2: Hepworth 1, Mason O’Dwyer (99G) 2, Jason Jones (81G) 3. Race 3: Jones 1, O’Dwyer 2, Harding 3.

The Tyre General and Gisborne Host Lions Stockcar Teams: Maulers 1, Raiders 2, Gladiators 3.

Ministocks — Race 1: Thomas McEwan (26B) 1, Liam Danielson (11B) 2, Tara Whiteman (81G) 3. Race 2, Harry Prince (34B) 1, Henry Steel (61B) 2, Trent McCann (9B) 3, Race 3, Prince 1, McEwan 2, McCann 3.

Simpson Automotive Ministock Best Pairs: Seth McKay (48G) and McEwan 1, Jyneika Hollis-Peach (321G) and Steel 2, Sammy Durston (177G) and McCann 3.

TQs — Race 1, Dylan MacGregor (5G) 1, Ryan MacGregor (74G) 2, Kris Gillies (32B) 3, Race 2, D MacGregor 1, Gillies 2, R MacGregor 3, Race 3: R MacGregor 1, D MacGregor 2, Gillies 3. Race 4, D MacGregor 1, R MacGregor 2, Chris Wiffin (14B) 3.

TQ Championships: D MacGregor 1, R MacGregor 2, Gillies 3.

Autotech TQ Best Pairs: R MacGregor and John Taylor (7G) 1, Wiffin and Reece Jordan (73G) 2, Gillies and Kyle Prosser (23G) 3.

Sidecar Teams: Auckland 1, Gisborne (R Miller/R George - 8G, T Devery/C Innes -52G, R Stuart/A Parker - 46P) 2, Hawkes Bay 3.