FOCUS ON THE BIKES

Speedway thrills: Auckland combination Peter Adams and Jason Hira (6A) and Gisborne’s Toby and Dylan Lardelli (99G) will be among the contenders for the Law-Cartmell Memorial sidecar trophy in Gisborne Speedway Club’s meeting at Awapuni tomorrow night. File picture by Liam Clayton

Bikes will be the main attraction when Gisborne Speedway Club hosts its first race meeting for 2021 tomorrow, with the coveted Law-Cartmell Memorial sidecar trophy on the line.

Stubbs Contractors, Phill Law Panelbeating & Engineering, Novus Glass and TradeZone have co-sponsored the 22-race programme.

The sidecar field of 12 combinations will race over four rounds to decide the title on points. Local bikes will be supplemented by crews from Palmerston North, Kihikihi, Hawke’s Bay and Invercargill.

The Gisborne teams include defending champions Clive Ireland and his swinger Chris Symon on 56G.

Ireland says the trophy has sentimental value for the riders.

“The Law-Cartmell is definitely one trophy that we all want to get our names on at some stage.”

Andrew Cartmell and Wayne Law died in a motorcycle accident in 1990.

They were competitors in the sidecar class at Gisborne’s Awapuni speedway, and their deaths left a huge hole in the sidecar scene.

Ireland says he and Symon are looking forward to the contest.

“Chris and I have been going better and better on our brand new bike.

“We’re keen to go hard and hopefully win it again.”

The other Gisborne bikes feature Stu Priest and Kerwin Arnaboldi (52G), father and son Toby and Dylan Lardelli (99G), and Callum Inness and a yet-to-be-confirmed driver on 22G.

Top-contending visitors include the current 3NZ combination of Kenny Hammill and Daniel Bradley, Kihikihi’s David Gannon and Daryl Pearce (4K), Aucklanders Peter Adams and Jason Hira (6A), and Hawke’s Bay’s Craig Boaler and Ann Plummer (27B).

The solo bike field of eight riders will contest a four-round series in two heats of four.

That line-up includes 3NZ Ryan Daley, Billy Graham (15A) and Tony Hendry (66A) from Auckland, Michael Patey (18P) from Palmerston North, Darrin Wilson (7B) from Hawke’s Bay and Gisborne’s Jason McKay (53G).

The bike programme also includes three races for the “flat trackers” speedway class — like solo bikes with motocross wheels. Eight riders are coming from Palmerston North and Auckland.

Three visiting “classic” sidecars will also race tomorrow night.

The support programme features production saloons, youth ministocks and streetstocks, with fields expected to be small but highly competitive.

It is hoped that 1NZGP production saloon car champion Seth McKay will have his damaged car up and running for tomorrow night.

The car cracked a sump in the first titles race in last weekend’s New Zealand production saloon car championship after McKay had qualified well for the final.

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