Gisborne Speedway Club’s first meeting for 2022 to bring out the best

ACTION STATIONS: Monday night's speedway meeting promises plenty of action with saloon and stock car pairs racing set to fire up the big fields in both classes. Ethan Cook (76G) will certainly be among the contenders in the saloons and the stock cars, 40 of them, will produce helter skelter racing. File pictures

Best-pairs racing for saloons and stockcars will bring out the best in drivers on Monday night at Gisborne Speedway Club's first meeting for 2022.

The one-night meeting replaces the two-night superstock extravaganza the Eastland Group Raceway was to host. That has been rescheduled for late February.

The meeting on Monday night will also feature the ToolShed Youth Ministock 100.

“We've got a dozen cars entered for the Transdiesel Saloon Car Best Pairs,” club president Clyde McGrory said.

“The line-up of drivers includes our own Ethan Cook (76G), always an excitement machine on the track, and Trent Amrein from Mt Maunganui (42M).

“Sean Robertson (16G) has been racing well, too, and has a great chance for a podium finish.

“There's plenty of quality in the rest of the field, too. Really, that best-pairs title could go to anyone.”

The drivers will find out who they have been paired with on the night, and the title will be contested over three heats.

“At this stage we have 20 pairs entered for the stockcar pairs,” McGrory said.

“That's a big line-up and an action-packed one.

“We're talking two heats of 20 cars on the track over a three-round series, with accumulating points, so it'll be helter-skelter stuff.”

The line-up includes some top talent from other tracks — the likes of regular front-runner Mike Herbert (52R) from Rotorua, who will pair with well-performed veteran Trevor McArthur.

His son Ben McArthur (228G) and Sean Wepa (45R) from Rotorua will be another standout combination, along with Dylan Pickering (56G) and Kihikihi's Dion Henderson (544K).

Regan Penn from Hawke's Bay (5B) and Bryce Simpson (98G) should be in the thick of the action, too.

“That class has been a standout for us this season, and we expect that to continue,” McGrory said.

“We've got some of the top cars in the country here now.”

The annual Youth Ministock 100 has drawn a field of about 55 cars.

“The young drivers will put on a good show,” McGrory said. “They always do. That's our up-and-coming talent for the future of speedway, and some of them are from Gisborne.”

Competing for Gisborne will be Ari Robertson(9G), Cassy Robertson (97G), Corbyn Wilson (44G), Koby Gooch (59G), Corey Kibble (24G), Kaitlyn Priest (52G), Kyle Seabrook (33G), Stevie Durston (377G) and Logan Bruce (71G).

The support classes will be production saloons, TQs, sidecars and streetstocks.

Gates to the speedway will open at 5pm on Monday, with the first of the 27 races set to start at 6pm.