Gisborne's Cody Gooch (green car) and Rotorua's Alan King (59R) fought furiously for the North Island Streetstock crown at Awapuni Speedway over Friday and Saturday nights. Photo / Angus Bodle
Gisborne's Cody Gooch (green car) and Rotorua's Alan King (59R) fought furiously for the North Island Streetstock crown at Awapuni Speedway over Friday and Saturday nights. Photo / Angus Bodle
Gisborne’s Cody Gooch and Rotorua’s Alan King fought out a titanic battle to decide the North Island Streetstock Championship on Saturday night – and the King reigned.
The MTF Awapuni Speedway turned on two outstanding nights of action across the feature event and the entire support programme.
The intensity of the NI Streetstock Champs is captured in this crash that saw Gisborne's Daniel O'Neill (14G) shunted into the back straight wall by Hawke's Bay driver Jack Gilchrist. Photo / Angus Bodle
Gooch, in his6G green machine, finished the first three heats of the Tyre General-sponsored NI Streetstock Championship on Friday in the lead.
He racked up 76 points, followed by Auckland’s Cory Te Rito (11A) on 74 and King 67.
The duel continued on Saturday night with Gooch still in front after five heats with 117 points – only a point ahead of King.
It all came down to the last of the six heats.
“Cody got tangled up with some other drivers and cars who were not his friends,” Gisborne Speedway Club president Sam Hughes said. “He was a marked man for sure.”
Gooch finished back in the field and had to settle for second overall, with Te Rito third.
“That class really turned it on. We could not have asked for more,” Hughes said.
“We were down in numbers in a couple of the support classes, but really everyone, all classes, put on a really good show.”
Try as he might, Gisborne's Rodney McIndoe had to settle for second in the Gisborne saloon car champion of champions event on Saturday night. Photo / Angus Bodle
The McIndoe Logging Saloon Champion of Champions title was won by Hawke’s Bay’s 77B Grahame Strong, ahead of locals Rodney McIndoe (7G) and Evan Mooney (42G).
The OST Eastern Stampede minisprint title was won by 3NZ Nathan Jefferies from 2NZ Glen McCutcheon and 18P Daniel Nickel.
The minisprints showed lightning-fast pace and precision both nights and the drivers loved the banked track, lapping at around the 13.6s mark.
“They were on fire. That’s really going on our track,” Hughes said.
Bryce Simpson (98G) turned on a classy showing to win the Sam’s Upholstery and Gisborne Fluid & Machinery Ashley Scott Memorial Trophy for stockcars from Tony Palmer (74B) and Jarrod Murton (66B).
Bryce Simpson won the coveted Ashley Scott Memorial Trophy for stockcar. Photo / Angus Bodle
Hawke’s Bay-registered youth driver Vinzent MacGregor (Gisborne) was again in fine form as he weaved his way through and around the large ministock fields over both nights.
The ministock Driver of the Night was 221G Jenna McCabe.
In a nasty accident, a visiting Hawke’s Bay youth ministocks driver suffered a serious back injury in a crash in the home straight on Saturday night.
