Gladiators ready to give their best

Keen to repeat success: The Gisborne Gladiators will try to bring the New Zealand stockcar teams title back to Gisborne this weekend. They won it in 2015, defended it in Gisborne in 2016, then lost it to Auckland in 2017. Team members were pictured, above, at the Gisborne track in 2016 when they retained the title. This year’s team want to restore that winning feeling. File picture

SPEEDWAY

THE Gisborne Gladiators know they face a tough battle to make the finals of the New Zealand Stockcar Teams Championship in Stratford this weekend but will give it their best shot.

They will be up against teams from Stratford, Christchurch, Wellington, Auckland, Rotorua, Whanganui, Greymouth, Baypark, Meeanee, Waikato, Kihikihi and Palmerston North.

Ethan Rees (127G) will lead the young Gladiators into action this weekend.

He says he has full confidence in teammates James Kirk (31G), James Clarke (29G), Ben Holt (4G) and Mason O’Dwyer (99G), along with reserve Jordan Fleetwod (16G).

“It’s good to line up with those guys again and it’s going to be good to go racing with them,” Rees said.

Last weekend’s results in the New Zealand Stockcar Championships at Baypark, where only Holt made the finals, were no indication of how they might go as a team this weekend, Rees said.

“I don’t think those results affect this weekend really. It’s teams racing and we all work for each other and the team.

“The boys certainly seem pretty excited and ready to go again.”

Rees made special mention of Rees Racing’s engine builder Bryan Hartley for getting the motor in his car going again after it blew up last weekend.

Stratford won the right to defend the championship on their home track after their success last season.

The Gladiators won the teams title in 2015 and successfully defended it in Gisborne in 2016.

They finished third in 2017 and were unable to make last year’s finals. They finished ninth.

Two qualifying races will be held tomorrow night.

A seeding system put in place for the championship this year means the top four teams from 2018 will not race each other in qualifying.

Eight teams will qualify for the quarterfinals, semifinals and final on Saturday night.

Ben Holt said he and his teammates were feeling positive.

“That’s the best way to go into an event like this . . . be positive, and we all are.

“I love teams racing and it’s great to be part of the Gladiators again.”

Holt missed out last year because of injury.

His teammate James Kirk said they were all excited about it.

“We’re all eager to get out there tomorrow night. We’ve got good gear and a good team. I think we can do OK.”

He said confidence levels in the team were high.

“We’re determined to give it our best shot and bring the title back to Gisborne again.”