“It feels absolutely awesome to get straight through to the final,” Daniel, the older Cook said.
“I have made the final before via a repercharge but to drive straight into it feels great.
“The car went great tonight. It did everything we wanted it to.
“Now all I’ve got to do is drive it well in the finals. I can’t wait for tonight,” Daniel said.
His younger brother Ethan produced an outstanding drive in his final heat, going from fifth on the grid to win well and “doughnuted” several times at the end to celebrate.
His three-wheel full power cornering was gobsmacking to watch.
“It’s unbelieveable to get through. I hoped to qualify but I didn’t expect to actually win a heat.
He was in a duel with the leader with two laps to go in that final heat and worked the pole line really well.
“I waited for the opportunity to get past him and took it. I like to make every pass clean.”
Third to the younger CookThe younger Cook also got a third place in another heat and this is only his first full season in saloons.
The Gisborne trifecta for the finals came just on midnight when Gisborne’s Dave Moorcroft(8G) took out the repercharge to complete the final 20.
Moorcroft was ecstatic after a little earlier missing out in a four-car run off.
Ex-Gisborne driver Dan Corrin(24M) from the Mount qualified well too and in one of his heats absolutely “smoked” the rest of the field when he got the jump in the start.
The current top three News Zealand drivers, the Cowling brothers Steve and Chris from the Mount and Paddy North from Blenheim also got through.
Speedway club president Grant MacGregor said tonight’s finals promise to be sensational.
“You could thrown a blanket over the top 20 cars.
“It’s going to be incredibly close and exciting racing.”
Invercargill’s Craig Phillips and his crew have been working frantically since first thing this morning to repair his car for tonight’s finals after his spectacular rollover.
His car(17i) was clipped and spun 360 degrees on the back straight.
Phillips was unhurtPhillips was unhurt but did not qualify in the top 20. He hopes to race along with all the other non-qualifiers for the Eastland Plate.
The support programme produced plenty of good racing last night noteably Aaron Brown(5G) and Ben McArthur(8G) in the streetstocks, Fraser Wright(44G) in the production saloons and Hamish Moore(16G) and Thomas Rumble(4G) in the youth ministocks.
Tonight’s support programme includes more streetstock and ministock action, plus the Sam’s Upholstery Services Stockcar Classic that has drawn around 20 cars.
The gates to the speedway open at 5.30pm and the first race goes at 7pm.
“We are hoping for a bumper crowd,” MacGregor said.
“This is going to be one hell of a night.”
Full final 20 lineup: Paul Managh(82M), Chris Cowling(3NZ), Peter Dickson(11T), Michelle Wymer(75M), Paddy North(2NZ), Ethan Cook(76G), Daniel Cook(77G), Nigel Ross(46A), Steve Cowling(1NZ), Richard Dreaver(7S), Steve Martin(29B), Dan Corrin(24M), Craig Korff(9S), Thomas Korff(16S), Lloyd Phillips(47I), Geoffrey Webb(166H), Mark Hinton(45S), Chris Taylor(18K), Dave Moorcroft(8G) and Gary Marshall(4W).
