Lighting up night sky

FIREWORKS ON AND OFF THE TRACK: Fireworks explode over the Eastland Group Raceway track. The traditional Fireworks Meeting always attracts a big crowd and that is expected to continue tomorrow night. Picture by Liam Clayton

Fireworks in the sky and fireworks on the track will draw one of the biggest crowds of the season to Eastland Group Raceway tomorrow night.

The Jukes Carriers-sponsored Fireworks Meeting has traditionally produced one of the entertainment highlights of the Gisborne Speedway Club season.

“Tomorrow night will be no different. We're all very excited,” club president Clyde McGrory said. “And the weather looks like it's going to be perfect for a night of hard and fast racing.”

The Public Dreams Fireworks Team will send $10,000 of fireworks skyward once it gets dark enough — probably around 9.15pm.

“Public Dreams from Hawke's Bay always put on a great show for us and fans tell us the fireworks show at the track would be better than anywhere else because it happens right overhead,” McGrory said.

A big race programme will be highlighted by the second round of the MTF Finance Superstock Points Dash.

“We've got a very classy field for it, with 14 cars registered as of Thursday night. They include 1NZ Asher Rees, along with brother Ethan (129G) and father Peter (10G).

“It'll be the first time the Rees family have raced here this season and I cannot wait to see them out there on the track.”

Gisborne's Sam Hughes took his new superstock out racing for the first time in round 1 of the Points Dash a few weeks ago and drove extremely well.

He leads the points table going into tomorrow night.

“It will be interesting to see how Sam goes against our fuller field of cars tomorrow night because it's not just the Rees family,” McGrory said. “You're going to have Jamie Hamilton (9G) from the Giants out there as well.

“Then you've got the Gizzy drivers like Ben McArthur (328G), James Clarke (29G) and Jason Jones (81G) to contend with, so it's going to be three heats of action-packed and fast racing.”

The rest of the programme features stockcars. Fifteen had entered as of last night including Clarke (29G) and McArthur (228G), and Trevor McArthur (128G), who has also been racing extremely well.

The production saloon car field has 13 starters at this stage, including Seth McKay (48G) and Blake Dear (37G).

“There will be seven cars again, all locals, in the saloon field. Last time you could have thrown a net over the top three-to-four cars, with the wins shared around,” McGrory said. “Look out for Sean Robertson (16G), Bailey Curtis (221G) and Hamish Moore (85G).”

The streetstocks field has jumped up to nine starters at this stage. Brent Durston (77G) and Cody Gooch (6G) are the likely front-runners.

Fifteen youth ministocks will be in action. Cars from Kihikihi and Rotorua are heading this way to duel with the locals.

Sidecars are also on the programme.

“As a special feature tomorrow night we will run what we're calling the Legends Race. It will involve seven former New Zealand champions racing superstocks. They include Bryce Penn and Murray Long from Hawke's Bay, Mike Beale, myself and Joe Faram.”

McGrory said they were expecting a big crowd and he urged people to get there early to grab their favourite viewing spots.

Gates open at 5pm. Racing starts at 6pm.