On familiar ground for the nationals

BACK TO RACE: Swinger Karl Carpendale and his driver Justin Maulder (55P) will be among the pairs vying for the New Zealand sidecar championship title at the Gisborne Speedway Club next weekend. It will be a homecoming for Carpendale. Formerly of Gisborne but now based in Napier, he has been enjoying his first season in speedway. Picture by S.B. O'Hagan Photography

Karl Carpendale will make his first appearance at the national sidecar championships on the track where he watched his father Wayne compete.

Karl lived in Gisborne until four years ago, when he moved to Napier.

He used to watch his father Wayne Carpendale race TQ midgets at the Gisborne Speedway Club track at Awapuni.

Karl took up sidecar racing as a swinger this season, and will make his debut national championship appearance at the meeting to be held at the Eastland Group Raceway on January 17 and 18.

Carpendale is the swinger for Palmerston North-registered Justin Maulder (55P).

“We've done pretty well so far in our first season together,” Carpendale said.

“We missed out by just a point on making the final of the Manawatu championships last month.”

They've had a second and a third in their races so far this season.

Carpendale and Maulder plan to dial their bike in for the national championships when they race in the Hawke's Bay sidecar championships at the Meeanee Speedway this weekend.

“At this stage we're just aiming to qualify at the nationals,” Carpendale said.

“We'd be pretty chuffed to do that.”

Karl's father Wayne raced TQ midgets for several years and crewed for Grant MacGregor when Grant was racing TQs in the 1980s and '90s.

“It seems only the other day that I used to watch Dad race,” Karl said.

“Now he comes to watch me.”