Sidecar championships could be affected by weather

A109 Light Utility Helicopter flight with mayor Gisborne City from the air in November 2023.

Gisborne Speedway Club has nervous eyes on the heavens as it hosts the New Zealand sidecar championships, with rain likely to have an impact.

A field of 30 bikes will contest the national sidecars title and the club has organised two nights of strong support racing.

“The track looked good this morning and we haven't had too much rain so far,” said club president Clyde McGrory.

“We got just enough of it to help us with our track preparations.”

The track was rolled this morning in preparation for tonight's meeting.

“We expect to be able to get through our programme tonight, with five rounds of racing for the sidecars to decide the top 16 for the finals.”

Tonight will also include the third round of the Eastland TQ Masters series and other support classes.

“At this stage the sidecar finals are scheduled for tomorrow night but there is rain in the forecast,” McGrory said.

“Weather permitting, we will complete the championships tomorrow night.”

Any variations to the scheduled programme will be notifed on Gisborne Speedway Club's Facebook page and in The Gisborne Herald tomorrow.

“We will make a call about racing on Saturday night as late in the morning as possible tomorrow.

“We are looking at a contingency plan to run the sidecar finals on Sunday, if necessary, when the weather looks a bit better.”