Speedway demo derby won by female first-timer

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

DEMOLITION derby veteran Neil Gooch was the 'last man standing' in his 100th derby at the Eastland group Raceway on Saturday night - but the winner was a woman.

The 20 cars in the thoroughly entertaining finale to the Gisborne Speedway Club's last meeting for 2015 took half-an-hour to grind themselves to a standstill. Gooch in car 100 somehow managed to keep his badly damaged stationwagon going, with steam pouring from it, right up to the point the winner Cassy Norris caught him at pit corner in her little Nissan Centra and finished him off.

"It feels awesome to win. I didn't expect that to happen at all," the 37-year-old champion said afterwards as she held the chequered flag next to her shattered car.

She also picked up a 'stirrers prize' for the way she entered into the biff and bash contest. It was her very first time out on the speedway track.

"The secret was to just go hard."

She drove in support of the SPCA animal haven and said the prize money would be used to help feed their animals. It is thought to be the first time a woman has won a demolition derby at the Gisborne track.

Gooch was philosophical. "Not my night tonight mate - and to be beaten by a woman," he said with a wry smile. Fair to say though the veteran did very well to stay in the contest. He was a target for sure.

Tetraplegic Joel Tibble got his dream to race at the speedway answered in fine style with a nice little race between the streetstock Joel was in and two others. Joel 's car driven by Glenn Pistor who took the chequered flag.

"It was awesome. I'm pretty speechless actually," the 20-year-old said in the pits later. "The speed was amazing and those drifts into the corners . . . I loved it mate."

The Eastland championships produced some fantastic racing highlighted by the three wins from three starts for stockcar exponent Brett Lloyd, who won that title easily.

Clive Ireland and his swinger Kerwin Arnaboldi had two wins out of three in the sidecars to take that title off Rob Miller and Hamish White.

Reece Lister (8G) was outstanding in the six-shooters.

The production saloon title went to the evergreen Dave Gooch (10G), the saloons title to ex-Gisborne driver Dan Corrin (24M), and the ministock title to Hamish Moore (16G).

The streetstocks title went to Brent Redington from Hawke's Bay (24B) over Aaron Brown (5G). Brown ran Redington down right on the finish line in the final heat in one of the best races of the night, but the visitor had the edge in overall points.

An outstanding finish to the pre-Christmas phase of the speedway club's season, and all eyes are now on the New Zealand saloons, and New Zealand stockcar teams in the New Year.