Titles on the line at Awapuni

Red-hot action can be expected in the saloons at the speedway tomorrow as the “champion of champions” title is contested. Drivers like 85G Hamish Moore and 7G Rodney McIndoe are likely to feature in a fast field. Picture by Liam Clayton

Champion of champions titles go on the line for the hard-charging saloons and production saloons when Gisborne Speedway Club launches into 2024 tomorrow night.

The ProTraffic Saloon Champion of Champions event will be thrilling. That class has generated great excitement at the track since the season started. Gisborne’s drivers have been piling on the pace. Tomorrow they have 3NZ Trent Amrein and 227B Wayne Melling from Hawke’s Bay to deal with.

The Gisborne cars out there tomorrow night include 7G Rodney McIndoe, 14G Glen Paris, 16G Sean Robertson, 77G Daniel Cook, 85G Hamish Moore, 221G Bailey Curtis and 444G Dan Weston.

McIndoe, Robertson, Cook, Moore and Curtis have all had their turn up front this season. They race so hard and so close, you could just about throw a blanket over them.

“The title is up for grabs,” club president Sam Hughes said. “It’s a hard one to pick because they are all racing so well.”

Hughes said the club hoped to pick up more cars to add to the red-hot action.

The Professional Fleet Maintenance Production Saloons field looks set to provide plenty of action too — 6G Kris Langford, 17G Anton McKay, 33G Joel Whitley, 37G Blake Dear, 48G Seth McKay, 53G Brendan Land, 64G Jack Miller, 66G Blake Marshall, 79B Dave Cartwright and 97G Sarah Pearson are set to feature.

The McKays — Anton and Seth — and Blake Dear are the likely front-runners there and if meetings this season are any indicator, little will separate them.

“Those guys have raced hard and fast against each other all season,” Hughes said.

This weekend will feature the first appearance of F2 Midgets on the Gisborne track. Fourteen cars will be here from places such as Auckland, Huntly, Mt Maunganui and Kihikihi, racing for the East Coast Championship.

“F2s have a streetcar motor in them and can travel really fast,” Hughes said.

Big-name drivers coming include Corbin Anderson, James Earl, Tylar Browne and Leyton Kendall.

Up-and-coming drivers Devon George, Blake Allinson and Jared Robinson have shown some great form and will chase podium spots this weekend.

“It will be a very exciting night of racing in that class,” Hughes said.

The sidecar champ of champs title goes on the line in the Law Cartmell Memorial tomorrow night.

“We’ve got eight combinations for that event,” Hughes said.

“They include former Gisborne rider Rob Miller, who’s now based in Palmerston North.

“It will be great racing too.”

The rest of the support programme includes youth ministocks and streetstocks.

“We’ve got a 23-race programme lined up and it will be a terrific start to the year,” Hughes said.

The gates to the speedway open at 5pm, with the first race set to start at 6pm.