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MORE than 70 youth ministock racers will start tomorrow night in the annual Eastland Ministock 100 and several Gisborne drivers are in with a chance of winning it.
The two-night programme begins at 7pm tomorrow night with heats in the Heavy Equipment Services-sponsored event. It has attracted top young drivers from around the North Island.
“They will race in their age groups again, so we will have a junior divison (12 to 14) and then the senior group (15-17),” club president Grant MacGregor said.
Each division will have a three-race series to decide the finalists.
“This has become a very popular event for the young drivers and their parents and supporters, and we look forward to staging it again.”
The finals will be held on Saturday night with a series of three races and a feature for each of the two senior groups (A and B) and one junior group who qualify.
“Hamish Moore (16G), Ollie Simpson (77G), Bailey Curtis (21G) and Thomas Rumble (4G) have all been racing well so far this season,” MacGregor said.
All four will race in the senior division.
“Angus Briant (81G) would be the pick of the juniors.”
Dylan Tower (96R) and Clinton Cheetham (36R) from Rotorua and Todd Hemingway (88M) from Mt Maunganui all raced at the front of the field during the last Gisborne meeting.
“They will be contenders for the Eastland Ministock 100 title,” MacGregor said.
Top sidecar combosThe top two New Zealand combinations in the sidecars will be part of the other major feature in the two-night programme.
Four teams — Gisborne, Palmerston North, Hawke’s Bay and Auckland — will vie for the New Zealand sidecar teams title.
1NZ and 2NZ from Palmerston North will be here to defend their national title.
Richard and Alistair Horne (1NZ) and Mike Zachan and Jason McKinley (2NZ) will be racing with Derek and Mathew Ramsey (6P).
“They will be the team to beat,” said Gisborne team spokesman Rob Miller.
The Gisborne team members are Miller and Hamish White (8G), Deane Miller and Pete Steigenberger (9G), and Clive Ireland and Kerwin Arnaboldi (56G).
“I reckon we’ve got a good chance to take the trophy back off Palmy with our home advantage,” Miller said.
“We all know our track so well.”
Miller said all three Gisborne bikes should be in top order by the weekend.
The sidecar teams will race on Saturday night and the combinations will race as individuals as part of tomorrow night’s support programme.
The RJ and RA Dear Building Ltd Production Saloons Best Pairs is the other feature this weekend and that is also on tomorrow night.
“We’ll have a dozen cars out there for that one and once again they won’t know who they are partnered with till the end,” MacGregor said.
“No doubt Dave Gooch (10G) and Fraser Wright (44G) will have 10 other drivers hoping they are on their team.
“They’ve both been going really well.”
The support programme on Saturday night includes six-shooters with Reece Lister and friends in action.
“We’re also expecting some visiting cars,” MacGregor said.
Gates open at 6pm both nights with racing from 7pm.