Bay speedway rider Russell Stuart delays retirement plans again

Russell Stuart and Andrew Parker complete their victory lap after winning a second New Zealand Sidecar Championship at Meeanee on Saturday night. Photo/Andrew Brunton Photography

Charismatic Hawke's Bay sidecar rider Russell Stuart abandoned his retirement plans yet again after winning a second New Zealand championship at Meeanee on Saturday night.

"I've been going to retire year after year but I keep saying have another one, have another one ... I'll definitely be back for another year after this," Stuart, 59, said shortly after he and swinger Andrew Parker beat Palmerston North's Wayne Lett and Chris Chatfield by two points for the sidecars title in the 35-crew David Jones Motors-sponsored event, which attracted 2030 spectators.

The Palmerston North-contracted crew who have been racing together for 12 years won their first title during the 2010-11 season in Nelson and finished third last season in Whanganui. A mechanic for Nimon & Sons Ltd, Stuart, didn't fancy their chances of a podium finish coming into the meeting.

"We had a bad accident in Palmerston North three weeks ago and I collected some badly bruised ribs. They're only starting to come right."

Because of that accident Stuart and Parker didn't enter this Saturday's New Zealand Grand Prix in Gisborne.

"We'll enter now and go up there with a target on our back," Stuart quipped.

"I just love this class and this was one of the cleanest championships I have raced in. Apart from a couple of accidents earlier on it was incident-free. How they managed to get a track out of the swamp we saw out here on Friday night is a tribute to how professional the sport is here," Stuart said.

"And where did we get those starts from?," Stuart asked as he tapped their Suzuki GSXR 1000cc-powered machine.

He was referring to their spectacular starts which were the key to their wins in four of their five Top 16 heats. These were a big improvement on their one win from three starts during their three qualifying heats.

Clive-based Whanganui-contracted two-time national champion John Hannan finished one point behind Lett and Chatfield with swinger Bryce Rose. Hannan and Rose had their title hopes dashed when a mechanical issue saw them fail to finish their fifth and last top 16 heat.

Dave Black and swinger Cole Petterson did the best of the Hawke's Bay-contracted crews with a fourth equal finish, one point behind Hannan and Rose.

Their Hawke's Bay clubmates Troy Devery and Pete Steigenberger are both reported to be in a stable condition in Hawke's Bay Hospital after their crash during heat two of the third qualifying round. Neither are allowed visitors.

A Palmerston North-contracted crew of Glen Murray and swinger Ann Plummer had their title hoped dashed when they flipped during their second top 16 heat when they were in third place.

Forty-two drivers from throughout the North Island competed in the David Jones Motors-sponsored Gold Cup event for ministocks. Gisborne's Angus Briant won the cup with his victory in the winner-takes-all A final, which saw Stratford's William Hart and Hawke's Bay's Ryan Dorward finish second and third respectively.

Hawke's Bay's Bradley Penn, a son of retired two-time national superstock champion Shane Penn and grandson of former national superstock champion Bryce Penn won the B final. His Hawke's Bay clubmates Harry Prince and Hamish McEwan were second and third respectively.