Rugby/speedway: Magpies delight crowd

Tony Lamborn gives himself the thumbs up during Saturday night's pre-meeting parade.

Hawke's Bay Magpies rugby flanker Tony Lamborn grew up racing cars around the family farm.

"As youngsters we got a car each ... the paddocks got a thrashing," he recalled.

Lamborn, 22, displayed the benefits of those farm paddock skids when he won two of the Magpies celebrity streetstock races at Hauraki Meeanee Speedway on Saturday night and finished third in the other behind former Hurricanes halfback Chris Eaton and new Magpies flanker Tom Stanley. Lamborn and Eaton shared overall honours at the end of the three heats for the eight Magpies.

"I lost a bit of power in the third heat because my car was over heating. There was talk Chris and I might have a run off but when they told us the trophy will be shared I was happy ... I may not have had enough power for a run off.

"I gave the trophy to Chris because I knew his daughter Layla would have been happy to see him come home with it," Lamborn said.

Like Lamborn, Eaton enjoyed the experience and pointed out he and Lamborn benefited from having the faster cars. Lamborn raced Darren Melling's which was originally scheduled to be driven by hot favourite Trent Boswell-Wakefield but Boswell-Wakefield was forced to withdraw after being called into the Hurricanes Development team for yesterday's match against the Crusaders Knights in Christchurch.

The Magpies were so entertaining they almost stole the limelight from the 20-car Hawke's Bay stockcar championship won by Meeanee Mauler Brett Loveridge.

"That was awesome because it was my first Hawke's Bay championship victory. It ranks up there with last year's Gisborne Classic win as the highlights of my five years in the class," Loveridge, 22, said.

"It's been a memorable couple of weekends," he said referring to last weekend's Meeanee Maulers winning of the Peter Barry Memorial Teams event.

"Hopefully I can make it three weekends in a row when I compete in the Hawke's Bay Under-25 Superstock Championship next weekend. Mike McLachlan said I can race his car providing it doesn't collect too much damage in Auckland tonight," Loveridge explained.

Loveridge was one of three Maulers to make the podium on Saturday night. He finished seven points ahead of Jason Penn and Marty Cooke was third, two points behind Penn.

Former Mauler Keith Hingston impressed with his stirring in the championship. Hingston ended the title hopes of defending champion and heat one winner Randal Tarrant when he took Tarrant into the wall on lap four of the 10-lap second heat.

Hingston paid the price for this feat when he was shoved up the wall before the first corner of the third heat by Tarrant's father Beatle.

Hawke's Bay TQ driver Duane Todd celebrated his first outing on his home track since finishing second at last month's Christchurch-hosted nationals with two wins and a second in a nine-strong class. His cousin and former national champion Craig Todd won the other heat.

Hastings orchardist Dean Penney won a tame seven car demolition derby which ended the meeting and lasted seven minutes. Penney had raced in four derbies previously but Saturday night's was the first he had completed.

He pointed out his V6 stationwagon will be ready for the next derby on April 26.