Speedway: BOP driver makes most of luck

VISITOR'S GLORY: Keegan Orr celebrates victory. PHOTO/Wayne Stewart, Kiwi Motorsport Media

KEEGAN ORR admitted to being a "little bit stressed" before Saturday night's three-car run-off for the Hawke's Bay Stockcar Championship title at Meeanee.

"I was up against two Hawke's Bay boys and they weren't slow," Mount Maunganui's Orr said, referring to Randal Tarrant and Marty Cooke who, like Orr, had earlier accumulated 94 points from their three heats in the 29-car championship.

"Then I said to dad [Steve] it doesn't matter where I come ... We will still travel home with a trophy."

Orr shouldn't have been stressed, it was a night for the visitors. The 2600 spectators had to wait until the seventh race until they saw a Hawke's Bay winner courtesy of Steven Martin's victory in the second heat for saloons.

While Orr, 20, who is in his fourth season in the class after leaving the ministock ranks, had a plan, he didn't have to execute it as his job was made a little easier when Cooke surprised the crowd by smashing Tarrant up the wall on lap three of the four-lap run-off.

"When I saw that happen I thought 'thank god'," Orr said.

Cooke narrowly failed with an attempt to take Orr out on the final corner and Orr had his first championship title.

"I'm absolutely stoked. I've had placings in the past but that's my first title. Hopefully I will have similar luck at the Bay of Plenty champs in Rotorua on Monday night."

"I was the only driver from the Mount here but I did get a bit of help from the Gisborne boys," Orr added.

While Hawke's Bay fans were disappointed the title was won by an outsider they were rapt with the action during the championship.

Ben Milne ended up upside down on corner one during the second lap of the first heat while his clubmate Brandon Warner did well to take Gisborne's Brett Lloyd to the wall on lap seven in heat two when Lloyd had an eight-point lead in the championship.

Cooke finished second and Tarrant third.

Travis Gooch was a convincing winner of a two-car run-off with fellow Gisborne driver Ben McArthur for the Hawke's Bay Streetstock Championship.

They both finished the 16-car championship on 73 points, three more than the Bay's third placegetter Daniel Melling.

This championship was also full of action and one of the highlights saw Ben Yeoman put his Hawke's Bay clubmate Dave "The Sheriff" Brand up the wall in the first heat.

The 12 sidecar crews produced some spectacular racing in six-crew heats. Palmerston North visitors Paul Humphrey and Patrick Larsen won their first two heats but had a poor start in the feature which was won by Hawke's Bay's Dave Black and Cole Petterson.

Martin, Mount Maunganui's Jarrod Fletcher and Huntly's Dave Roigard had turns at victory laps in the 14-strong saloon class.

Hawke's Bay's Regan Penn did well to win two of the heats in a 26-car ministock class. Huntly's Aaron Humble won the other.

Tonight's meeting at Meeanee will feature the Hawke's Bay sidecar champs, a ramp derby featuring the Bay's "Mr Speedway" Mike McLachlan, Magpies rugby prop Jason Long and regular derby stirrer Tony Darroch.