Speedway: Brotherly love goes only so far

Wayne Melling (front), and brothers Darren and Daniel will be three of 12 Hawke's Bay starters in the North Island Streetstock Championship at Meeanee this weekend. Photo / Duncan Brown

Can Wayne Melling become the first Hawke's Bay Streestock driver to win two North Island titles at Meeanee?

This question will be answered when the 37-car North Island Championship will be staged at Hauraki Meeanee Speedway on Friday and Saturday nights. With two brothers, Darren and Wayne as well as nine other Bay clubmates to help him out the chances are reasonably good.

There could have been a fourth Melling in the championship but their brother Shayne is unavailable because he has to be a driver at a mate's wedding on Saturday night. Daniel will drive Shayne's car because his new one is still being built.

Wayne, 38, who has also finished second in two North Island champs, as well as a New Zealand Grand Prix, agreed it would be fitting to win a second North Island title on his home track but pointed out it would be foolish to look beyond Friday night's qualifying heats.

"Fellow competitors have been texting me telling me my group is one of the easy ones. But if you look at all three groups each one has at least eight drivers who are good enough to qualify," Wayne said referring to the championship format which will see the top six drivers from each of the three groups qualify plus the next two best drivers.

With 10 Gisborne drivers among the entries the Mellings agreed the title has the potential to be decided by a brutal Hawke's Bay-Gisborne showdown, depending on what the referees allow. If the title is to be decided by pace at least nine of the Gisborne lads boast the same pace as Darren, who won the the title in the 2002-03 season, and Wayne, who won it the following season.

Darren, 40, is in his 20th year racing in the class, the past five with a Toyota engine. He has been the form driver at Meeanee this season and finished second in the Gisborne Champion of Champions meeting a fortnight ago.

Daniel, 23, is in his fifth season in the class after stepping up from the ministock ranks. This will be his fourth North Island championships and his previous best placing in the event is a fourth.

Being the youngest of the three brothers, the question had to be asked of Daniel. Will he have to do what his older brothers tell him should all three qualify for the championship heats?

"That will depend on what they tell me to do and what the points situation is going into the final race," he replied.

"I would expect the older brothers to give me as much support as I would give them if they were title contenders."

Watching the tactics of the brothers on both nights could prove just as entertaining as the entire championship.