Speedway: Family ties to be tested ... possibly

Stacey Smith and partner Brett Loveridge ham it up in the countdown to the Peter Barry Memorial Stockcar Teams Event. Photo/Paul Taylor

It's the perfect recipe for a bad case of family domestics but Hawke's Bay stockcar driver Stacey Smith laughed it off.

"Let's just say breakfast conversations on Sunday morning will be interesting if it happens," Smith said and her seven-year-old daughter Payton Swannell mimicked her.

Smith was referring to the possibility of her Orange Roughies team taking on her partner Brett Loveridge's Meeanee Maulers team during the nine-team Peter Barry Memorial Teams event which will be raced at Meeanee tomorrow and Saturday nights. While Smith has raced stockcars for five years and been in three editions of this weekend's event she and Loveridge, who did his first Peter Barry in 2011, have never teams raced against each other.

The fact her brother Michael Smith will also race for the Maulers adds extra spice to the possible scenarios. It had to be put to Smith, the only female in the 2018 meeting raced in memory of Central Hawke's Bay businessman and farmer Peter Barry, who died in 2009 after a speedway accident, ... Loveridge and her brother could take her out in a sandwich-type move and Smith replied:

"Or they could take it easy on me."

She doesn't expect any special treatment because she is the only sole female.

"Our cars are all painted the same so they won't know which one I'm in."

Smith, 27, said if the Roughies were to meet the Maulers she would prefer it to be in Saturday night's final.

"Two Bay teams in the final would be great. For the Maulers to be beaten by a team with a girl in would be better."

Loveridge, 26, was in the Maulers team which won the Peter Barry event in 2013. During the 2013-14 season Loveridge was one of the best drivers in the country with the Hawke's Bay, East Coast, Gisborne Classic, Huntly Speedfest and Kuru Cup titles also won.

Maulers manager Andrew Powell believed Loveridge was back to that sort of form again and this is a remarkable feat considering the injuries collected in a motor vehicle accident near Te Pohue when travelling to the 2015 national teams championship in Rotorua. Loveridge broke bones in both feet, a hip, his nose and fractured every finger and de-gloved a hand.

"The body is good now but every now and then it tells me it's a bit sore. As for Andrew's comments I'm probably a bit more stupid now."

An auto electrician for Eastern Truck & Marine Ltd, Loveridge, agreed the Maulers team isn't the most experienced he's raced for.

"But it's a pretty good team. Brandon [Symes] and Ethan [Anderson] have plenty of speed and there's some good gear there. Tactics wise I just hope everyone can read the race."

Like his partner Loveridge also races a Ford Falcon-powered car. He didn't mind putting as much time into her car as his this week.

"The more work we put into the cars during the week the less we have to do between races. If I'm going to be fixing one car I might as well fix two," Loveridge said.

He tipped the Rotorua Rascals, who are chasing a three-peat and boast the Stewart brothers, Dale and Brent, to be the team to beat this weekend.

"Oh and the Roughies too," he added to put a smile on his partner's face.

With former Maulers Mike McLachlan and Regan O'Brien in the Roughies team their chances of tasting title glory can't be discounted.

"Blockers like them will certainly give the rest of us confidence," Smith added and Loveridge pretended not to hear it.

Saloons and sidecars will provide the support classes tomorrow night. On Saturday night there will be consolation races for the stockcars, the Hawke's Bay super saloon champs, the Hawke's Bay ministock champs and TQs.

Teams for the weekend:'
Auckland Alleycats: 338 Keegan Orr, 383 Gary Lonergan, 833 Corey Baker, 388 Brad Simpson, 838 Hayden Hart. Manager: Geoff Cook.
Rotorua Rascals: 535 Robbie Morris, 353 Steve Gray, 385 Callum Flavell, 583 Brent Stewart, 358 Dale Stewart. Manager: Steve Axtens.
Waikato Raiders: 4H Josh Humble, 8H Brad Philpott, 15H Hadley Dixon, 46H Barry Rhodes, 87H Nevin Shrubb. Res: Cameron Taylor. Manager: Justin Hutchby.
Meeanee Maulers: 81B Brandon Symes, 82B Brett Loveridge, 83B Andre Stenson, 84B Michael Smith, 85B Ethan Anderson. Manager: Andrew Powell.
Orange Roughies: 171 Regan O'Brien, 271 Stacey Smith, 371 Craig McBeth, 471 Daniel Melling, 571 Mike McLachlan. Res: Ethan Cross. Manager: Claire Bunce.
Stratford Stormers: 3NZ Haydin Barker, 32S Mark Duthie, 47S Damien Hiestand, 72S Bevan Phillips, 517S Mark Woods, Res: Shane Denham. Manager: John Booker.
Wellington Young Guns: 55W Keegan Levien, 52W Dale Robertson, 53W Paul Gaskin, 54W Brendon Tye, 57W Josh Prentice. Res: Bryce Jensen. Manager: Kyle Lane.
Whanganui Vulcans: 42V Steve Read, 22V Shane Kells, 67V Chet Swan, 33V Transzam Roland-Annabelle, 28V Trent Palamountain. Manager: Alan Luoni.
Palmerston North Pumas: 233P Daniel Burmeister, 238P Cameron Renwick, 253P Rob Mason, 263P David Lowe, 283P Stu Sowry. Res: Tony Norman. Manager: Ian Parfitt.