Hawke's Bay's Steve Flynn with his trophy haul after winning a second national Super Saloon title in Wellington on Saturday night. Photo / Warren Buckland
Hawke's Bay's Steve Flynn with his trophy haul after winning a second national Super Saloon title in Wellington on Saturday night. Photo / Warren Buckland
Can Hawke's Bay Super Saloon driver Steve Flynn repeat Craig Todd and Shane Penn's feats of back-to-back national titles at Meeanee?
This question was being asked shortly after Flynn, 41, won his second national title in Wellington on Saturday night. Meeanee will host his next nationals next summer and thisis where Hawke's Bay TQ driver Todd went back-to-back in 2012 and now retired superstock driver Penn went back-to-back last year.
"It will be good to try and retain it at home, but in the meantime we will make the most of having the title again," Flynn, who first won it in Nelson in 2012, said after returning to the Bay with the silverware last night.
A speedway racer for 21 seasons, Flynn, won Saturday night's title by three points from Canterbury's Mark Grocott and Nelson's 2NZ from last summer, Ian Burson, was a further point back. The second-placed qualifier from his group on Friday night, Flynn, finished fifth from grid nine in his first championship race, fourth from grid 19 in his second and second from grid four in his last race. "I knew I didn't have to pass the leader in that last race and I didn't want to do anything stupid," Flynn said.
Flynn collected some damage during the first race pile up, which forced three drivers to withdraw but was able to continue racing.
"It's nothing substantial but it will take some work. I'll be ready for next weekend's New Zealand Grand Prix in Huntly," he said.
Flynn's next outing after the Grand Prix will be the February 7 round in the Burger King Series, which will be run as a support class on the final night of the International Superstock Teams meeting in Palmerston North. He holds fourth place in the series and said while former 1NZ Mark Osborne of Canterbury has a handy lead there is little separating the second, third and fourth drivers.
His brother Grant was the next best of the Bay finishers in Wellington with a fifth placing.
Flynn's success was an ideal form of consolation for the two Hawke's Bay teams, defending champions Meeanee Maulers and the Orange Roughies, failing to make the podium at the fourth annual Peter Barry Memorial Teams stockcar event at Hauraki Meeanee Speedway on Saturday night.
The Maulers finished last in their group after losing 165-20 to the Wellington Young Guns and beating the Stratford Stormers 100-40. The Roughies finished third in their group with a 135-60 win against the Palmerston North Pumas and a 125-70 loss to the Wanganui Vulcans.
The Vulcans became the fourth first-time winners of the title when they pipped the Young Guns in their first-across-the-line final. Blair Lockett, who secured the chequered flag in the final, said his team travelled to Napier with the aim of going one better than last year and will return next year to attempt to become the first team to go back-to-back.
Steve Jude was the best of the Bay finishers at the weekend's Rotorua-hosted World 240s meeting, finishing 11th.
