Speedway: Good oil flows through family veins

FAMILY AFFAIR: Jesse Pollock-Houston (left), Richard Houston, Monique Houston and Cameron Houston with four of the five cars the family will race this summer. PHOTO/Duncan Brown

TO celebrate 30 years of racing, Hawke's Bay speedway driver Richard Houston wanted to try something different this summer.

The 2000 New Zealand Grand Prix winner and 2006 3NZ in the streetstock class has opted for the glamour superstock class - and the Hawke's Bay club is expected to feature more than 30 drivers when the 2016-2017 season begins at Meeanee tomorrow night.

This means Houston, 46, will be racing in three different classes this season as he will continue to race in the streetstock and production saloon classes.

With his oldest son Jesse Pollock-Houston also racing in the streetstock class and youngest son Cameron Houston eagerly awaiting his March debut in the ministock class when he turns 12, the family will be racing five cars by the end of the season.

"It will get hectic, particularly when all three classes are racing on the same night. But the passion and dedication is there and I just want to keep racing as long as I can," Houston snr said.

Three seasons ago his father, Ray Houston, completed his second summer in the streetstock class and retired at the age of 67. Richard said there was a good chance he would match 'Racing Ray's' feat.

Last summer the Greenmeadows Panel & Paint panelbeater, who does his own repair and mechanical work on the cars, experienced one of the downfalls of attempting to race in more than one class on one night.

"I was running second with one heat remaining in the club's inaugural production saloon class championship and just missed the start of the final heat after finishing a streetstock race so had to settle for fourth overall. That's racing," Houston said with the smile which never leaves his face regardless of what has happened out on the track.

"The superstock class will be my priority this summer. There are no major goals ... you know me, start, finish and enjoy is my motto."

Considering Hawke's Bay's superstock class will be one of the strongest in the country with all of last summer's Palmerston North Teams Championship-winning Hawkeyes team returning, that is a sensible approach from a bloke who has won multiple Hawke's Bay and East Coast titles as well as the sole Autumn Nationals title in the streetstock class.

Pollock-Houston, 25, started speedway racing as a 12-year-old in the ministock class. This is his fifth season in the class.

"I'm still searching for my first win in the streetstock class but it is just as tough as the superstock class at Meeanee when you think about it. With the likes of the four Melling brothers, Darren, Wayne, Shayne and Daniel as well as Ben Yeoman and Brent Redington, it is tough to get a win. I want to go to the nationals in Stratford with the aim of doing better than at the Kihi Kihi nationals last summer when I was running second in the repechage and got taken out. If I had stayed second I would have made the final."

Eleven-year-old Tamatea Intermediate School Year 7 pupil Cameron won't be short of advice when it is his turn to take to the track. His grandfather, father and brother will all be there to assist. Gaining experience will be his priority during the end of the season.

His 8-year-old sister and Port Ahuriri School pupil Monique Houston is responsible for the mud scraping on all cars as well as the water. But her main priority is the purchasing of drinks and hot dogs for the drivers.

When quizzed if she was hoping to get Cameron's car when he finishes in the class Monique replied:

"Probably not. I want to race saloons when I'm older."

The family are grateful for their numerous sponsors and supporters which include Greenmeadows Panel & Paint, Devery Contracting, Split Pin Engineering, Bay Tyres and Branded Signs.

Superstocks, stockcars, ministocks, streetstocks, saloons, super saloons and TQs will all be racing from 7pm tomorrow.