Speedway: Grant Flynn dedicates win

Grahame Strong's car is towed from the infield after his brother-in-law Johnny Browne put it into the pit gate wall in his first heat on Friday night. Photo/Paul Taylor

Hawke's Bay Super Saloon driver Grant Flynn had a rough week leading up to Friday night's speedway meeting at Meeanee.

"We lost a close family friend ... Shay Ashton passed away in his sleep earlier in the week, he was only 17. This trophy is dedicated to him and his family," Flynn said after winning The Thirsty Whale Bar and Restaurant-sponsored first round in The Burger King Pro Dirt Series.

"It's been a long time between drinks in terms of major successes for me," the veteran of 17 years' racing said.

"To do this on the home track after the week we have had makes it extra special."

Flynn, 37, who drives a V8 Chev, started off from grid four in the 20-lap final. Back-to-back national champion Mark Osborne of Christchurch, who earlier eliminated Flynn on his way to victory in a spectacular top six pole shuffle, had problems early in the final but fought his way back to finish second. Tauranga's Dean Waddell was third in the 20-car final and Aucklander Ben Harding fourth.

Harding, who started from grid two, held an early lead before Flynn passed him with a classy inside manoeuvre on lap five. Flynn maintained this lead until the chequered flag.

With a third placing in Saturday night's Wellington-hosted second round, Flynn holds third place overall in the seven-round series behind Osborne and Harding, who are first equal. The series ends in Auckland on March 1.

"There was some awesome racing in Wellington. The pole shuffle was sensational and the crowd went nuts," Flynn said as he travelled home yesterday.

It wasn't a memorable night at Meeanee for Hawke's Bay's Johnny Browne who raced his brother-in-law and former 3NZ Grahame Strong's car. Strong was in Hawke's Bay Hospital recovering after an operation following a motor vehicle accident in northern Hawke's Bay the previous day.

"I've never been so nervous ... probably because I'm racing someone else's car," Browne said prior to the meeting. Those nerves were obviously playing on his mind as he collided with the pit gate wall before the end of lap one and the car had to be towed from the track. Browne finished 10th in his second heat after spinning on lap six.

Strong's father, Meeanee promoter Brian Strong, said his son's operation went well. "When I saw Grahame he was sitting up asking for rum and chocolate."

Hawke's Bay sidecar swinger Phil Winter was taken to hospital with a suspected broken hip after a mishap in heat three for his eight-crew class.

Flynn's son Jakob collected a win and a third in his 18-strong ministock class. Clubmate Trent Palamountain rolled in his first heat.

There was entertainment galore in a 10-strong streetstock class with Dave "The Sheriff" Brand producing plenty of stirring.

Brand put clubmates Daniel Melling and Adrian Eade into the wall on his way to victory in the first heat. Brand also collected two third placings.

Hawke's Bay and East Coast champion Randal Tarrant won two of the three heats in a 17-strong stockcar class and his Bay clubmate Bryce Cross won the other.