Speedway: Hawkeye capt nails East Coast No 2

HUMMING: Steve Jude claimed his second East Coast Championship crown yesterday. PHOTO/FILE

The roll continues for Hawke's Bay Hawkeyes Superstock team captain Steve Jude.

Jude, who led the Hawkeyes to their history-making title win at the ENZED teams champs in Palmy last month, won a second East Coast Championship at Meeanee last night. Jude beat Palmerston North visitor William Humphries by two points in the 21-car event and fellow Hawke's Bay driver Adam Groome was a further five points back in second place.

"I've got to thank Mike McLachlan for helping me out ... we seem to race pretty well together when there's a bit of teams racing involved," Jude said referring to McLachlan's take out of another Hawkeye, Quinn Ryan.

Two nights earlier Jude and another Bay driver, Matt Tigger, finished second in the Superstock Best Pairs at Meeanee.

"Hopefully this luck continues for my car, which has a busy month coming up. Stacey Smith will race it here in the under-25 nationals next weekend, Tony McLanachan, who built the car 21 years ago will race it in the Legends meeting at Palmy on April 9 and then I've got the Hawke's Bay champs and finally the Autumn Nationals, which I'm aiming to win for a fourth time," Jude said.

Another Hawkeye, Magpies rugby prop Jason Long, was on target to win the title until an engine issue forced him infield with six laps remaining.

The first heat for the 15-strong streetstock class last night saw Hawke's Bay's Brent Redington win the Pam Gibson Memorial Trophy. Fellow host track drivers Daniel and Wayne Melling were second and third respectively.

One of the best stockcar hits last night saw Hawke's Bay's Hayden Barnett smash clubmate Raymond Christieson into the wall.

Hawke's Bay saloon driver Steven Martin and Auckland TQ driver Richard Eva were among those to roll.

A highlight of Friday night's racing saw Hawke's Bay TQ driver Duane Todd win the 18-car Hawke's Bay championship in the car normally driven by his cousin, and fellow two-time national champion Craig Todd. Craig was still recovering from a back operation and Duane's engine gave up on him during the warm-up laps.

Duane captured the title after close a run-off with Aucklander Shaun Cooke. Auckland's Ryan Barry was third.

Hawke's Bay superstock driver Maddison Wise had his first outing in the car his family has purchased from the family of the late Jarrod Lindsay, who died in September last year at the age of 19 after a short battle with meningitis. Wise proved he could be in for a profitable time once he becomes more familiar with the car.

Wise was competing in a 22-car Hawke's Bay Superstock Best Pairs event, won by Hawke's Bay's Wayne Talbot and the Palmerston North-contracted Hawke's Bay-based Andy McCabe. Hawke's Bay's Brett Loveridge and Palmerston North's William Humphries triumphed in the 13-team Best Pairs stockcar event.

Wanganui's John Caird has the honour of being the inaugural East Coast Production Saloon champion. He won the second and third heats in his 19-strong championship after finishing fourth in the first.

Hawke's Bay's Greg Redington did well to finish second to Caird and Rotorua's Hayley Carter was third.

Mount Maunganui Super Saloon driver Scott Hayward got the ideal consolation for not qualifying at the Meeanee-hosted nationals earlier this month by winning the nine-car East Coast championship. Hayward won two of the heats and finished second to Hawke's Bay's 2NZ Grahame Strong in the other. Hawke's Bay's Grant Flynn and Wellingtonian Martin Halcrow secured the next two berths on the podium.

Meanwhile, Hawke's Bay streetstock driver Daniel Melling followed up his second at the previous weekend's Gisborne-hosted Grand Prix with a third in Friday night's Manawatu championships.