Speedway: Long captures Bay title for first time

Hawke's Bay superstock driver Jason Long won his first provincial title in the class on Saturday night. Photo/Andrew Brunton Photography

Spectators would have understood if Hawke's Bay superstock driver Jason Long got a bit of extra attention during the provincial championship at Meeanee on Saturday night.

After all former Hawkeye Long raced for the Gisborne Giants who beat the Hawke's Bay Hawkeyes in the semifinals of the ENZED Teams Champs at Palmerston North earlier this month.

"If people want to have a go at me that's fine. But I've still got a B on my car," Long said, after the 20-car Fire Station Bakery Cafe Whakatu-sponsored championship.

However Long, 25, didn't get as much attention as fans anticipated and with a win and two fourth placings in his three heats, won the championship for the first time by a point from national champion William Humphries of Palmerston North. Hawkeye Maddie Wise was three points behind Long in third place.

"It's pretty good to get this title as I've been chasing it a while and I've been on the podium a couple of times," said the seventh-season driver in the class who is a former 2NZ and a former New Zealand Grand Prix champion.

"My car was pretty well off after the Palmy teams champs. Dad [retired Hawkeye Murray Long] made a few setup changes during the week to get some more speed and they paid off," Long explained.

With the form Long displayed he must be considered a hot favourite for the Under-25 Grand Nationals at Meeanee on March 10. But he won't be among the starters.

"I'm dong the Auckland Teams Nationals with the Giants next weekend but the following weekend I will be playing for my Hastings Rugby and Sports club at the Spillane tournament in Auckland. We're hoping for a big season of rugby this year ... with the club and with the Magpies," the Magpies prop said.

The inaugural North Island Production Saloon Championship, which involved 24 drivers, was the meeting's other feature attraction. Whanganui's Grant Loveridge won the title by four points from Gisborne's Antonio McKay. Gisborne's Fraser Wright was a point behind his clubmate in third place and Tanga Walsh was the best of the Hawke's Bay starters in seventh place.

"I'm stoked to be the inaugural North Island champion for this class as I've had more than 20 years in the class after one season in saloons," father-of-three Loveridge said afterwards.

"I was tossing up a bit with my tyre selection and the decision to go with road tyres proved the right one. My regular visits to Meeanee this season also paid off."

Loveridge, 42, raced a Honda Prelude 2.2 VTEC and won the first heat from grid one, finished third in the second from grid 13 and seventh in the third from grid 24.

Hawke's Bay's Marshall Zachan, Rotorua's Liam Reid, Gisborne's Angus Briant and Rotorua's Ethan Clarke all had heat wins in the 35-strong ministock class. Handicap starts were used in the 16-strong combined saloon class where first-season saloon class driver Kareena Annan of Hawke's Bay and super saloon drivers Grahame Strong of the host track and Donald Gregory of Wellington all had victory laps.

Hawke's Bay's Tim Towler won two of the heats and clubmate Glen Shepherd the other in an eight-strong streetstock class. The Bay's two-time national champion Duane Todd won two of the heats in the nine-car TQ class and Aucklander Cieran Rose took out the other.

Hawke's Bay's Jimmy Lea won an action-packed, 15-minute, 24-car demolition derby which ended the meeting.