Speedway: Long is hot but Wildcats prevail

HOT FORM: Hawke's Bay's Jason Long (left) keeps ahead of Wellingtonian Keegan Levien during Saturday night's teams race at Meeanee. PHOTO/JOHN FAULKNER

ACCORDING to Hawke's Bay superstock driver Jason Long he's still trying to find his feet in his new car.

Well when he does Long, who is a Hawke's Bay Magpies rugby prop in the winter, will be pretty impressive because on Saturday night he was the best Bay driver across all classes at the Meeanee-hosted BJs Bakery & Cafe meeting.
Long did the best of all the Hawkeyes with a second placing when they were beaten in their teams race against the Wellington Wildcats.
During the open heats for his 24-strong class Long, 24, won the first two with an 18-second lap time in the first and finished second to Rotorua's Bryce Steiner in a spectacular feature in his second meeting of the season.

"I've been waiting for parts. I've learnt a lot from my old car and I've implemented that. Bryan Hartley has built me a good motor too," the country's 2NZ said tapping his Nissan VK56 V8-powered car.

A member of the Hawkeyes team which won Speedway New Zealand's glamour event, the Enzed Superstock Teams Championship in Palmerston North with a win against the Great Britain Lions in the final last February, Long agreed it was too early to write off the Hawkeyes chances of going back-to-back in the wake of two consecutive losses this summer.

"Last season we started slow. We've got several of us with new cars and a couple of drivers still to come back in. Once we get some decent track time we will start to get a bit stronger."

Hawkeyes manager James Buckrell won the toss and opted to start on the outside grid. But experienced Wildcat Dale Robertson took the early lead and maintained it for most of the race despite having to attack Hawkeye Adam Groome and being taken to the grass by Hawkeye Quintin Butcher.

Long, the people's choice winner at the May Hawke's Bay Sportsperson of the Year awards function, did well to stay ahead of Wildcat Keegan Levien in the tussle for second in the first-across the line event.

"Dale [Robertson] produced a classic race but he had good support from the entire team. All team members had their thinking caps on," Wildcats manager Graeme Gaskin said.

Buckrell's troops will have the opportunity to gain revenge in the capital this weekend.
"We're trying different things and putting people in different roles before the big show," Buckrell said, referring to the 2017 edition of the Palmy team champs.

Hawke's Bay stockcar driver Regan Penn continued his outstanding debut season in the class with two wins and a second in an 11-strong field. His uncle and national champion Jason Penn had a second and two thirds while another Bay starter, Brandon Symes, was also classy with a win, second and third.

Experienced Hawke's Bay streetstock driver Wayne Melling won two races, including the feature, in his 11-strong class. Clubmate Brent Redington pipped Palmerston North visitor Dean Dingwall for the chequered flag in the other heat.

Hawke's Bay's Ethan Dorward and Thomas Rumble-Faram along with Huntly visitor Jackson Evans all had turns at victory laps in the 24-strong ministock class.
The host track trio of Gregg Redington, Brendon Zachan and Ethan Cross all recorded victories in a 12-strong production saloon field.