Speedway: Popular first-time winner of Bay title

Quintin Butcher on his was way to winning the Hawke's Bay superstock championship. Photo/Andrew Brunton

It's fair to say there hasn't been a more popular first-time winner of the Hawke's Bay superstock championship than Quintin Butcher.

"Yes it was the ideal form of consolation for missing out on helping the Hawkeyes go back-to-back at the ENZED Teams Champs in Palmy," Butcher said shortly after his success was confirmed at Meeanee on Saturday night.

Butcher, 33, who has been racing for six seasons, missed out on Hawkeyes selection because he was unable to do some selection races as he was serving a mandatory standdown for concussion after being knocked out while racing for the Hawkeyes against the Wellington Wildcats at Meeanee in November. Saturday night's 18-car championship was his third meeting this season in his new car.

"My new car was the key to my success and I had a bit of help in the final heat with Kairyn [O'Brien] in front of me and Zach [Lawrence] behind me," Butcher explained.

With a win, third and fourth placings in his three heats, Butcher won the championship by five points from Rotorua's Pat Westbury. Lawrence finished third, a point behind Westbury.
Butcher, who runs HRPP in Hastings, hopes the weekend's success will be repeated when he attempts to win a first East Coast championship at Easter. This was one of three Hawke's Bay championships raced on Saturday night.

With first, second and third placings Hawke's Bay rally driver Brent Redington won a second Bay streetstock title. Gisborne-contracted Hawke's Bay-based David Hampton was second and multiple winner of the title Wayne Melling third in the 15-car field.

Hawke's Bay's Marshall Zachan won the closed 24-car ministock championship. Driving the same car Rotorua driver Dylan Towler used to win the David Jones Motors Gold Cup event at Meeanee last month and the prestigious Ministocks in Paradise event in Rotorua in February Zachan recorded two wins and a fourth placing.

Zachan's clubmates Ryan Dorward and Tom McEwan were second and third respectively. An indication of how hard drivers were trying in this championship was the fact six drivers had retired before three quarters of the first lap of the third heat had been completed.

Hawke's Bay drivers Paul Donovan and Mark Alexander were in a seven-car sprintcar field which produced some entertaining demonstration races. Donovan's night ended early when he bent a valve in the first race.

Alexander won the third heat much to the delight of his home crowd. Wellingtonian Stephen Taylor recorded the fastest lap time of 14.46s and with a first and two second placings was the top driver in the class by one point from Palmerston North's Greg Pickerill.

Hawke's Bay stockcar driver Michael Smith captured the $1000 first prize and a $1000 MTF sponsorship deal when he took out the 29-car second edition of the "Krusty 500 Memorial" race. This event is raced in memory of track commentator Mike Wilson's son Christopher John "Krusty" Keane who died in Australia in 2015.

Smith's clubmates Ethan Anderson and Kerryn Limmer were second and third respectively. This race has the 500 tag because it started in front of the commentator's box instead of the regular start line which meant the first of 15 laps was 500m instead of 400m.

There was a $500 roll over incentive up for grabs in the third stockcar heat but it wasn't claimed. Hawke's Bay's Regan Penn almost secured it when he put clubmate Mike McLachlan up the wall but McLachlan didn't roll and had to be extracted from the wall by the track crew.

Hawke's Bay's Steven Martin won two of the three heats for the 11-strong combined saloon class. His brother Kevin almost won the third heat but was pipped at the finish line by Hawke's Bay super saloon driver Grahame Strong.