Speedway: 'Pumba' and fellow thrillbillies deliver cracking Easter

Sparks fly as Hawke's Bay clubmates Kerry Perrett (left) and Mike Smith collide during a stockcar race at the weekend. Photo / Duncan Brown

Long-time media box technician Ian Bryce reckoned the full moon brought all the thrillbillies out to play at Meeanee Speedway during the weekend.

But Bryce or any of the spectators who attended Friday and Saturday night's meetings weren't complaining. In terms of hits and rolls they couldn't have asked for more Easter treats.

"I've been up in the box here for almost 20 years now and I can't remember an Easter as good as this one for action," Bryce said as he reflected on 10 hours of racing.

There were seven rolls during the Hawke's Bay TQ championship on Friday night. Hits, flips and rolls were splattered throughout the Hawke's Bay champs for the stockcar class on Friday night and the East Coast champs for the same class on Saturday night.

In the thick of the stockcar action was Meeanee Maulers driver Brandon "Pumba" Symes. In heat four on Friday night Symes put Wellingtonian Taylor Lampp up the wall.

Lampp only had to finish 14th or better in the race to win the 34-car Hawke's Bay championship.

In the third heat of the 30-car East Coast championship on Saturday night Symes was shoved up the wall by Lampp's brother, Palmerston North's Kyle Lampp, as paybacks from Friday night flowed in spectacular fashion. A third-season racer in the class, Symes, 23, was quick to shake Kyle's hand.

"I was expecting it ... I knew I would be a target after Friday night and I'm good mates with Kyle," Symes said.

He was confident he would have his car ready for this weekend's North Island championship in Huntly which will be raced on Friday and Saturday nights. Symes is hoping to improve on last summer's third placing.

The Hawke's Bay stockcar drivers deserve praise for denying out-of-towners a podium berth in either of the two championships. Ben Milne won the East Coast championship with Brett Loveridge and Justin White completing the podium. Cameron Swift won the Hawke's Bay championship which saw Milne and Regan Penn finish second and third respectively.

"Hopefully us Maulers can continue this form and get a place on the podium at the Peter Barry," Symes added referring to the Peter Barry Memorial teams event which will be staged at Meeanee on April 13 and 14.

When Hawke's Bay stockcar driver Keith Lammas was rolled in heat two on Saturday night by Taylor Lampp his car was almost as high as the safety fence at the peak of its highest roll. The same heat saw Wellingtonian Josh Prentice smashed into the wall in spectacular fashion by experienced Bay campaigner Grant Hollyman.

Hawke's Bay's Jordan Wise rolled in heat one for the class.

While Hawke's Bay drivers couldn't stop the East Coast championship in the 35-car ministock class leaving the province, Hawke's Bay's Bradley Penn, a son of retired two-time national superstock champion Shane Penn, had the best flip in the class when he was sent skywards in the final heat. Hawke's Bay's Marshall Zachan beat Whanganui's Will Hart in a four-lap run-off for the title but officials reversed the placings after excessive contact from Zachan.

When Gisborne's Angus Briant and Palmerston North's Wade Bengston rolled on the first lap of the first ministocks heat it was postponed until later in the meeting.

Hawke's Bay superstock driver Tom Stanaway continued his memorable summer by winning the 26-car East Coast championship by 15 points from Stratford's Blair Uhlenburg. This championship was raced over six heats, three on each night, and going into the sixth heat Stanaway has an 11-point lead over clubmate Quinn Ryan who had a DNF in the final heat.

Aucklanders dominated the East Coast TQ championship on Saturday night as well as the prestigious 20-lapper which is always run at Easter Weekend. Lawrence Baker took out the 21-car championship from Kaleb Currie and Ben Morrison. Currie won the 17-car 20-lapper after coming from the back of the grid to first place within the first 12 laps.
Hawke's Bay drivers Adam Coonan and Tony Meechan both rolled multiple times in the first heat for TQs.

Other Hawke's Bay competitors to win titles during the weekend were Dave "The Sheriff" Brand who took out the 20-car East Coast streetstock championship and Jason McKay who retained his East Coast solobike title.