Speedway: Sizzling titles for summer

Bryan Puklowski, Philippa Jones and Bruce Robertson will be in charge of promoting speedway in Hawke's Bay this season. Photo / Supplied

Two national titles will be decided at one of Hawke's Bay Speedway Club's double-header meetings at Meeanee this summer.

The New Zealand Super Saloon Champs and New Zealand TQ Grand Prix will be raced at the March 11 and 12 meetings. This double-banger was a feature of the season calendar outlined by new promoters Philippa Jones, Bruce Robertson and Bryan Puklowski to club members at Meeanee last night.

It will be one of at least three weekends which will see the country's top super saloon drivers in action. They include the Hawke's Bay trio of two-time national champion Steve Flynn, his brother and North Island captain Grant Flynn and former 3NZ Grahame Strong. Meeanee will host one of the early rounds in the Burger King Pro Dirt Series on November 21 and the final round in the series on February 27.

One of the reasons for the TQ Grand Prix being staged at the same time as the New Zealand Super Saloon Champs is that the Western Springs TQ drivers will be available to race out of Auckland that weekend. This means Hawke's Bay's two-time national champions Craig and Duane Todd won't be short of hot competition.

Other highlights on the calendar will include the January 3 round in the Steve Williams DHL Saloon Series, the January 23 New Zealand Saloon Grand Prix, the February 12 and 13 Peter Barry Memorial Stockcar Teams Champs and the Easter Weekend East Coast Champs.

Robertson, Puklowski and Jones have a five-season lease. Jones was the track manager at Meeanee six years ago and Robertson and Puklowski have made Palmerston North the premier speedway venue in the country. "Quite a few people had approached us to see if we would take it on. Philippa was keen and she has a lot of respect in the Bay so we thought we would give it a go," Puklowski said.

"Rome wasn't built in a day. We will see what works in the first season and build on that," he said.

Robertson was awarded Speedway New Zealand life membership in June. He first got involved as a competitor in the 1960s and has been involved in promotions since 1977.

The Palmerston North Superstock Teams Champs he introduced in 1981 is still regarded as the flagship annual event on the national speedway calendar. Jones was awarded the "Jack Pulman Award of Excellence" at the Speedway New Zealand June awards function in recognition of her contribution to the sport at all levels.

The partner of retired two-time New Zealand Superstock champion Shane Penn, Jones, is a current member of the SNZ Promotions team and served on the Speedway Promoters Association of New Zealand prior to that. Jones said new lights would be installed at the track before the season began on Sunday, October 25, and a new corporate hospitality area was being developed.

Previous Meeanee promoters, Brian and Sharon Strong vacated the role in June.