Speedway: Son's memorial delights commentator

Jason Penn, in his first home track meeting since winning the national stockcar title in Huntly three weeks ago, was in fine form again winning the action-packed race.

Track commentator Mike Wilson had the biggest grin after Saturday night's Hawke's Bay Summer Classic speedway meeting at Meeanee.

Wilson was a key organiser of the "Krusty 500 Memorial" stockcar race, the fourth and final heat for the class which was raced in memory of his son, Christopher John "Krusty" Keane, who died in Australia last year.

It was given the 500 tag because the race started in front of the commentator's box instead of the regular start line which meant the first of 12 laps was 500m instead of 400m.

In his first home track meeting since winning the national stockcar title in Huntly three weeks ago, Jason Penn won the action-packed race which saw five of the 19 starters complete the final lap.

Stacey Smith and Tony Palmer, who had earlier won a three-heat Best Pairs event, were second and third respectively.

"To have our first ever national champion in the stockcar class win the inaugural race ... I couldn't be happier. This race will be an annual event and I have no doubt it will only get bigger and better," Wilson said.

At the start of the meeting Wilson had predicted Smith and Palmer to win the nine-team Best Pairs event and they won by 18 points from Penn and Ethan Anderson.

It was a memorable night for the Wilsons as Mike's nephew, professional solobike rider Bradley Wilson-Dean, won the Hawke's Bay Summer Classic for his seven-strong class with three wins from as many starts.

In the final, Wilson-Dean beat the Palmerston North-contracted Jason McKay who had beaten him for the Hawke's Bay championship when solobikes last raced at Meeanee 23 months previously.

Wilson-Dean's father, Darrin Wilson, a veteran of 33 years in the class, was third.

Tom Stanaway won the Summer Classic Superstock title in his 18-strong class from clubmate Adam Groome and Palmerston North's Chad Ace.

Hawke's Bay's Daniel Melling did well to win two of the three heats and finish third in the other in the streetstock class.

Clubmate Ben Yeoman won the other heat.