Speedway: Sorry Sheriff I didn't mean it

Dave "The Sheriff" Brand (left) is sent on three-and-a-half rolls by fellow Hawke's Bay streetstock driver Ben Darroch. Photo/Wayne Stewart

After the fireworks display Hawke's Bay streetstock driver Dave "The Sheriff" Brand's three-and-a-half rolls were the next best highlight of Saturday night's speedway meeting at Meeanee.

Yet the driver who rolled him, clubmate Ben Darroch, didn't mean too.

"That was just going to be my first spin out. I was just playing around and didn't mean to do it. But what a night to do it ... in front of a crowd like that," Darroch said referring to the near- capacity turnout of 4600.

A third-season driver in the class and the youngest at 19, Darroch, a son of long-time stockcar class stirrer, Tony Darroch, produced the hit in the second and final heat for his six-strong class. It's usually Brand who dishes out the hits in this class.

"It was good to see the big grin on Dave as he climbed out of his car. I'll be expecting some pay back from him at our next meeting which will be the Hawke's Bay champs on November 18," Darroch added.

Hawke's Bay's Tim Towler, who is back in the streetstock class after a couple of seasons in the saloon class, won the heat from clubmate Wayne Melling who was a convincing winner of the first heat.

An inter-city challenge between Napier and Hastings was the first heat for the 22-strong stockcar class. If spectators were confused after watching Wellington-based driver Bryce Jensen secure the win for Hastings in his 9W car they weren't alone.

Class rep Andrew Powell said Jensen, a former Central Hawke's Bay-based ministock driver, was allowed to race with his friends for Hastings as it was only a "friendly" challenge designed to give drivers who hadn't teams raced before a taste of it. Both teams produced plenty of action but Hastings dominated with the first four placings through Jensen, Ben Milne, Kylye Trengrove and Sarah Adie.

The other member of the team, Ethan Anderson, impressed with his blocking before he collected a flat tyre and was shoved up the wall. Anderson won the next two heats for the class.

Hawke's Bay superstock driver Quinn Ryan continued his impressive form from Labour Weekend's opening night with a win in the first heat for his 16-car class and a second to Hawke's Bay-based-Palmerston North-contracted Andy McCabe in the second.

It will be a surprise if Ryan isn't in the Hawke's Bay Hawkeyes team which will take on the Wellington Wildcats on November 25. The Bay's "Mr Consistent" Marty Cooke won the feature race for the class.

The Hawke's Bay sidecar pair of Andrew McNamara and swinger George Olsen produced some quality rehearsals for the January 5 and 6 nationals at Meeanee with two wins and a second placing from their three starts. Another Bay pair of Dave Black and Cole Petterson also impressed with two wins and a third in the class which attracted 10 crews.

Host track saloon drivers Steven Martin and Josh Smith both had victory laps after wins in their seven-strong class.

Hawke's Bay's Ryan Dorward did well to win both heats for the experienced group in the 29-strong ministock class. Hawke's Bay's Jacob Buckrell and Rotorua's Megan Dorrell were the respective winners of the heats for the year one and two drivers.

The eight-minute fireworks display which ended the meeting was the best in the club's history.