Speedway: Todd apt Rhodes race victor

Duane Todd

It was an emotional Dusty Rhodes Memorial 20-lapper win for Hawke's Bay TQ driver Duane Todd at Meeanee on Saturday night.

"Because it was the inaugural race for Dusty it was good that one of us Bay drivers won it and in my case it was pretty special because Dad raced against Dusty back in the day," Todd said.

Rhodes, a two-time winner of the national TQ title like Todd's father Steve and a founding member of the Hawke's Bay Speedway Club 50 years ago, died last year. His ashes were spread around the Hauraki Meeanee Speedway track before the start of Saturday night's 20-lap race.

Todd dedicated his win to his six-strong crew, who all put in close to 12 hours' work on his car after he and his clubmate and cousin Craig Todd both rolled after clipping each other on the last lap of the first heat on Friday night.

"We replaced my chassis with a 12-year-old one Dad raced before he retired in 2007," Todd explained. While Craig won the David Jones Motors Gold Cup event on Friday night by six points from Auckland visitor Morgan McHugh, a ripped rod forced him to withdraw during the 20-lapper.

Hawke's Bay's Steve Jude won the 16-car Autumn Nationals superstock event on Saturday. He was tagged on the last corner of the final heat and finished sixth but still won the title by one point from clubmates Jarrod Lindsay and Thomas Stanaway.

Lindsay beat Stanaway in a runoff for second.

Hawke's Bay Magpies rugby prop Jason Long was rolled in the second lap of the final heat when he was second on points - one of six rolls during the two nights of racing. Hawke's Bay stockcar driver Jason Penn was rolled on both nights by clubmate Josh Swannell.

Hawke's Bay rally driver Brent Redington, racing Darren Melling's old car, did well to win the Hawke's Bay streetstock championship in his third meeting and on Friday night Hawke's Bay stockcar driver Randal Tarrant won the Kuru Cup for the second time in three years.