Speedway: Winner in emotional tribute to Lindsay

Hawke's Bay's Grant Flynn acknowledges the home crowd support during Saturday night's grand parade. Photo / Wayne Stewart

There was an emotional touch to Hawke's Bay super saloon driver Grant Flynn's second placing in the Meeanee-hosted second round of the Burger King Pro-Dirt Series on Saturday night.

"At the start of the season I said the first trophy I win will be dedicated to Jarrod and this is for him," Flynn said as he collected his share of the silverware.

He was referring to former Hawke's Bay superstock driver Jarrod Lindsay who was 19 when he died on September 15 after a short battle with meningitis.

The only Hawke's Bay driver to record a top three finish in any of the three heats, he won one of them, as well as the top eight pole shuffle in which he finished third. Flynn started on grid three in the 25-lapper which determined round honours.

"It was hard work out there. I couldn't match Mark's pace and I had to drive conservatively to get some points," Flynn said pointing to the round winner, Bay Park-contracted Cantabrian Mark Osborne.

After collecting a win and a third in his two heats, Osborne won the pole shuffle and opted for grid two for the 18-car 25-lapper which he won comfortably.

"It was a cool race and I didn't know who was on my case. Things got a bit hairy behind some of those backmarkers," Osborne said.

Mount Maunganui's Chris Cowling, who finished third in the first of eight rounds the previous week, rolled on lap two of the 25-lapper. Wellingtonian Mark Pitcher, who started the round in second place, started on pole but was forced in-field with a flat rear tyre on lap six.

It was a memorable night for the Flynns as Grant's brother and two-time national champion Steve Flynn finished fourth in the 25-lapper. Grant's son Jakob won the Hawke's Bay ministock championship with two wins and a third placing in a 19-strong class.

He finished one point ahead of clubmate Cameron Swift and another Bay driver, Ethan Dorward, was a further six points back in third place.

Experienced Hawke's Bay Hawkeyes superstock player Steve Jude celebrated his first outing of the season by securing victory for the Hawkeyes in their teams race against the Wellington Wildcats. The Hawkeyes team, which also included Magpies rugby prop Jason Long, Quinn Ryan and Mike McLachlan on the track, performed admirably on a redemption mission for an away loss against the Nelson Tigers the previous week when Jude wasn't in the team.

Ryan took Dale Robinson to the wall and McLachlan took Richard Gaskin to the wall and these were key moments. Reserve driver Thomas Stanaway displayed his class and proved how much depth there is in the Hawkeyes squad with first, second and third placings in a 14-strong field in the superstock heats raced after the teams race.

Giborne's Lloyd Stranger-Stuart had the honour of winning the first production saloon race to be held at Meeanee. He was one of 13 starters and Wanganui's John Caird won the other two races. One of Hawke's Bay's two two-time national champions in the TQ class, Craig Todd, won all three heats in an eight-strong class.

This feat was matched by Hawke's Bay crew Dave Black and Cole Petterson in six-crew field. Hawke's Bay's Daniel Melling won two heats and his brother Wayne the other in a 14-strong streetstock class.