Speedway: Young driver keeping a level head

If Hawke's Bay superstock driver Jarrod Lindsay is a little anxious in the buildup to this weekend's North Island championship at Meeanee one would understand.

Lindsay, 18, the youngest starter in the field of 43 for the BJs Bakery and Cafe Hastings-sponsored event to be raced at Hauraki Meeanee Speedway on Saturday and Sunday nights has lived in Palmerston North for the past month where he works as an apprentice diesel mechanic.

This means he only gets to assist his crew on Friday nights and Saturday mornings before a meeting and on the Sunday afterwards before returning to Palmy.

While it may not be the perfect situation for the second-season driver in the class, Lindsay isn't showing it.

"I'm fortunate to have a dedicated crew and I leave things in their capable hands. I can keep in touch with them every step of the way with progress and if things need to be done, I'm happy for them to be doing it," Lindsay said.

It's a recipe which is obviously working. Lindsay oozed class as he collected two wins and a second placing during his final rehearsal at Meeanee last weekend and to date this season has recorded four wins, a second, two thirds and a fourth.

"The car is going well and I attribute this to a combination of crew and sponsor dedication gelling together. We all enjoy what we're doing," Lindsay explained.

Despite his success, this season Lindsay isn't over confident about this weekend.

"I'm going in with an open mind. What will be will be and what won't happen won't happen. You can't put too much pressure on yourself, otherwise you can become disappointed if things don't happen," Lindsay said.

"You can be the best driver with the best car but that does not always mean you are going to win."

The Hell Pizza, Craft and Hern Sports and Wisey's Pie and Bakehouse-sponsored driver had five seasons in the ministocks ranks and a brief stint as a modified driver before stepping up to the superstock class. Among Lindsay's highlights in ministocks were winnning the national title in Oxford, the West Coast championship in Wanganui and setting a Meeanee lap record.

"My superstock success has come from ministocks. People don't give ministocks as much respect as they should be given and other drivers have proved that too," Lindsay said.

He pointed out racing in last summer's Meeanee-hosted national champs has been the highlight of his superstock career to date.

"Ten years previously I watched the nationals at Meeanee as a seven-year-old. Many of my heroes from those nationals like Shane Penn were racing last summer and I got the opportunity to race against them," Lindsay recalled.

Recent form suggests some of those heroes could become Linsday's congratulators this weekend - time will tell.

The 43 starters, including 20 from the host track, have been divided into three groups, one of 15 and two of 14, for Saturday night's qualifying races.

The top seven from each group plus the first five finishers in a repechage on Sunday night will qualify for Sunday night's three championship races.

Non-qualifiers will race in a Motorworks HB Ltd-sponsored second tier event.