Swapping a GPS unit for a beat-up 1300cc Toyota car proved a sound investment for Hawke's Bay speedway enthusiast Luke Adams on Saturday night.
In his first attempt at any class in the sport, Adams, 19, won the $500 first prize in the Ramp Demolition Derby at ZM Meeanee Speedway. After 24 minutes of mayhem in the 33-car event, the Hastings butcher was quick to remind his elder brother, Anthony, who supplied him with the car, who the better driver was.
"Anthony had raced the car in two previous derbys and never completed any more than two laps. That's my first time out there and I'm a winner," Adams said.
"I'll put the money towards a new car and some alcohol to celebrate.
"It was just a case of keeping the car going. As I took each hit, I just put the clutch in and my steering was shot after an early hit which made it hard to turn right and correct myself."
In addition to upstaging his brother, Adams also lasted longer than experienced stockcar drivers Regan O'Brien, Tony Darroch and Rob Simmons. Although if there was a prize for the best entertainer O'Brien would have got it for the amount of time he drove himself into the wall to shut his bonnet which kept flying open and blocking his vision.
Wayne Melling did the best of the nine Hawke's Bay qualifiers in the North Island Streetstock championship that ended on Saturday night. He finished second, three points behind winner Travis Gooch of Gisborne.
Another Gisborne driver, Ben McArthur, was third, four points behind Melling who was spun around twice in an action-packed final heat but still accumulated enough points to make the podium. Melling was always going to be a marked man in the final heat after finishing second in the first two.
Bay's 2NZ Duane Todd produced a start to finish victory in the winner takes all third heat to capture the Bay TQ championship. His victory denied Gisborne's 3NZ Dylan McGregor a third consecutive title in the 14-car championship.
Todd had collected third and second placings in his previous two heats. Aucklander Paul Le Cren and Todd's cousin, clubmate and 1NZ Craig Todd was third. While McGregor didn't podium, he set a new lap record of 15.8008s in his first heat.
Host track rider Craig Ramsay took out the Bay solo-bike championship thanks to clubmate Jason McKay's fall while leading the winner-take-all final heat. Two other veterans also made the podium - second placegetter Darrin Wilson, in his 28th year of racing, and the Bay-based Palmerston North-contracted Graham Wedlake.
First, second and third placings gave Hawke's Bay superstock driver Andy McCabe enough points to secure the Tony MacIntosh Trophy in a 12-strong class. He won the third heat and Hawke's Bay Hawkeyes Garry Foley and Steve Jude were the respective winners of the other two.
Jude was on target to win the trophy but engine trouble forced him out of the final heat with seven laps remaining.
Bay's Quinn Ryan enhanced the chances of a quick sale of his ministock at the end of the season with two firsts and a second placing in a 28-strong class. Gisborne's Daniel Cook won all three heats in an eight-strong saloon class.
Lucky Luke strikes riches in first outing
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