Speedway: Drivers take stock after pairs blunder

Talk about a rookie's blunder ... they don't come much better than Hawke's Bay stockcar driver Adam Cradwell's at Meeanee on Saturday.

Cradwell is a regular mechanic for Hawke's Bay club member Stacey Smith but drove her car during Saturday night's pairs event at ZM Meeanee Speedway. He was paired up with in-form Bay driver Randal Tarrant.

After their first race the two were third equal and after the second second equal.

Tarrant, 18, told Cradwell before the third and final heat to try to take the sole Palmerston North driver, Jared Lamb out, as he was in the third-placed combination.

But instead both he and his partner tumbled out of the race.

"Adam ended up taking me out on the fourth lap by putting me up the wall ... my paint job is similar to Jared's," Tarrant recalled with a laugh after the 10-lap race.

Both drivers were unable to continue in the race. Cradwell had front-wheel issues and Tarrant had some fibreglass damage to repair.

"We were both disappointed afterwards but at least the crowd got a laugh," Tarrant quipped.

The Hawke's Bay pair of Jason Penn and David Persen won the event by three points from clubmates Grant Hollyman and Mark Jones.

Eight points behind the winners in third place were Joshua Smith and Anthony Adams.

Hawke's Bay streetstock driver Darren Melling was a popular winner of the driver-of-the-night award. He won all three of his races in a nine-strong class and was particularly impressive on his way to victory in the 10-lap first race.

On the same corner during lap seven he took out Bay clubmates Richard Houston and Ben Yeoman on his way to capturing the lead.

Ministocks again had the biggest class with 27. Track recordholder Jared Lindsay, clubmate Max Bayley and Gisborne visitor Jonathan Morley all had turns with the chequered flag.

Hawke's Bay's national TQ champion Craig Todd recovered from a DNF (did not finish) in his first heat to win the next two in a seven-strong class. His cousin and clubmate, 2NZ Duane Todd, won the first heat.

In-form Hawke's Bay superstock driver Tony Meechan won two of the three heats in his 12-strong class and clubmate Steve Jude the other.

Their clubmate and big improver Quintin Butcher had some memorable moments.

Kiwilites made their first appearance of the season and in a seven-strong field Rob Simmons won the first two heats and Adrian Kramer the third.

Hawke's Bay's Ian Mudgway recorded a 17.47s lap time on the way to victory in the second heat for saloons.