SPEEDWAY: Shaky start leads to successful finish

SHANE HURNDELL
HAWKE'S Bay's Nathan Murray shrugged off a shaky build-up to capture the inaugural New Zealand Veterans Solobike Championship title at Meeanee on Saturday night.
``Considering I haven't raced competitively for four years I've got to be happy,' said Murray, 41, after beating fellow Bay rider and title favourite Craig Ramsay in a run-off for the title.
The 11-time Auckland champion who moved to the Bay three years ago took a two-year break from racing as he had a bout of glandular fever. A couple of weeks ago he thought he'd better get some track time at the ZM Bullring so he could say he, at least, had one rehearsal for Saturday night's 16-rider championship.
``I did a few laps and then crashed,' he recalled. ``And tonight I was so nervous I don't think I turned up until three hours after everyone else and had virtually no warm-up laps.'
Asked if winning the championship which caters for riders 40-years and over had given him the bug to ride regularly again Murray replied: ``This sport is a bit tough when you're self employed with four kids. One can't afford to be off work injured.'
However the ``boss' of Ace Roof Painting said he'll do the odd meeting when he can and would be keen to be involved in an Australasian Veterans teams championship which will involve the top eight riders from New Zealand and the top eight from Aussie next summer.
The promoter of Saturday night's meeting and long-time Hawke's Bay rider Darrin Wilson will organise the Australasian event with assistance from Kiwi legend Ivan Mauger.
The man voted as the greatest speedway rider of the 20th century, Mauger attended Saturday night's meeting and rode eight exhibition laps.
Mauger who won nine individual world titles, and a two-time New Zealand Sportsperson of the Year (1977 and 1979) joined two other Kiwi greats and former world champions Ronnie Moore and Bob Andrews in officially opening the one-year-old solobike track at Meeanee.
Like Wilson, Mauger was rapt with the success of the meeting and said it was a good base to build on for future years.
Wilson, who organised the event to celebrate his 25-year involvement in the sport, finished sixth.
Canterbury's nine-time national champion Larry Ross was third, Southland's John Tuffley fourth and Wellingtonian Craig Wilkie fifth. Former national junior champion Sean Mason of Auckland took out the junior invitation title with four wins from five starts.
Wilson's son Bradley Dean-Wilson and fellow Bay rider Michael Patey were second and third respectively. Saturday night's other feature event was the Hawke's Bay sidechair championship. A first and two second placings in their three heats gave the Wanganui crew of Mick Paul and swinger Paul Blinkhorne the title.
Hawke's Bay's Dave Black and Pete Steigenberger displayed the form which earned them a top 10 finish in the nationals when they beat the Palmerston North-contracted Hawke's Bay-based pair of Mike Zachan and Hayden Hansen in a spectacular run-off for second.
In kiwilite action Bay drivers Ross Cocking, Ryan Osborne and Denton Hodgkinson all deserved their stints with the chequered flag.
As usual there was no shortage of hits from the host club drivers in stockcar action. Keith Hingston took home the $300 rollover money after what he described as a ``purely accidental' roll on fellow Mauler Ricky Kuru.
Hingston was driving Mark Jones car at the time. Bryce Cross handed Brett Burgess some severe punishment and Tony Darroch, Peter Barry and Aaron Iremonger were also involved in plenty of stirring.