Motorsport: Woman has place in boys club

Huntly teenager Rachel Burkhart admits to some nerves at being the only woman in a 74-car field chasing the New Zealand Super-Stocks Championship at Waikaraka Park this weekend.

Burkhart has had three years' racing in the mini-stocks class for teenagers up to 17 years, and this season she moved up to A-grade.

The 17-year-old's best finish against the men so far - she's never raced another woman in A-grade - is a third on her home track.

Burkhart stepped into motorsport when her cousin Scott stepped out because he'd passed the age limit for mini-stocks.

"The car was sitting there unused. Dad asked me if I'd like to try it and I did. There was no real attraction to the sport at first."

Now she loves it. She's stepped up to a V8 Rover-powered superstock car.

Her parents, Warren and Lyn Burkhart, will be in the stands tonight and tomorrow night as Rachel does the rounds, well aware her mum worries.

Rachel has hit the wall but not at speed, and she has not suffered any driving injuries.

The weekend's racing features four former national champions: Auckland's Dave Tennant and Wayne Hemi, Kim Lace from Wellington and three-time winner Kevin Free from Hamilton. There is a 15-car contingent from Rotorua and trackside speculation has them producing the winner because the numbers involved will allow them to run a teams-type race.

Tonight the cars split to three pools of 25, 25 and 24 to find the top-eight qualifiers for the finals to be raced tomorrow night.

The next two highest finishing non-qualifiers will join them to make a finals field of 26. Those run off over three 20-lap heats.

* Englishman Jason Bunyan is on track to take his third New Zealand Motorcycle Speedway championship when the final of 16 rounds is completed at Avondale's Rosebank venue tomorrow.

Bunyan has a seven-point lead over Daniel Tessari of Italy. The best New Zealander, Andrew Bargh from Hastings, is in fourth. Bargh would have been higher had he not chosen to miss the last round at Waikaraka Park last weekend to defend his North Island title the same day in Gisborne.

Bargh, 19, is New Zealand's best prospect in the sport internationally. The North Island and under-21 champion rode in England last year and will likely head back there once this series is over. Pundits rate him this country's best chance of making an impact in the pro ranks in England since Mitch Shirra raced in the UK.

Bargh's uncle David from Martinborough, a four-time national champion, and the South Island champ Andrew Aldridge are also contesting the 16 races that will decide the 2006 title tomorrow.

Bargh's grandfather John also raced motorbikes, as did his father Laurie, and uncle David raced in England.

"I had to do it really. It beats working," he said of his semi-professional stint with the Mildenhall team.

The sport's governing body in England is introducing new rules to restrict the number of overseas riders, and Bargh is still unsure whether he has a place in the seven-man Mildenhall team, though he's clear the team want him. They race three times a week, with national TV cover, and there is good money for the top riders.

"It gets a bit lonely at times," Bargh said. "I've enjoyed racing here in front of friends and family, and the tracks have all been good."

Is it good having that family background in the sport to assist him?

"Not if you're not riding well it's not," he said.