Stratford speedway competitors and club do well at NZ awards

Tyler Walker, pictured here after winning a race last season, was awarded Stockcar Competitor of the Year and Overall Competitor of the Year at the New Zealand Speedway Awards on the weekend.

The New Zealand Speedway awards were held in Auckland on Saturday evening.

A large contingent of Stratford competitors, officials and volunteers had been nominated for the categories available, with several of them making the finalists.

Of those who made the finalists, champion stockcar driver Tyler Walker was awarded the trophy for Stockcar, Competitor of the Year and also Overall Competitor of the year.

The award will be the icing on the cake for Walker who raced an impressive season with top results that included winning the New Zealand Championship at Tauranga and also being a part of the Stratford Stormers Stockcar team that successfully defended their New
Zealand Teams Championship at Stratford Speedway in February.

Bradley Korff was awarded Adult Ministock competitor of the year. Korff had a stellar season locally this past season and was often seen winning races and carrying the chequered flag. He also won the Taranaki Champs and the season aggregate points.

Mitchell Bodnar, who was the track photographer last season and supplied all of the photos that accompanied speedway articles in this paper, won the Photo of the Year with an epic shot of Logan Sharpe's Superstock under angry skies with fireworks adding some colour.

The club itself missed out on Event of the Year for which they had been nominated for the New Zealand Stockcar Teams Champs.

This award went to Central Motor Speedway in Cromwell for their running of the New Zealand Sprintcar Championship.

The Stratford Club were successful though in winning Voluntary Run Speedway of the Year which is a testament to all the volunteers that help the club run.

Speedway is in the midst of the off season at present but with the AGM recently being held and a strong committee once again in place, work is under way to ensure another action packed season for the summer ahead that will include the New Zealand Stockcar Teams Championship, North Island Modified Championship and New Zealand Minisprint Championship and much more.