Speedway: Stockcar shootout and Sidecars at Whanganui's Oceanview

Luke Miers, left, and Damon Baxter in a great two car battle, just like will be seen in the Stockcar Shootout on Sunday night. Photos / Supplied

Speedway fans will get a double treat at Fast Lane Spares Oceanview Family Speedway on Sunday night.

It's a double-header, with the Trev's Concrete Stockcar Shootout and the Karl Barritt Memorial Sidecars sharing the top billing.

The annual Trev's Concrete Stockcar Shootout is always an entertaining and popular event.

Sponsored by Trevor and Jennifer Greig from Trev's Concrete Contracting, it's something completely different from the normal Stockcar format.

The top ten drivers from the qualifying heats will compete in a series of two lap races, starting with the ninth and tenth qualifiers.

The winner of each race goes on to the next round, and the loser heads back to the infield.

Contact is not only permitted, but it's strongly encouraged.

Those who saw it will long remember the battle between the tanks of Damon Baxter and Luke Miers last year, in a heat that seemed to go on forever before Miers got out of jail to take the win.

With Dion Mooney absent with engine issues, Callum Sturzaker, Blair Lockett and Trazarn Ryland-Annabell will be among the favourites.

Sturzaker won the West Coast Stockcars last weekend, with Ryland-Annabell finishing in third place.

A DNF in the second heat ruined Lockett's chance of a podium finish.

With the memorial named after him, Karl Barritt was a promising Sidecar swinger, unfortunately killed in a racing accident in Auckland in January 2005.

Regarded by fellow competitors as having a big future in the sport, Barritt was just 22 years old.

Each season, sidecar teams from around the lower North Island compete for the trophy presented in Karl's memory.

Unfortunately Bryce Rose won't be competing this weekend.

He spent a couple of nights in hospital after an incident at the New Zealand Championships at Moore Park, near Christchurch.

Rose fell from brother Aaron's bike, and was hit by another competitor, resulting in severe bruising.

Before racing commences, all the sidecar crews will assemble on the infield for a moment's silence in Karl Barritt's memory.

Sidecar competitors will again honour Karl Barritt tomorrow ahead of the memorial racing.

The Superstocks are back again, with the last chance for drivers to impress the Wanganui Warriors selectors.

Shaun Smith was in impressive form last week, winning two of the three Superstock races.

Carl Burns won the other Superstock race, after a race-long dice with Baypark Busters team member Bruce Williams.

Dion Mooney improved with each drive in the new 6V Superstock, and his first local win in the impressive tri-rail is not far away.

The Wanganui Stockcar and Speedway Club is cautiously optimistic that the Warriors will again do battle at the Superstock Teams Champs in Palmerston North in a fortnight's time.

The Production Saloons will be absent on Sunday night, as for the first time ever, eight Whanganui cars have travelled to Gisborne to compete for the New Zealand Production Saloons title.

The Productions became a national class last season, but 2018's New Zealand title was held in Invercargill, and no Whanganui cars made the long trip south.

Mike Lovell, Daryn Smith, Sam Bridger, Jon Morrison, Jason Pointon, Bailey Goldsack, Richard Hudson and Brent Hackett are flying the Whanganui flag at Gisborne's Eastland Speedway.

Youth and Adult Ministocks round out Sunday night's field.

Racing at Oceanview takes a break after Sunday, due to a number of Stockcar and Superstock championship events in February, including the New Zealand Stockcars at Baypark Speedway in Mt Maunganui on February 15-16.

The following week, Stratford Speedway hosts the New Zealand Stockcar Teams Champs, and the Wanganui Vulcans are expected to compete.

Racing at Oceanview Family Speedway resumes on Saturday, March 9, with the West Coast Sidecars, Streetstocks and Adult Ministocks on the programme.