Speedway: Stockcars to star at Whanganui's Oceanview on February 13

Trevor Greig (81V) and Gerry Linklater (98V) will be top contenders for the West Coast Stockcar title. Photo / SB O'Hagan Photography

A big field of stockcars at Fast Lane Spares Oceanview Family Speedway is usually a recipe for action.

That is likely to be the case again tonight for the running of the West Coast Stockcars, which is expected to attract a field of close to 40 cars.

Already 16 out-of-town drivers, from Hawke's Bay, Wellington, Palmerston North and Stratford, have signalled their intention to race.

Heading the list of visitors are Wellington brothers Keegan and Ethan Levien. After racing their superstocks for the Wellington Wildcats at Palmerston North last weekend, the brothers are back in their stockcars for a hit-out ahead of next weekend's New Zealand Stockcar Teams Champs at Te Marua Speedway in Wellington.

William Hughes was one of the stars of the New Zealand Stockcar Championship a month ago when he took out the race leader in the final heat. Hughes is a regular competitor at Oceanview, as is Palmerston North hotshot Kyle Rowe.

Trevor Greig will be full of confidence after winning the Charlie Berntsen Trophy for Stockcars on New Year's Eve, then placing third in the North Island Stockcars at Baypark a few weeks later. He will be looking to maintain his career-best form tonight, but will face plenty of competition from the likes of Callum Sturzaker, Trazarn Ryland-Annabell, Kaelin Mooney, Mark Johnston and Gerry Linklater.

But just as Greig was a surprise winner of The Charlie, tonight's championship could easily throw up another surprise.

To cope with the large field, a four-heat format will be used, with drivers competing in three of the four heats, and racing against every other driver over the course of the night.

The field is also wide open for the West Coast Production Saloons.

With 2NZ Brent Hackett having accepted an invitation to compete in the South Island Production Saloon Championship at Greymouth along with Shayne Hughes, any one of a number of local drivers could take the title.

Grant Loveridge will probably start as the favourite, but he will face stiff completion from Jason Pointon, Bailey Goldsack and Ray Jaggard.

Superstocks return to Oceanview tonight and, again, a number of visitors will be on hand to go into battle with the locals. Rebecca Barr and Benji Sneddon raced for the Manawatu Mustangs and Kihikihi Kings respectively at Teams Champs last weekend, while Jacob Baker is bringing his immaculate new car to Oceanview for the first time.

For Baker, there's more to his speedway participation than just racing. His car runs the Child Cancer Foundation livery, and he is raising funds for the foundation after his daughter Evalina developed leukaemia in 2016. Evalina has been in remission since 2018.

Streetstocks make a return to Oceanview tonight, after a highly successful visit on New Year's Eve. Around a dozen cars from Wellington, Stratford, Hawke's Bay and Palmerston North will be racing.

Adult ministocks complete the programme, while many youth ministock drivers are away in Rotorua for the annual Ministocks in Paradise meeting.

Tonight also gives Wanganui Toyota Vulcans Stockcar team drivers a final chance to fine-tune their cars and their racing skills before next weekend's Stockcar Teams Champs meeting in Wellington. The Vulcans team for Wellington is Callum Sturzaker, Cody Alabaster, Trazarn Ryland-Annabell, Dennis Black and Gerry Linklater. Kaelin Mooney, who is also driving the 136V superstock tonight, is the sixth driver, and the team will be managed by Mike Annabell.

The public gates open at 4.30pm, with racing set to start at 6pm. It promises to be another entertaining night out at the Oval by the Ocean.