Gerry Linklater's step up from stockcars to superstocks will attract plenty of interest this season. Photo / SB O'Hagan Photography
The speedway season has arrived.
Fast Lane Spares Oceanview Family Speedway bursts into life on Saturday and Sunday with a two-day extravaganza to celebrate 50 years of racing in the River City.
Ocean View Speedway, as it was first known, opened for business on October 29, 1972, after many months of planning and hard work.
Wanganui Stockcar and Speedway Club (WSSC) members and volunteers have put in big hours in the last few months getting the circuit ready for her 50th birthday celebration, which starts at 3pm each day.
Drivers are coming from all over the North Island to race, as they did 50 years ago at the track's opening meeting.
Despite competing with meetings at Palmerston North and Stratford on Saturday night and Wellington and Meeanee on Sunday, there are excellent fields in all classes, especially in the stockcars and superstocks.
Superstocks remain the premier class at Oceanview, and, at the time of writing, a field of 15 cars had entered for Saturday, with 18 cars expected on Sunday.
Topping the bill is current 1NZ Asher Rees who, along with his father Peter (a former New Zealand champion) and brother Ethan, always puts on a good show at Oceanview.
They, and a number of other Gisborne cars, will battle a strong local contingent.
There will be plenty of interest in Gerry Linklater's debut in the class, with the former 1NZ in the stockcar class now the owner of the car campaigned Max Holloway campaigned in last season.
Holloway, running under the SS Motorsport banner, has a brand new Rees chassis, as does fellow Wanganui Warrior Dylan Marshall.
Zane Dykstra will be running the same rocket ship as last season, while the finishing touches are applied to another brand-new Rees chassis for teams racing later in the season.
Maddie Wise is ready to race after missing Teams Champs last season due to the birth of his first child, and there will be plenty of interest in Trent James' first meeting in the ex-Bruce Williams superstock, yet another Rees chassis.
More than 20 stockcars have entered on Saturday, with even more expected on Sunday.
Kaelin Mooney was in terrific form last season and, although he's still waiting for the motor for his superstock, will be back in the stockcar this weekend.
Mark Johnston has a rebuilt car and Callum Sturzaker has sorted the driveline issue that frustrated the team last season; both looked quick at practice two weeks ago.
Former Wanganui Vulcans captain Trazarn Ryland-Annabell now lives in the deep south but will race this weekend before the car heads south for the summer, while fellow Vulcan Blair Reeves-Smith has a new car almost complete but will race last season's car this weekend.
Dennis Black, Nathan Black and Cody Alabaster are all proven team racers returning for another season, and Brad Fairweather is a dark horse, finishing third in overall points last season due to his consistency.
Britney Carpenter now races out of Gisborne but has entered to race both nights, while Stratford speedster William Hughes, a regular competitor at Oceanview, has entered for Sunday night.
In keeping with the historical significance of the meeting, an excellent field of classic stockcars will be on hand both days.
Former Wanganui Warrior Adrian Barnes has joined the ranks of the classics, while 1978-79 New Zealand champion Keith Turner will give the replica 16V championship-winning car a good workout.
Two-time New Zealand champion Dave Evans will be on hand with his replica of the late 1980s car built for Englishman Chris Elwell, and will be joined by a line-up that's big on history and nostalgia, with car owners determined to preserve the history of the sport.
Youth and adult ministocks and production saloons complete Saturday's field, with a rare visit to Oceanview Family Speedway by the Kiwilites class.
All classes are racing on Sunday, with sidecars, midgets and minisprints making their season debut.
Sidecars have been a popular feature of racing at Oceanview since the very early days and, even though local numbers have dwindled, out-of-towners love racing at the Oval by the Ocean.
Midgets are on a growth curve, with nine cars contracted to Wanganui this season, although not all of those will race this weekend.
Likewise, the minisprint class has grown this season, with a number of cars emerging from Wanganui Stockcar and Speedway Club patron Bob Smith's shed.
The 2020-21 New Zealand champion Dylan Smith is back for another season, Brad McDonald is looking to build on an excellent season last year, and Jemma Barnes will focus fulltime on the minisprint class this season.
The public gates open at midday both days, with car displays, food stalls and a bouncy castle on hand to keep everyone entertained until racing gets under way at 3pm. As always, spectators are welcome to bring a picnic to enjoy, but no glass please.
Entry is by gold coin on Saturday, with all proceeds being donated to the local Cancer Society.
Normal entry prices apply for Sunday night's meeting, which will end with a bang thanks to the TradeZone Fireworks Display.
With 25 races on the programme on Saturday, and more than 30 on Sunday's programme, there's a feast of racing in store as the WSSC celebrates Oceanview Family Speedway's 50th birthday in style.
The preparation has been done, and now there's only one thing to say. Let's go racing.