Speedway: Whanganui season ends with a bang at Oceanview

Richard Watkins (99V) is almost upended in a first corner pile-up in the West Coast Superstocks. Eventual winner Ethan Rees (127G) somehow got through. Photos by SB O'Hagan Photography

Speedway is a summer sport.

But the air at Fast Lane Spares Oceanview Family Speedway was anything but summery on Saturday night as a bitter southerly blew in.

A good crowd braved the conditions, and they were rewarded with some terrific speedway action as the curtain came down on the 2018-19 season.

An excellent field of 23 Superstocks turned on the drama, giving a foretaste of the New Zealand Superstocks at Oceanview in January 2020.

As the cars piled into the tight southern bend for the first time it was almost inevitable that carnage would ensue, and it did.

A multi-car pile-up saw Richard Watkins (99V) almost rolled, and several cars eliminated from the race.

Veteran Graeme Barr (32P) was ahead of the chaos, and drove away for a comfortable win to take the Noel Kensington Memorial.

His daughter Bexs Barr (34P) made a late-race pass on Carl Burns (25V) for second place.

There was late drama as the 65V car of Aaron Jurgens burst into flames as the race ended.

Jurgens was quick to exit the car, in what was a frightening incident.

Race 2, the George Podjursky Memorial, saw David Lowe (722P) lead for most of the race before he was passed by Ethan Rees (127G).

Keegan Levien (5W) came home in third place.

After two heats Lowe led the West Coast Championship by three points ahead of Darrel Wallace (557P) and Graeme Barr.

Wallace's chances of victory literally went up in smoke in the final heat, the Craig Heibner Memorial.

His car sped to the infield trailing flames, which were quickly extinguished.

Rees and Levien had a race-long battle, with Rees taking the victory by less than a second.

Peter Rees (2NZ) came home in third place.

Ethan Rees took out the West Coast title by a point over Graeme Barr, who finished fifth in the final heat as he charged from the rear of the field.

David Lowe finished in third place overall.

Brothers Aaron (rider) and Bryce (swinger) Rose are all concentration en route to the West Coast Sidecars title.

In the West Coast Sidecars, the local combination of brothers Aaron and Bryce Rose (34V) took out the title with a perfect three wins from three starts.

It was their first meeting since Bryce Rose was injured during the New Zealand Sidecars at Christchurch in January, but they were dominant in each heat.

Glen Murray (21P) and Anne Plummer took second after a four-lap run-off with the Hawke's Bay duo Justin Lincoln and George Olsen (26B).

The West Coast Production Saloons heats saw a win apiece to Bayley Goldsack (72V), Brent Hackett (434V) and defending champion Grant Loveridge (7R).

However, Loveridge's consistency over the three heats saw him take out the title ahead of Hackett.

Goldsack was third overall after a countback, ahead of John Huijs (73V).

Twin brothers Cody Hodge (21P) and Seth Hodge (12P) dominated the Heiby Memorial Youth Ministocks, with Cody taking out the trophy by a solitary point.

Jordan Adie (57P) came home in third place overall, ahead of the best-placed local driver Kaelin Mooney (26V).

After a spectacular fireworks display at half-time, the season ended with the Gourmet Express Demolition Derby.

One by one, cars reached and exceeded their level of punishment until just Dakota Tipu (007) and Stu Robertson (168) remained.

As the chequered flag fell on the derby and the season, Tipu administered the coup de grace, firing Robertson's car into the wall for a final time, to take the win.

Robertson, Nathan White and Andrew Foster were selected as the best stirrers on the night.

It was a metal-crunching end to an entertaining speedway season.

Racing will resume in Fast Lane Spare Oceanview Family Speedway in October, and a massive season awaits.