Warriors face the best and miss the finals

Wanganui Warrior Chad Ace prepares for a shunt from Hawke's Bay's Maddie Wise at Arena Manawatu on Friday evening.

It wasn't the weekend the Wanganui Warriors had hoped for.

However Palmerston North Panthers fans were rejoicing as their local team took out an eighteenth title at the ENZED Superstock Teams Championships.

Sell-out crowds filled Arena Manawatu on both Saturday and Sunday night, and they were rewarded with some brutal teams racing action.

The Warriors looked good in their first-up race against the defending champion Hawke's Bay Hawkeyes.

Scott McIntosh (22v) led for most of the race until he was isolated with two laps to go by two Hawke's Bay cars, allowing Randall Tarrant (66b) through for the race win.

To qualify for finals night, the Warriors then had to beat the Great Britain Lions.

It wasn't to be however as three time BRISCA F1 world champion Frankie Wainman Jr led a rampant Lions team to victory.

The Warriors gave it their all in both races, but having to race both the 2017 defending champions and the runners-up was too big a task.

McIntosh was impressive and Chad Ace (4v) both gave and took some massive hits, but it wasn't enough for a victory on their return to speedway's biggest meeting.

In the semi-finals the Lions came up against the Panthers in one of the races of the weekend.

Lee Fairhurst (217GB) was rolled twice in the race, firstly by Wayne Hemi (591P).

Fairhurst landed on all four wheels after the first incident, and after inspection, his car was deemed safe to continue.

He might have wished he hadn't, however, as two laps later William Humphries (1NZ) drove over him in spectacular style, leaving both cars upside down.

Wayne Hemi (591P) and Frankie Wainman Jnr (515GB) make contact with the wall during their semi-final race, won by Palmerston North Panthers.

The Peter Rees-led Gisborne Giants beat Hawke's Bay in the other semi-final, setting up a tantalising final with Rees' former team, the Panthers.

The final did not disappoint.

Peter Bengston (58P) lost a left front wheel on the first lap, but was able to continue and put in some massive hits on the Gisborne cars.

The car of Jordan Dare (3NZ) car suffered a collapsed rear end early in the race, but kept circulating at near full speed.

Humphries and Jack Miers (88P) were hitting any Gisborne car that moved, with Miers rolling Gary Davis (31G).

A late-race shot from Miers on Rees ended the Gisborne captain's race, and his hopes of a title.

Through it all, Dare kept going, and was the first car across the finish line to give the Panthers yet another Teams Champs title.

Meanwhile the Wanganui Warriors were left to reflect on what might have been.

Plans are already being formulated for a 2019 campaign, including a lead-up race to give drivers the opportunity to develop combinations.

The management and team thanks all its sponsors and supporters, without whom participation in Teams Champs would be impossible.

Locally, the next action at Oceanview Speedway will be on March 3 with the New Zealand Minisprint Grand Prix and the Charlie Berntsen Trophy Stockcars.