Maiden national title eludes Vulcans

CAPTAIN'S KNOCK: Even with newly-anointed 2NZ Dion Mooney at the helm, a strong Wanganui Vulcans team failed to fire at the New Zealand Stockcar Teams Championships in Gisborne.PHOTO/FILE

THE WANGANUI Vulcans left for Gisborne last week with high hopes, but returned home on Sunday frustrated by another what-might-have-been weekend.

The Vulcans had picked a strong and experienced team for the New Zealand Stockcar Teams Championships, and hopes were high for the team to win the title, and with it, the right to host the event next season. Led by 2NZ Dion Mooney, supported by Bevan Humphrey, Francis Potaka, Sandy Flett, Shane Kells and the recently contracted father and son pair of Ron and Brendon Tye, the Vulcans shaped up as one of the teams to beat.

The draw for qualifying on the first night pitted them against multiple title winners, the Wellington Young Guns and the Palmerston North Pumas.

In their first race, Vulcans block-man Potaka rolled Wellington driver Paul Gaskin on the very first corner, and the Vulcans took advantage of their numerical advantage to win 130-65. Bevan Humphrey took the race win.

Things were looking good in the second race against the Pumas when Brendon Tye was shown the winner's flag. However the electronic lap scoring system showed Rob Mason from the Pumas as the winner, and the team had to settle for a 135 to 60 point loss. That placed the Vulcans in 5th place going into the quarter-finals the following night where they were scheduled to meet Tasman Thunder from Nelson, one place ahead of the Vulcans in the standings.

Controversy was about to erupt however. Following a protest, the Pumas' Stu Rackham was excluded from the meeting due to an illegal inlet manifold. Rackham had won the race against the Young Guns, but was stripped of his points. The draw for the second night was reshuffled, and the fifth-placed Vulcans once again faced Wellington for a place in the semifinals.

Brendon Tye and Dion Mooney each led the quarter-final in the early stages of the race. But with four laps to go, Wellington's Kyle Lane slipped through into the lead, and the Vulcans were unable to stop him. With the racing on the second night being all decided by the first across the line, the Vulcans' hopes of a maiden New Zealand title had evaporated.

Bitterly disappointed, the Vulcans regrouped for the race for fifth and six place, once again against the Pumas.

This time it was veteran Ron Tye who took the win, with son Brendon coming home in second.

The Grand Final was a Gisborne benefit. Peter Rees, in possibly his last race in the Stockcar class after a stellar career took the race win ahead of elder son Asher, with younger son Ethan in fifth place. Tasman Thunder's only finisher was Michael Paynter, who came home in fourth place, three laps down.

The Gisborne Gladiators were a class act all weekend on , and will host the Championships again next season.

The Rees family made a huge difference, and their experience racing together was decisive. No one could argue that the Gladiators were not deserving winners.

But the Vulcans will look forward to another trip east next year, for another title crack.