As the speedway season came to an end at Fast Lane Spares Oceanview Family Speedway on Sunday 2nd April, it was the turn of local competitors to shine. Wanganui contracted drivers and riders took out seven of the nine championships on offer, with local drivers also featuring on the podium in the other two events.
Superstock driver Dylan Marshall has been knocking on the door of a big result all season, his time finally coming with victory in the West Coast Superstocks title, along with the Craig Heibner Memorial.
A win and a second place in the first two heats had Zane Dykstra well-positioned to win the title heading into Heat 3, however, Palmerston North Panthers veteran Scott Joblin had other ideas, zoning in on Dykstra early, leaving him briefly parked in the wall. Dropping to the back of the field, Dykstra’s five-point buffer was gone, and despite his best efforts, he finished a lap down.
Marshall drove a brilliant final heat, finishing comfortably ahead of Kaelin Mooney and Trent James, who finished tied for second on points with Dykstra. The latter was awarded second place overall on a lap-time countback.
Dykstra also won the Noel Kensington Memorial, and Mooney, whose championship chances were blown by a DNF in the first heat, won the George Podjursky Memorial.
With plenty of young talent on hand, the future of the Superstock class at Whanganui, and that of the Wanganui Warriors team, is in very good hands.
Cody Lockett has had an outstanding last month, in which he won the Wellington Stockcar Championship and finished tenth in the New Zealand Stockcar Grand Prix at Kihikihi. Adding the Charlie Berntsen Trophy to his resume emulated the feat of his father Blair, who won The Charlie ten years ago.
Dion Mooney set the early pace, winning the first heat ahead of a field of 29 cars, with Callum Sturzaker coming home second, and Palmerston North brothers Taylor and Kyle Lampp finishing third and fourth respectively.
Lockett drove beautifully to win Heat 2 from last season’s 2NZ, Sheldon Arapere, with Dion Mooney and Kaelin Mooney next across the line.
Heading into the final heat, Mooney topped the standings with Lockett three points back, and Taylor Lampp and Sturzaker a further two points behind. However, Dion Mooney had a series of incidents in the final heat which eventually led to him retiring from the race.
Kaelin Mooney won Heat 3 over Lockett and Blair Reeves-Smith, with Sturzaker finishing fourth. Only 10 of the original 29 cars completed the race. Arapere was into everything and everyone, but his resistance ended when he tried to roll Jason Pointon in Turn 2. Pointon’s car came to rest on its wheels whilst Arapere rolled onto his side, ending an entertaining performance of which Big Bad Charlie himself would have been proud of.
Lockett won The Charlie with an impressive total of 81 points, four ahead of Sturzaker with Kaelin Mooney a further two points back in third.
The field for the Karl Barritt Memorial Sidecars was depleted following the withdrawal of John Hannon and Nigel Sturgeon with engine issues, and a threebike crash on the first lap of Heat 1.
Two wins and a third gave locals Aaron and Bryce Rose the title ahead of Craig Boaler and Anne Plummer, who had three second placings. The Rose Brothers were delighted to reclaim the trophy they lost just last season.
A competitive field of nine Modifieds turned on some fast and spectacular racing around a track that seemed tailor-made for them. Stratford’s Jason Kalin won the first heat, but when his car wouldn’t fire up for the second, his night over.
1 NZ Brad Lane showed his class in heat
2 with an emphatic win over Wellington father-and-son duo of Brian and Blair McPhee, and on the way delivered a blistering 14.265-second lap. Blair McPhee led the points standings after two heats, one point ahead of Lane, with Newton Gordge and local driver Ricky Dykstra tied for third.
Starting one place ahead of Lane in the final heat McPhee drove a faultless race, holding off Lane and Dykstra respectively, giving him the title by two points, with a delighted Dykstra taking the final step on the podium.
Brent Hackett had a near-perfect night in the Ray Purdy Memorial Production Saloons, winning the first two heats and closely following teammate Ray Jaggard home in the final heat. Jaggard finished second overall, with Mike Lovell finishing third.
The final Championship of the season, the Heiby Memorial Youth Ministocks, drew a massive field of around 50 cars. Rotorua driver George Crawford took out the final with an excellent drive to get home ahead of Rotorua clubmate Dan Holland, with Wanganui driver Fletcher Hoskins coming home third, ahead of fellow locals Ethan Linklater and Harry Jurgens.
After celebrating the 50th anniversary of the Oceanview track at the club’s opening meeting in October, the 51st season of racing in Whanganui has been a mix of highs and lows, with most of the lows weather-related.
Seeing so many local drivers on the podium at the season finale showed that the Wanganui Stockcar and Speedway Club is on an upward trajectory, and the 2023-24 season will be one to look forward to.
In the meantime, many drivers will retire to their sheds for the winter, not to hibernate but instead refresh and upgrade their cars, or in some cases, build new ones.
Speedway is a summer sport, and next ‘summer’ can’t arrive quickly enough!
Striking gold at Riverside
Another speedway season has come and gone at Aotea Electric Riverside Speedway, which hosted its final meet of the season in front of an eager crowd of patient fans.
Bikes thrill at Oreti Park Season-Ender
A rescheduled season finish at Southern Bolts & Fasteners Oreti Park Speedway saw the Southland club as the last of the lower South Island Tracks to run a meeting this season; a balmy autumns day is greeting competitors and fans alike.
Brian Illingworth: 52 seasons on the mic
How many people can say that at age 80, they have had a go in solos and raced an ex-Peter Woods Saloon car, all while continuing to run their own business in addition to working as a tutor at the local polytechnic?
The thrill of the dirt
For the last few years, it’s been a Changing of the Guard, for me, so to speak, from the tarmac to the clay.
