A perfect West Coast day ended Greenstone Park’s stop/start season on a high, with a good crowd, plenty of cars and a few antics that make the “King of the Coast” an adventure every year.
The “K.O.C” is traditionally raced on the weekend immediately after Easter, when Christchurch and Nelson have closed their season, with the majority of the visiting cars hailing from those clubs.
The meeting had plenty of moments, including a contingent of non-contact drivers waiting at the naughty box at the bottom of the tower, drivers trying to take gaps that weren’t there, post-race donuts from Steve Thompson, Harley Robb on hunt mode, a tail-happy water truck soaking the track for the derby, and the final act to end the derby making for plenty of talking points over the meeting.
There was consternation when the date was changed in early March, but it was the wisest option with the original date likely to have been a whitewash due to the weather, and the fact it clashed with several other track’s promotions.
The Stock Cars continue to be Greymouth’s bread and butter class, with solid support from Christchurch and Nelson following hard work done by Housty Jnr and Co.
It was a classic N v C battle, with Riley Eathorne and Jack Rarity flying the Nelson flag. They were leading contenders going into the final heat, up until the C cars slowed them down. The writing was on the wall when Harley Robb was spun early, going into hunt mode on N cars and stopping Brenton Coleman in his tracks. Jay Huggies Holtham was the benefactor as his Crusher teammates got him the title win.
A strong line-up of Production Saloons has been a feature at most meetings this season, seeing local speedsters taking on a couple of quick Nelson cars. The 17c of Vaughan Fairbairn, who has much been on nearly every podium around the South Island, took over regular Dave Filius’ spot, but it was Nelson’s Vaughan Cornelius taking overall honours.
Eddy Frans broke the lap record but found an early park in the final heat via the referee, ending his chances of keeping the title in the family after Fee Frans won it last year. Abby Carter was awarded the Queen of the Clay title for the weekend, a regular traveller to the Coast and finishing 3rd overall on her favourite track.
The T.Qs are always a fun watch at Greenstone Park, with the track contours providing plenty of crisscrossing on the corners. Multiple lines produced close racing, which saw Canterbury’s Ben Morgan take honours, beating home the local Thompson boys in the feature.
Morgan has been racking up the titles around the Mainland, but the Thompson boys picked up the heat wins to the delight of the crowd, with James pipping brother Rodney in the feature to finish behind Morgan.
Tom Harris picked up the win in the Adult Ministocks, where a few were left waiting for the referee after the final heat got a bit messy.
An eight-strong Modifieds field also graced the track for three races, with local driver Steve Thompson winning the opener over Iain Whyte and Kevin Ban. Hayden Corbett bounced back from a sixth in Heat 1 to win Heat 2 over Thompson and Andrew Naven, while Thompson returned to the top in the finale to take a commanding victory over Corbett and Naven.
The Super Stocks were the bonus class, the roar making everyone in town know we were racing. A few new drivers in the class were keen to get track time, but seven of the eight Super Stocks combined would’ve only matched half the track time that the eighth driver Peter Field has had behind the wheel, a regular visitor to Greymouth when Supers Stocks are invited.
It was Nelson’s Alex Hill who dominated all three heats here, collecting three wins along the way.
The K.O.C. is a benefit for the whole of Greymouth, bringing many stayers for the weekend and the influx of cars can be seen around the town over the weekend. It’s the signature meeting for the Greymouth club, with few major titles set to be held at the venue in the near future.
Once again, the King of the Coast concludes a weather-interrupted but busy season for Greenstone Speedway. There’s been plenty of change throughout the season, with plenty more work required to ensure the long-term success of the venue.
The growth of the Production class has continued to be a big achievement, building new cars and having five youth Saloons hoping to make the track next season.
The Sprint Cars and Super Saloons have been outstanding bonus meetings that are already pencilled in for next year, while Super Stocks may be on the cards a few more times now a couple of cars live in Greymouth.
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.
