Update: teams points

Manawatu Steelers move to the top of the table while the Pumas and Young Guns finally kicked off their teams racing seasons. The Palmerston North team are now the only unbeaten side and are looking ominous. Stratford are the biggest movers up the table by the mere fact they have had the most teams races, seven so far. Here is the updated table:



Oct 30:
Auckland Alleycats def Gisborne Gladiators

Nov 6:
Eastern States Titans 135 def KB Cowboys 34
KB Cowboys 130 def Canterbury Crushers 39
Eastern States Titans 124 def Canterbury Crushers 45

Nov 12:
Wanganui Vulcans def Canterbury Crushers
Canterbury Crushers def KB Cowboys
Wanganui Vulcans def Eastern States Titans
KB Cowboys def Eastern States Titans

Nov 19
Huntly Teams Meeting Night 1
Manawatu Steelers 140 def Meeanee Maulers 55
Gisborne Gladiators 180 def Waikato Raiders 0
Huntly Hawks 160 def Stratford Stormers 30
Auckland Alleycats 105 def Wanganui Vulcans 90
Meeanee Maulers 160 def Stratford Stormers 30
Manawatu Steelers 165 def Huntly Hawks 30
Wanganui Vulcans 150 def Gisborne Gladiators 40
Auckland Alleycats 100 def Waikato Raiders 95
Night 2
Auckland Alleycats def Stratford Stormers
Waikato Raiders def Huntly Hawks
Meeanee Maulers def Wanganui Vulcans
Manawatu Steelers def Gisborne Gladiators
Stratford Stormers def Huntly Hawks
Waikator Raiders def Auckland Alleycats
Gisborne Gladiators def Wanganui Vulcans
Manawatu Steelers def Meeanee Maulers

Nov 27
Palmy Teams Invasion
Palmerston North Pumas 135 def Wellington Young Guns 60
Manawatu Steelers 185 def Stratford Stormers 10
Palmerston North Pumas 140 def Stratford Stormers 55
Wellington Young Guns 150 def Manawatu Steelers 45
Manawatu Steelers 3rd def Stratford Stormers 4th
Palmerston North Pumas 1st def Wellington Young Guns 2nd


gregobro@xtra.co.nz

TWS Huntly Stockcar Teams Night 2

I had planned to go to Waikaraka Park for the Modified racing on Saturday but with WP pulling the pin early, I headed down to Huntly for night two of the Stockcar teams action. Again the weather had looked threatening but fortunately Huntly avoided the hassle of a rainout and what followed was an awesome night of Stockcar teams action. I enjoyed the Golden Oldies but was not so keen on the 'legends' driving the Superstocks, seeing a decent field of Superstocks is pretty rare these days so lets have them raced by their current drivers. That said, Evan Mooney and Nellie Irvine would not have looked out of place in a normal race, both absolutely flying.

Auckland Alleycats vs Stratford Stormers
First up was the unlucky but unbeaten Aucklanders against a bruised looking Stormers team. Lonergan was spun early on and so Bernie Fox took over the running duties in the very fast 242a machine but the highlight of this race was the excellent blocking skills of 333a Fergusson, an absolute masterclass in how to stymie the opposition. Stratford lacked any firepower and with 12s retiring early the win was Aucklands and a place in the runoff for 5th and 6th.

Waikato Raiders vs Huntly Hawks
The two local teams were left to fight for 5th place at best, but you would have thought it was a final with all the action. Crowd favourite had to be 16h Ben Patrick who was given a massive ride up the wall but survived and managed to hold up race leader 94h Alderton. Steering problems ended his one man show and Alderton was untroubled to take the win from start to finish. Waikato through for a re-match with Auckland.

Meeanee Maulers vs Wanganui Vulcans
First of the two semi finals and a massive blow before the green flag for the Vulcans with 89v Allan Levien unable to make the Start. 83b Powell did the running duties for HB while the entire Wanganui side decided to run also. 96v had an opportunity to stop Powell but was unable to finish him off and although some big hits went in, this was a much stronger look Maulers side than what we saw on Friday and they became the first finalists.

Manawatu Steelers vs Gisborne Gladiators
510p, 65g and 97p took off from the flag and were flying for the first lap until coming up behind two slow moving back markers. Unfortunately for Gisborne 65g Jason Jones managed to be clipped by one of his own team members and sent flying into the turn one wall in a cloud of smoke and then fire which brought on the red lights. Gisbornes chances were basically gone as the race continued on with no G runner and when 62g retired it left 4 Steelers on to 2 Gladiators. 3 Steelers then took on running duties and 510p Knight blocked elimating another car leaving a valiant 64g Barron as the only Gisborne finisher. Strong win for a team that had cruised its way into the final.

The final round of racing for overall positions had Stratford defeating the Huntly Hawks for 7th and 8th, Auckland and Waikato facing off again for 5th and 6th with a great win to 95h Caldwell from 383a and 98h. Gisborne and Wanganui contesting the minor final for 3rd which looked as though Wanganui were cruising to a fairly easy win when 63g Bruce Harding took out 89v Levien the race leader, suddenly Ian Barron inherited the lead with only 3 tyres on the last lap! Great show by both these teams and a huge 'come-from-behind' win to Gisborne, one of the crowd favourites.

Final
Manawatu Steelers vs Meeanee Maulers
This race was a rematch of the very first race on Friday night but that was the only similarity. The Maulers were much more on their game tonight but from the flag fall were facing an uphill battle against a team that had been almost untroubled in all their previous races. 75p Gavin Taniwha lead from start to finish with 97p Ward as his wingman and with only a couple of hiccups along the way, 34p taking out teammate 510p and 86b finishing off Ward in the later stages Taniwha managed to avoid most contact and took a deserved win for the Steelers who were clearly the best team all weekend.

1 Manawatu Steelers
2 Meeanee Maulers
3 Gisborne Gladiators
4 Wanganui Vulcans
5 Waikato Raiders
6 Auckland Alleycats
7 Stratford Stormers
8 Huntly Hawks

Meeting rating : 8/10

TWS Huntly Stockcar Teams Night 1

TWS Huntly Stockcar Teams : Night 1





Thankfully the weather held and we enjoyed a really great night of teams racing action at Huntly in a meeting that seems to get better and better every season. It was a little disappointing to see no teams from Rotorua, Baypark or even local neighbour Kihikihi but the ring-in Huntly team 'The Hawks' didn't disappoint with a strong showing despite being thrown together at the last minute. The support programme was a bit weak and I took issue with some of the commentary during the final race but was really pleased to see a decent vocal group of Auckland supporters for the Alleycats with banners and plenty of Alleycat supporter gear. Great stuff. The four teams that qualified all deserved their places and so long as they can get their cars together (some of them took a beating) it should be an intense finals night - lets hope for the Huntly club that the threatening weather doesn't ruin the occassion. Here is a quick run down of the action with all points unofficial, check the Huntly website for official results and weather updates:

Manawatu Steelers 140 vs Meeanee Maulers 55
First heat was a very clinical affair with the Palmy boys making short work of a misfiring Hawkes Bay side. The Maulers were down to 3 cars after only two laps with the 82b retiring and 84b sounding very offsong. 97p Graeme Ward and 83b did the running and HB's only faint hope came when leader Ward was taken out in turn four but with 10p also running the race was over for the Maulers, win to the Steelers. A fairly tame start to the evening.
10p, 85b, 97p, 510, 84b

Gisborne Gladiators 180 vs Waikato Raiders 0
There was a bit of contact during the warm up laps with the borrowed 61g car of Simon Allen a bit loose and the action would only step up in this race. 94h and 65g Jason Jones were the runners in this one but 63g Harding managed to spin and stop Waikato's runner and then it was all downhill for the local hopes from there. 92h Gallop was the first of many during the night to be removed from play for a broken wheel guard, 93h Wootten also went off onto the grass with problems leaving 4 Gizzy cars on to Aaron Alderton until 62g's steering woes ended his run. Eventually a well run race for the Gladiators and Waikato's only finisher excluded from the results for attacking off the grass. Waikato once again suffering with reliability issues, down and out.
65g, 64g, 63g

Huntly Hawks 160 vs Stratford Stormers 30
Two of the lesser fancied teams pulled out one of the best races of the night and certainly the biggest incident with a huge barrell roll for 686s Cody Webster. 44h Anthony McNeill and 686s were the designated runners but when two Stratty cars came together 686s was spun leaving the 132s car to chase down 44h. 86s Shane Kells took over the lead but was expertly stopped by 77h Kevin Ngakai who had one of his best races in years. He also finally halted the mangled 686s car who had continued after being rolled by 55h Hazelton. 44h regained the lead and took the win, a superb race.
44h, 55h, 686s

Auckland Alleycats 105 vs Wanganui Vulcans 90
Defending champs Auckland and Wanganui also put on a great display with hits aplenty, 383a Lonergan and 89v Levien were the runners with Lonergan being spun early two Vulcans took a handy lead. Red lights came on for 838a Bernie Fox when the car caught fire with the Aucks looking very vunerable. 98v Dion Mooney took Krizo to the wall and almost gave him one of his own signature rollover moves but he survived and then pulled off the most important hit of the race taking leader 69v Justin Cunningham for a HUGE wall ride and shower of sparks for the length of the pit straight into turn 1, giving Lonergan the chance to take the lead and win. Great action from two of the better teams though meant that neither took a big points haul which would impact on Auckland later in the night.
383a, 69v, 89v, 98v

Meeanee Maulers 160 vs Stratford Stormers 30
Stratford could only manage 3 cars fronting 86s, 132s and 61h Webster for this heat which was great for HB who needed as many points as possible if they had any chance of making night 2. 86b Cooke did the running and for a huge part of the race the Maulers were having trouble eliminating the Stratty cars, but with plenty of damage from their first race the inevitable happened and the Stormers cars soon capitulated. Good points for HB gave them a fighting chance.
83b, 86b, 61s, 84b

Wanganui Vulcans 150 vs Gisborne Gladiators 40
After their great performance again Waikato, Gisborne basically just needed a car or two to finish near the top to qualify while Wanganui needed a big points haul which is effectively what happened. Dramas for Wanganui who could only muster two mobile cars until Hilton Parker drove out of the pits with a front wheel that looked like it had been sellotaped on. He was allowed to race and made the most of his chances eliminating Simon Allen in 61g. 65g Jason Jones was doing all the running but 89v Allen Levien hunted him down and smeared him across the wall in turn four in a huge shot that guaranteed them the win. The 89v car was trashed but kept going gaining valuable points. 68v taking the important win in a race that had two more wheel guard eliminations for 61g Allen and 69v. Bruce Harding and Ian Barron in 3rd and 4th getting enough points for Gisborne to qualify, but had Wanganui done enough?
68v, 89v, 63g, 64g

Manawatu Steelers 165 vs Huntly Hawks 30
The home tracks last chance lay with the Hawks but the Steelers had their measure and like they did in the first race, completing the job without too much fuss. 55h Hazelton had wheel problems right from the get go which took out much of the Hawks sting and eventually he was removed from racing for yet another damaged wheel guard. Red lights for 4h Matt Nilssen left 44h running but 97p Ward had him tangled up for much of the race. Steelers 10p and 510p home in first and second meaning the Hawks night was over.
10p, 510p, 44h, 97p, 75p

Auckland Alleycats 100 vs Waikato Raiders 90
Everything came down to this final race for Auckland with the Raiders chances already gone. Controversial is the word I'd use for this heat! 383a Lonergan again did the running and had the early lead and this was a much more fired up Waikato team than the one from the first race of the night. When Krizo managed to remove the wheel from 93h Tyson Wootton in turn four the reds came on and this is where the madness began - 93h was removed but then obviously there were problems for 883a Krizo so his car was towed off too, meanwhile Lonergan was moved back on the track for not stopping soon enough on the red and so was 833a Bernie Fox who must have had clutch or throttle issues. He was asked to move again and did a big donut on the infield which the officials did not like, and he was eliminated. This left Auckland with two cars, Lonergan and Fergusson which would get them the required points to qualify. Then the unthinkable happened and 333a was damaged and yes, a bloody wheel guard, off to the infield he was sent. Lonergan continued on and took a fantastic win but on the last lap was spun into a stationary car and wouldn't you know it his wheel guard came flying open. He righted the car and finished the last half a lap to the chequered flag and took the win much to the commentary team's annoyance. Not enough points though despite two great wins.
3823a, 94h, 95h

Qualifiers:
Manawatu Steelers 300 pts
Wanganui Vulcans 230 pts
Gisborne Gladiators 220 pts
Meeanee Maulers 215 pts

Meeting rating : 7.5/10

















Night 2 review and points table update coming later...

Stockcar teams racing points update

After the latest round of racing at Woodford Glen:



Oct 30:
Auckland Alleycats def Gisborne Gladiators

Nov 6:
Eastern States Titans 135 def KB Cowboys 34
KB Cowboys 130 def Canterbury Crushers 39
Eastern States Titans 124 def Canterbury Crushers 45

Nov 12:
Wanganui Vulcans def Canterbury Crushers
Canterbury Crushers def KB Cowboys
Wanganui Vulcans def Eastern States Titans
KB Cowboys def Eastern States Titans

Nov 19
Huntly Teams Meeting Night 1
Manawatu Steelers 140 def Meeanee Maulers 55
Gisborne Gladiators 180 def Waikato Raiders 0
Huntly Hawks 160 def Stratford Stormers 30
Auckland Alleycats 105 def Wanganui Vulcans 90
Meeanee Maulers 160 def Stratford Stormers 30
Manawatu Steelers 165 def Huntly Hawks 30
Wanganui Vulcans 150 def Gisborne Gladiators 40
Auckland Alleycats 100 def Waikato Raiders 95
Night 2
Auckland Alleycats def Stratford Stormers
Waikato Raiders def Huntly Hawks
Meeanee Maulers def Wanganui Vulcans
Manawatu Steelers def Gisborne Gladiators
Stratford Stormers def Huntly Hawks
Waikator Raiders def Auckland Alleycats
Gisborne Gladiators def Wanganui Vulcans
Manawatu Steelers def Meeanee Maulers

gregobro@xtra.co.nz

Lights out!

Stockcar Double Trouble Fireworks Meeting
Waikaraka Park, Auckland

Last week it was sound problems at Huntly, sadly this week it was the lighting at Waikaraka Park that did the damage. Whereas the team at Huntly were able to muck on through and complete the meeting, WP had no option other than to abandon the show after the stockcar boys had had there second heat. I was disappointed, but it would have been far more disappointing for the team at WP because they had a MASSIVE crowd, completely full pits including a few cars parked in the grass section by the entrance (which is a good option by the way) and the first round of racing had been top notch. Also can I mention we had perfect weather too... sometimes you just can't catch a break.

So no rating for this meeting, completely beyond the clubs control just like Huntly last week. Of what I did see, the two Stockcar heats were great and I'm sure the third was going to be carnage. Krizo was back to his best and gave Huntly visitor 54h a real Waikaraka howdy. He also gave 741a Chatfield a massive punt into the turn 4 wall in heat one. 29a Scott Tennant had the car flying in heat one and took his maiden victory but was given the Krizo treatment in heat two and had to be retrieved off the wall. 34a Mark Wearing took the heat two victory. Mr Spectacular 99a Shane McInteer was flying in the decent-sized Supersaloon field and I have to say seeing those two new "wedges" from Baypark 46m Matt Smith and 6m Garry Edwards was like the first time Darren Gray and Tony Mac came to WP in their T-Macs, they both look freakin' awesome and were flying on track too. Immaculate presentation and whether you are a fan of these cars or not, in light of a week that was dominated by how professional and promotable speedway is - cars like these are where I would put my money. Big ups to everyone involved. 351a Paul Vasey took an emphatic victory in their one hit out for the night putting quite a bit of daylight between himself and a classy field of Superstocks including a big contingent of Rotorua cars. 135r Scott Hewson came second from 99r Decke and 23h Ashton in 4th.

Lastly a big thanks to the drivers that went out to entertain during the downtime and to the commentary team who handled the situation well. Stockcars 741a and 33a had the best "pushback burnout" by far, smelled good too. Also I want to mention something that maybe a few people missed, John Duffy one of the commentators who gets his fair share of abuse on these here speedway sites (a great voice for mime) is the first guy that's ever bothered to mention the difference between Superstocks and Stockcars that I can recall - even mentioned the reason why Superstocks don't hit as much these days due to costs and that the class had evolved and changed - unlike some of the fans who expect teams style racing each week. It was a simple thing to do and considering the type of crowd who were in last night, was appropriate. Better luck next meeting...