WP Fireworks Meeting 2

Waikaraka Park
November 2nd, 2013

As always with Fireworks meetings at Waikaraka Park, you get a huge crowd through the gates and throw in some Derby racing and the place was positively bursting. There really isn't much point in an in-depth review as the racing is secondary really to getting big crowds in to fund the rest of the season so I completely understand why they have a few of these nights each year. What is interesting is that most clubs now have a Fireworks night and so you get to see what depth each class really has with virtually no visiting cars. Modifieds had been stood down for the night because of an apparent lack of numbers, but Saloons somehow got to run with four cars, although two Supersaloons added to the mix to boost the numbers. Not really much you can report on 6 cars but the good news is Stockcars managed a healthy 25 cars (all locally registered) which is a great effort for only the second meeting. Superstocks (9) including lone visitor Peter Bengston from Palmerston North and Ministocks completed the programme. The Derby cars got a couple of runs to pad out the show and weren't too bad - they actually might have given the Saloons a run for their money! The actual ramp derby was one of the highlights of the night, some of the cars getting some good air flying over the ramp.

Scott Tennant and Gary Lonergan didn't have it all their own way in the Stockcar races with 651a Troy Power quickly becoming a driver to watch and 741a Craig Chatfield showing great speed to take heat two, Power managing to take the feature race. Tennant and Lonergan finishing 1-2 in the first race. 22a Leigh Cossey providing the biggest crash of the night sending 7a Laurie Maber high up and along the wall in turn 3 looking as though he was going to be inverted again this week, Cossey managing to roll himself although he was able to restart and continue on. 42a Jamie Stanaway seemed like he would take heat 1 but something went wrong on the restart (caused by large chunks of the turn 4 wall all over the track after a decent hit by 95a) and he fell off the pace. Also great to see a few more rookies and new cars turning up this week in one of WP's showcase classes.

Superstocks only numbered 9, but with 58p Bengston on the track it was a good opportunity to see how the locals stack up against one of the country's premier pedallers. Paul Vasey took the first heat with the Palmy car having a few understeering problems but heats 2 & 3 he managed to break the track lap record in both races and took emphatic victories. The locals though looked on the pace with the immaculate 42a Bernie Fox car picking up a second in heat one and 7a Jamie Fergusson really getting to grips with the Super and showing great pace. Also 4a Sean McKenzie is really starting to look the goods in the black machine.

Two little concerns I have after the meeting, will the wall survive the season and who ever wrote the article about the Rees shield in the programme (mercifully it looks as though it got chopped off at the end) just gave every other Stockcar team in the country motivation to smash the Alleycats! Not a great piece of writing whether its accurate or not, maybe its a bit of showmanship, point is the next defence will be a cracker...