Waikaraka Practice II + III

The weather was kind again for the combined second and third practices at WP on Saturday and there was a bigger turnout of cars as the opening meeting nears.

The unmistakeable 'Gray style' 99m stockcar below is new this season for Jason Brown. Started by Kelvin Gray he never completed it, so Jason bought it off him and with his help finished it off. It looked great and went well in the few laps I saw.

Best laugh of the day was when some guys straw hat was blown on to the track only for the streetstock boys to use it as a target. Unfortunately I couldn't stay too long and then I forgot to charge the camera (doh!) but one thing I did notice is that most of the pics I take are of the cars in the pits or stationary, trying to take shots of the cars moving is another skill altogether and suddenly you realise how good some of these track photographers are... new respect to them! Dont worry about any competition from me, of the 20 or so shots of cars coming down the pit gate I managed to get about two right!

Waikaraka Practice I

A few photos from the first practice run at Waikaraka Park last Saturday. Good signs for the season ahead. I'm only guessing but the sight of 95a and the name Gary Lonergan on the car must be some relation to Murray Lonergan who ran as 95a a few seasons back, one of the top standard stocks around if my memory serves me right...

First sightings

I was driving past WP on Saturday and saw some cars in the pits, couldn't help but go in and have a nosey... here's some photos. Finally feels like the season is not that far away...

It's a Gizzy thing!

They may be thin on the ground but one thing about Gisborne stockcars is that they are usually some of the coolest cars on the racetrack! Check out some of these fine examples and lets just hope that the number of cars with a 'G' next to their number increases this season...

Mint

A mate I work with was heading into Manukau yesterday and volunteered to check out the new Vasey Superstock and take some photos. Great to see two confirmed starters for the new season at WP (along with the Mac chassis piloted by Wayne Whittaker) this early in the build up to the 06/07 season. Is it too early to get excited?

Computer says no

If you've moved house recently, you'll know exactly how I feel right now! Don't get me wrong, it's great finally owning a house, but the fact that it's really old and has about 6 power sockets in total means the computer is just an ornament standing in the corner until we sort out a few 'technical problems.' If you watch Little Britain you'll appreciate the character above, that's how I feel right now!

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19g

The only stockcar I've ever had the pleasure of sitting in (sad I know, the photos are worse, I look like a kid on christmas morning) when it was in the hands of Neil McCoard. Andrew Harvey bought the car off Neil and these photos supplied by PallMall are taken at the New Zealand Stockcar Champs at Gisborne 2002.

It's one of three sister cars built by Neil McCoard, here's the background from Brent Morris from Macgors 'Missing In Action' page:

The 99s was the first Tank built by Neil McCoard nearly 20 years ago I believe. It was first raced out of Stratford and then Auckland. It is longer and wider than the 2 later cars. This is the car Tony Collins races at Temarua as 74w.

The car has always been Ford V8 powered up until a 4 litre falcon re power for 05/06. Has had a lack lustre season with lots of niggles up until last Saturday when it was really cranking in the first race. We have been flat out on it all week and are hoping for a good run this weekend. TC's a driver who can get the best out of a Tank.

The other 2 cars were built around 1994 and were basically the same as each other chassis wise. Neils was Ford V8 powered and the one he built for Frank had a Ford 6 in it.

Neils car went to gizzy and was raced as a Superstock for a while. I believe it is still there, but is being converted to a Stockcar with Rover power.

The other one (Frank's) is sitting at my place and is ready to race - Just needs me to have some spare time and find someone to bank roll it, LOL - next season? In the mean time I like to help TC when I can.

Thanks for the interest guys - If any one has any more photos, stick them on. Its great to see the following these cars have.

Brent Morris






Previous 'Cool Car' postings:
21a
19m
76a
92g

Competition winner

The Auckland Superstock Teams DVD and Weekend Warriors book winner was:

Mark Flower
Whakatane

Congratulations, I will send them out this week.

Tank 3

Just as I was going to do a posting about Tank number 3, I see it is for sale in the latest NZDTR magazine for $12,500. Great to see that it will still be out racing rather than earlier suggested plans of retiring the car to the Historic stockcar class. Built by Dave Evans, the car debuted in 1983 in the hands of Peter Woods and has in it's history been driven by Murray Long, Tony Whittaker, Noel Hawthorne, Weston Hemara, Tony Gavin and Evan Mooney amoung others. It was of course the car that Evans took back to back NZ Stockcar titles in 1983 + 1984, and made the car a real piece of Speedway history.





Previous 'Cool Car' postings:
19m
76a
92g

25p

A couple of emails with suggestions, so far it appears it may have been Allan East or Brian Parfitt. Allen transported the Pumas cars up there whether he drove it or not he could not remember. The photo below is Allan East's 15p. The car itself looks like it's something out of Wellington.

Rewind

With Kihikihi running their last meeting on Sunday, effectively the 2005-06 speedway season came to an end. It actually ended for me after the Tiger Woods meeting in Huntly which was a pretty good way to finish, leaving you wanting more. This was the first 'season' of my website too, and one spinoff from that is being able to look back and see how many meetings I actually went to and what I thought of them. Yes, this posting is going to be like one of those episodes of Happy Days when the scriptwriters couldn't be arsed writing something fresh and so they have lots of flashbacks and dream sequences and tweak it so it all looks new!

Doing a quick recap of my reviews, I went to 17 meetings, more than I thought I'd gone to but way down on past years. It seems I've left my "go no matter what" speedway persona behind and I've started to pick and choose... not great news for the promoters if that sort of attitude takes off but after years of sitting through some pretty ordinary meetings it was inevitable. Yes I've become one of a new breed of mouthy casual visitors! Now get ready for some flashbacks...here are the meetings and the ratings they got and if you're really keen you can click on them and relive the moment.





Opening Meeting WP 4/10
Fireworks WP 4/10
Huntly Stockcar Teams 6/10
Demo Derby WP 5/10
City of Auckland Classic WP 4/10
NYE Modified GP WP 4/10
NZvAUSvUSA Midget Series Western Springs 7/10
NZ Supersaloon GP WP 6/10
NZ Stockcars HB 8/10
NZ Superstocks WP 6/10
Palmerston North Superstock Teams 9/10
Saloons Gold Coast Travel/15k Superstock Series WP 4/10
Auckland Superstock Teams 7.5/10
North Island Modified Series WP 4/10
Rotorua Easter Champs 7/10
King of the Park WP 6.5/10
Valvoline Celebrity Teams Huntly 8/10


Now there's a few mean scores there and sometimes as the review stated it wasn't the headline act that let the side down (the North Island Modified Series for instance) but if you get all Krypton Factor-ish and work out the average score per meeting it was (drumroll) five out of 10. The top rated meeting for me was unsurprisingly the Palmy Superstock Teams and the biggest disappointment was probably the NZ Superstock title, but only because I probably hyped myself up beyond reasonable expectation. It's one of the few meetings we travel to no matter where it is and it's a pretty good way of touring the country (we've been doing it since Rotorua 1998) and maybe the fact that we didn't travel away which is part of the fun dulled things a little. I think a great promotional idea that could be started is perhaps a badge or medal sold at each NZ title unique to that event and track for speedway types like me who make it a mission to attend these titles every year...very collectable and a great reminder of each championship, almost a 'badge of honour'. Having looked at a few of the 'souvenir huts' at tracks I've visited the pickin's are pretty slim.



Although the Palmy Teams got my highest score I think the NZ Stockcars at Meeanee was my favourite meeting of the season by far. A huge turnout of competitors, heaps of action and a worthy winner. As far as tracks go, I went to Waikaraka Park, Western Springs, Palmerston North, Hawkes Bay, Huntly and Rotorua. All but one track have improved but The Springs still leads the way in presenting a professional and welcoming environment (if you ignore the neighbours that is). The night I went was the first round of the International Midget Series which was great BUT if I wanted to follow the series I'd have to go to Christchurch to see the final rounds which was a no go. It's the only meeting I went to that I didn't review and I was disappointed that it was not completed in Auckland like previous years but thems the breaks. It's always been one of the best series of meetings of the Christmas/New Year speedway calendar for me but with all the problems the Springs have been having with noise and the locals something had to give.

My local track Waikaraka Park lurched from good to bad every week it seemed, but their final meeting of the season 'The King of the Park' was a cracker and proved that the place is capable of great things. Next season they host the NZ Stockcar title and hopefully it will be as good as this years effort at Hawkes Bay. It deserves to be because the Stockcars were the standout class at WP with healthy numbers of cars and great action. The Modifieds are another class that really entertained and will only get bigger and better.

The Speedway awards are coming up soon and so I'll give a few of my own out for what it's worth:

Stockcars Peter Rees
Superstocks Rodney Wood
Modifieds Jamie Fox
Streetstocks Bill Peat
Super Saloons Lance Jennings

Yeah I know, way too many Auckland cars in there but you have to base it on something and these are the ones that stood out for whatever reason to me particularly Lance Jennings who just seems to become more exciting every season.

Some new things that appeared this season that got the gregobro thumbs up...

Macgors "Missing in Action" section, my absolute favourite part of his site and the first point of reference for me (followed by the buy and sell, always dreaming) whenever I log on. The photos and stories that have been posted on there are brilliant. Special thanks to both PallMall and Wal86 for their outstanding contributions. Whoever came up with this idea was on to a winner. I dont know if any of you remember Pete Frame but he used to do Rock Family Trees for NME magazine years ago following the history of bands and now having seen some of the amazing histories of cars a book done in the same style with photos would be a great thing.

The continuing growth in Driver Websites like the Harwood Racing site that are great reading and a real insight in to what goes on just getting a car to the track. Also good to hear what's happening in the South Island Superstock scene.

The Teams Champs Greatest Hits DVD put out by SMS. A celebration of 25 years of Palmy Teams champs and worth every penny.

Biggest downer of the season had to be the fact that I noticed alot of action happening on the far side of the track was out of focus... I knew the cars weren't going that fast, so off to the optician and sure enough a dodgy pair of spectacles later... at least I can see whats happening now.

Well that's my quick recap of the season, not all 'happy days' but still good enough to make me count the days until the new season starts. To celebrate the one year anniversary of my site (June 2) I'm going to give away a copy of the "Weekend Warriors" book by John Webster and a copy of the Auckland Superstock Teams DVD. Woo Hoo! Alls you have to do is send an email with your name and postal address and I'll pick one name out of a hat and post them off to you. Easy.



Thanks to anyone who has emailed and offered photos, words of encouragement and feedback, it makes up for the fact that I have to wear Joe90 glasses now. It's great just being a part of the internet speedway community which is thriving. Back in the 80's we actually had a union meeting at work to vote on whether we would allow 'computers' into the workplace... seems absurd now but we thought they were a fad!

Oh, and the email address for the giveaway is: greg.parsloe@mgnz.co.nz

Cheers!

Flashback 008

NZ Standard Stock Teams
2000





In 2000 a powerhouse team of Pumas came to Auckland and took the Standard Stock Teams championship (and the right to host it) with them, something they and the Wellington Young Guns have basically had a stranglehold over ever since. Two memories of this meeting that I need help with are the members of the Gisborne team who bravely fronted with a driver who had not only never been in a teams race before... but was making his very first appearance at a stockcar meeting! Talk about thrown in at the deep end. I've got a photo of the car above (numbered 91g) but have no idea who it was or what happened to him and his car. The experience either made him stronger or scared him off for life. Any info appreciated. Also who were the other members of the team, I assume 8g was Bruce Harding and 69g was Glen MacIntosh but 5g and 9g are a mystery.

The other fading memory is of the 25p coupe that is in the background of the Palmy team photo (still on the carrier, I've done a magnified version below of that pic to help identify) that appeared in the consolation races on the second night. I can remember the commentator making jokes about how rude the car looked in it's bright orange and green paintjob but when it hit the track he had the last laugh as he laid into the locals and won one of the heats with ease! Who was driving and what happened to this 'ugly duckling' car?

I've had a small search around the internet and found some photos on Ian Abrahams old site of the Standard Stock Teams Nationals in 1998 where it appears the Huntly Raiders won the title.

If I've got any of my dates or info wrong, let me know by email or put it in the comments box at the bottom of this posting. As always thanks for any help or photos.





Photo supplied by Wal86, Allan East.
"Hi Greg, talked to Graeme Ward and he said he thinks it was Allen Easts car because Allen transported the Pumas cars up there, whether he drove it or not he could not remember. "

Previous flashbacks:

Flashback 007
Flashback 006
Flashback 005
Flashback 004
Flashback 003
Flashback 002
Flashback 001

Torque & Track Magazine

After I read some comments about this magazine on Macgors, I checked my 'speedway library' to see if I had any and luckily I had five issues. They are from 1983-84 and if you want to know more read the informative comments posted by nzrscene who used to supply the publishers with photos.

During the 70's + 80's there was a boom of sorts in independent magazines including the NZDTR launched in 1986 but the market has proven that there only seems to be room for one at a time which is a pity. I'll dig out a few of the other titles and put up some other covers over the next few days.