Blurb

Blurb have changed their policy on viewing books they publish. Previously you could only view the first 15 pages, but starting from today they have now made the whole book available to view in the preview mode. This means you can now see the entire contents of the first book I did. My review for last season is nearly finished and should be online soon...

Click on the link to the right for a flashback to 2007/08.

Superstock Rollcall 08/09

As promised, here are the SuperStocks that were registered to WP for the 2008/09 season. Although the trend has been slow, numbers continue to increase each year after a low around the 2005/06 season which is a good sign for this class and hopefully the club will recognise this with more regular scheduling. As far as teams racing, the Allstars were a no show at the Palmerston North teams event but made up for it with a decent showing at the WP version of the event. Will be very interesting to see who turns out for Auckland this year, whether the growth trend will continue will be known fairly soon I guess. If I've missed anyone or you have new info, photos or workshop updates, just email me and I can update the posting. Email: gregobro@xtra.co.nz


11a Gary Ellis Only made a few appearances at WP although he did make the trek down to Christchurch for Battle of the Stocks.


16a Aaron Headington Always competitive and one of the stronger Auckland SuperStocks, beautifully presented and one of the real assets in the Allstars team.

26a Lance Randall Did not appear Has a new chassis and engine but trying to find the time to stick it all together.

36a Ricky Mitchell Did not appear

51a Wayne Whittaker Did not appear

52a Scott McEwen Did not appear Building a new car with an updated engine, most likely to appear next for Huntly.


53a Phillip Marx Appeared at most of the Auckland Meetings, slowly making progress in the right direction on a tight budget, winner of the "most improved' driver award at the club prizegiving.


61a Tim Nicholls Another confident season that included travelling to the World 240's in Rotorua. Always at the head of the pack at local meetings, only a matter of time before he starts showing up at big meets. Had some great runs at most of the meetings attended, just minor problems at the wrong moments caused some poor results.



63a Various Drivers Both Carlos Chestnutt and Bill Clarkson Jnr had turns at piloting the third car in the Marx stable at a few select meetings. Appeared for the Stratford Scrappers at Aucklands Teams meeting. Engine now getting some upgrades.



73a Bryce Marx Spent the season coming to grips with the new car, had a few good meetings showing good potential when everything falls into place. Appeared for the Allstars at the Auckland Teams meeting.



75a Dave Tennant Concentrated more on his son's MiniStock but still managed to make most of the big meetings and enough club meetings to win the overall points race. Always super-competitive and years of experience keep the 75a at the pointy end of the field at most champs.

78a Darryl Clarkson Did not appear Sold the 78a to the Hunters in Rotorua and acquired the 12r SuperStock which has yet to make it to WP, currently for sale on Macgors.


81a Shane Hughes Stepped up from the Streetstock class and made a few early season appearances in the ex Ryan Johnson car from Kihikihi.


94a Deon Ansty Rookie of the year in the ex Rick Campbell car. Made an impact immediately on the class and should be one to watch. Appeared for the Allstars at the Auckland Teams meeting.


99a Grant Littlewood Made an appearance at the Auckland Superstock meeting in the 48k SuperStock currently for sale.


351a Paul Vasey When everything goes right with the car, it is impressively fast and capable of winning any event, just an ounce of luck needed... best presented car.


414a Warwick Ansty Debuted new car and was immediately on the pace. Appeared for the Waikato team at Palmerston North and heard a rumour he will be registering there next season.


417a Rose Halfpenny Great season for Rose in the appearances she made in the SuperStock. Car was sold later in the season.

Auckland SuperStock Champ: 87r Pat Westbury
Best Presented: 351a Paul Vasey
Most Improved: 53a Phillip Marx
Season Points: 75a Dave Tennant
Rookie of the Year: 94a Deon Ansty
Horse's Arse: 16a Aaron Headington
Allstars Team Members: 73a, 94a, 351a, 16a + 414a.

Stockcar Rollcall 08/09

Stealing an idea from Wal's Stockcarscene website, I thought I would do a quick recap of some of the Stockcars that appeared this season at Waikaraka Park using the drivers list from the programme (SuperStocks will be done next week). If I've missed anyone or you have new info or photos, just email me and I can update the posting. Email: gregobro@xtra.co.nz


4a Brian Campbell Beautifully presented car that performed well this season.


5a Michael Harris In the ex Rees 1nz made intermittent appearances, car has great pace and always looks a million dollars. Put in a great shot on Gerry Linklater at the NZ's, up the wall and into the fence.


6a Nevano Cowan in the PT Cruiser came back from injury last season for some good performances but the car has been sold.


7a Adam Wakeling Son of Sprintcar ace Allan Wakeling was rolled on his first night out by Krizo, wasn't seen much after that!

9a Bernie Sheary Did not appear

10a Blair Mitchell Did not appear


12a Michael Stanaway Blink and you would have missed it, very few appearances for the ex-68b Tank that had been AWOL for many seasons. Had a rollcage issue that needed to be upgraded. Hopefully back for a full season later this year.


14a Mark McNabb Another strong season for the Horridge Race Team but unfortunately Mark McNabb is taking some time out and the car is currently for sale. A loss to the Auckland Stockcars and especially the Alleycats team.

15a Carl Campbell Did not appear


17a Murray Kitt Car travelled a bit and hopefully will be seen more at WP this season. Was used by one of the foreign drivers at World of Stocks and was also a member of the Alleycats team. Qualified for the finals at the NZ title in Wellington.


21a Brett Dixon Welcome new driver to the class, made quite a few appearances in the corvette bodied car, hopefully back for more this season.


23a Tony Baldwin Took on a stirrers role this year, always worth a watch in the Chestnutt Chassis. Capable of winning races too and a welcome addition to any meeting.

24a Trevor Cook (Amended) Car not for sale and will be raced in the coming 09/10 season.


27a Jackie Phipps / Scott Phipps Very fast car that was for sale mid-season, Seth McConchie drove the car at the North Islands at Meeanee. Hopefully Jackie will be back next season. Scott Phipps drove the car at the King of the Park meeting and did very well.

29a Steve Gavin Did not appear


34a Mark Wearing One of the best at WP, made the trek down to the South Island representing Auckland and raced in Nelson but didn't get the results. Beautifully presented car and always at the head of the field. One of two Auckland cars who qualified for the finals at the NZ title in Wellington.

37a Paul James Did not appear

41a Alec Cantlay Did not appear


43a Mark Smith Made a few more appearances than last season in the cool looking coupe.


51a Steve Murphy Back for another season, ran mid pack. Work related injury ended season early.


59a Richard Pearce Ex-Kihikihi driver Pearce registered with Auckland and seemed to be more of a target this season compared to last. Still one of the faster cars out there.


64a Marty Chestnutt / Carlos Chestnutt Marty was registered to Auckland and did most of the driving at WP. Carlos along with Billy Neill led the Manawatu Steelers to victory at the Huntly teams event when Auckland couldn't front a team early in the season. Made sporadic appearances and even had a go in the 63a SuperStock.


67a Nick Krisnic in the 'beautifully presented' Krizo chassis as always one of the best entertainers every week, was one of the five invited drivers to the World of Stocks meeting in Rotorua recognising his popularity in the class.


69a Dave Seymour Great debut season for Dave in the ex Wellington 10w. Improved every week and should be a contender next season.


71a Dean Mulholland Valuable member of the Alleycats team who performed well in Wellington although was injured in the plate final against Baypark limiting his appearances after that. Beautifully presented car and probably will be seen more often at WP this season.

72a Peter Anderson Did not appear

77a Brad Bates Did not appear


82a Robert Neill in the ex-Littlewood car was a driver to look out for, bright future ahead going by the performances this season. This car may have sold.


83a Driver Unknown One appearance in the pits at the North Island Superstock meeting.

84a Brendon Morrison Did not appear

91a Paul Chatfield Did not appear



94a James Hanham Old car was for sale during the season, then turned up with this ex-Stratford car at the last few meetings.


95a Gary Lonergan Another strong season for Gary Lonergan including teams racing. One of the standout cars for Auckland. Took a king-hit at the Kihikihi teams meeting. Overall points winner in Heat 1, Heat 2 and Feature races for the season.


96a Dave Ingram in a car that's had quite a few drivers, made a few appearances towards the end of the season.


98a Cam Young A graduate from the MiniStocks had some reliability issues but exciting to watch when things were going right.

99a Grant Littlewood Made a few appearances in loan cars and then moved up to the 99a SuperStock at the tail end of the season.


117a Rose Harpenny Crowd favourite split her time between the 417a SuperStock and the Stockcar. Not afraid to mix it up and was also on the receiving end of some bit hits and rollovers. Winner of the Club 'Sportsperson of the Year' award and second in overall points.


137a Jamie Fergusson In the famous Rawiri colours, always a welcome sight at WP. Member of the Alleycats team at both events they entered. Got stirrers award at King of the Park and dedicated it to Billy Neill who he had eliminated.


147a Clive Turner Car now sold to Christchurch, has taken posession of the ex-82r Stockcar for next season. One to watch.


158a Daniel Martin Another good season for 'Handbag', popular with the crowd and never afraid to mix it up. First full season in this car and third in the overall points for the class. Car was loaned to a model for a tv show who managed to roll it big time!


168a Billy Neill As always, leading the pack and comfortable as a runner or stirrer who showed his undeniable class at the Huntly teams meeting winning with the Steelers. Car is presently for sale on Macgors, will be a huge loss to the class if he decides not to run again.


272a Seth McConchie Quiet season for Seth compared to last year, car not as reliable and entered the North Island's in the 27a Phipps car.


346a Glen Roache The self built Holden V6 Tri-rail didn't make it out during the 08/09 programme but will be re-registering with Auckland and should be out for the new season. Photo credit Glen Roache.

441a Andy Weir Did not appear


741a Craig Chatfield Bought a Tri-rail from the South Island almost ready to roll, should be out for new season. Photo credit from Macgors board.

Auckland Stockcar Champ: 67a Nick Krisnic
Best Presented: 27a Jackie Phipps
Most Improved: 23a Tony Baldwin
Season Points: 95a Gary Lonergan
Rookie of the Year: 69a Dave Seymour
Stirrer Award: 168a Billy Neill
Horse's Arse: 71a Dean Mulholland
Alleycats Team Members: In Wellington they were 14a, 17a, 71a, 117a, 137a, 95a, won the plate final (2nd group) and 5th overall. In Kihikihi the team was 14a, 17a, 71a, 137a and 95a and finished second.

Finally...

Once again it was a fairly short season for me, attending only 17 meetings that contained a few highs but also reached some new lows and what seemed like an inevitable downward spiral for my local club that has perhaps forced the off season changes at the AGM recently. Hopefully they have hit the bottom and now it's time for the phoenix to rise from the ashes... recent updates on the improved website are promising at least.

I missed both National titles for Stockcars and Superstocks but did manage to get to the Palmerston North Superstock teams event and both North Island titles for those two classes along with great meetings for Rotorua and Huntly with the World 240's and Speedfest which became my last meet for the season. With next seasons two national titles being at Kihikihi for the Superstocks and Wanganui for the Stockcars I'm hoping to actually get to a title at last.

As ratings for each meeting go, the average for the overall season was just under 7/10 which is pretty good although I think the result is somewhat tainted by the fact that from past experience I haven't gone to some meetings knowing the show is probably going to be substandard and this is something that is going to effect all clubs soon, if the action is missing, the fields aren't strong or the overall presentation is lacklustre you will pay a price - Joe Public are using the internet and not turning up 'because we always go'. The average was calculated from these events below, which you can click on to see the original review:

WP Opening Meeting 4.5/10
WP Meeting 2 6/10
Huntly Stockcar Teams Night 1 7/10
Huntly Stockcar Teams Night 2 8/10
WP Club Day 1
Baypark Stockcar Gold Cup 7/10
Western Springs & WP Club Day 2
WP Saloons/Sidecar Champs 6.5/10
Meeanee North Island Stockcars 8/10
Rotorua World 240's Superstocks 8.5/10
WP Auckland Superstocks 6.5/10
WP Club Day 3
Palmy Superstock Teams Night 1 7/10
Palmy Superstock Teams Night 2 9/10
WP Modified Dirt Cup/Ollie Browne Superstocks 6/10
WP North Island Superstocks 4/10
WP Superstock Teams Nationals Night 1 5/10
Huntly Waikato Stockcar Champs 7/10
Rotorua World of Stocks 7/10
WP Webster Memorial/ Butterworth Midgets 7.5/10
Kihikihi Stockcar Teams 5/10
Huntly Speedfest 8/10

Highest rating went to night two of the Palmy teams and the lowest was for the North Island Superstock meeting at Waikaraka Park that completely failed to spark. The Palmy Teams event once again the jewel in the crown of Speedway as far as I'd concerned, hopefully the Allstars will be back this season making the meeting even better for us Jaffas.

I like:

The continued improvement shown with the Gisborne Stockcar team and growth in cars at that track in general. Some of the 'G' cars at the North Island title at HB were stunning including the 27g of Toby Pickering.

The continuing growth in Tanks surfacing at tracks all over the country. Whether you love or hate them, they look different, they usually cause trouble and some of them are blindingly fast these days. I hear that two more Bill Peat tanks should hit the track next season and with major rebuilds on Tanks 3 + 7 there should be no shortage of them in the stockcar ranks too.

Websites that are being used by clubs and drivers on a regular basis and in the case of Rotorua (for the World of Stocks meeting) I had the answers to every question I could possibly ask answered including pit access, drivers appearing, groups, programme of events, background on drivers, what souvenirs were available, even the commentary team lineup - first class!

Programme design and content has really lifted this last season, these are now really becoming something worth buying and saving, although there have been a few flashbacks to the past like the NZ Sprintcar title programme from Palmerston North that was a real shocker.

The quality of some of the photography coming out of the woodwork these days is stunning. I was having a good look through some of the photographers sites listed on Macgors and there really is some great work. When we were kids and Dad used to take us to WP back in the early 70's, if we were good we got a pie and a coke and if we behaved all night we got to pick a photo from the fan van - bribery that works!

I don't like:

Club days at WP on a Sunday sounded like a good idea at first but numbers just never eventuated and then on one occasion when the commentary team left half way through a meeting and at another meeting when the ambulance was over an hour late I got the feeling that there were better things to do on a sunny Sunday afternoon.

A spate of nasty injuries and then the absolute low point of last season with the death of Peter Barry were stark reminders that Speedway can be cruel and dangerous and that safety has to be at the forefront of every club (and more importantly every driver's) priorities.

Summary

Next season is going to be a tough one with the dreaded recession (aren't you sick of that word) well and truly taking hold. Personally (at work) we have all taken a wage cut to keep our jobs and the presses running, and for the first time in 20 years I've had to do shift work which is a killer when you're not a young fella anymore! Many of the competitors we watch each week will no doubt be in the same situation and will have some difficult choices to make about attending meetings and running costs. This is where the idea of a 'travelling circus' instead of strong numbers of local cars (in SuperStocks for instance) falls over. On a brighter note, trends suggest that in hard times people still want to take the family out more than ever and be entertained - in the US the movie theatre takings are the highest they have been in decades. Perhaps the angle that should be pushed in radio and print advertising for speedway this season is "come back to good old fashioned speedway, cheap family pass prices" more bang for your buck!

I've been thinking...

I always like to think up some new idea for each end of year review so I've been wondering whether a 'membership card' like Flybuys would be viable, only difference would be instead of earning points you qualify for discounts or win monthly prizes. Imagine the revenue Speedway NZ could drag in at the start of each season (if they administered it), for example if the card cost $50 to join and 1000 people did in fact sign up for their 2009-10 Speedway card, SNZ would have a nice $50,000 to launch the new season. Of course all tracks would have to join up and the benefits of having such a card would be cheaper entry to meetings for card holders or a discount for attending both nights of a two nighter perhaps. Tracks that offer incentives to card holders might attract more punters when there is a choice of meetings - WPark are having a normal meeting or Rotorua $5 off entry and free programme to cardholders. Of course people wont sign up for a card unless there is perceived value so I'm thinking well known sponsors of speedway like PlaceMakers Huntly can also join in with promos 10% discount for cardholders during May for example. Every month a lucky cardholder can win DVD's or merchandise like a Nelson Tigers sweatshirt etc. The possibilities are limitless I guess, Supporters Clubs have always been huge in soccer and other sports and they encourage loyalty while building revenue for the club or sports administrators.

Anyway better finish this review and get back to the latest book version of this website I've been working on. Cover star this season is 64b Beatle Tarrant and I have asked a number of photographers to contribute photos to improve on last years book which is still available up there on the right hand side of this page. A couple have said yes which is great and one has even sent me some pics, Ive got a few more people to contact who hopefully can contribute. Should have it finished in a few weeks and until then the website will be running a bit slow (as you may have noticed) sorry about that but it's for a good cause.

Until the new season starts, take care and here are a few photos from the season just gone...

Gregobro!