It was a busy night at Milestone Homes Top of the South Speedway with multiple titles on the line, the biggest being the Nelson Garage Doors South Island Super Stock Championship.
The contest went down to the wire, with Michael Oakley’s blocking slowing Gisborne driver Tim Ross in the final heat and allowing Brett Nicholls to sneak through for the win and claim his third South Island title.
Brett had work to do after he and Shane Harwood were both deducted two places in the opening heat for pole line infringements. That put Alex Hill in the box seat to defend his title, leading by a point going into the final heat, but it wasn’t to be.
Alex got caught in traffic in the final laps and then lost the run-off for second and third against Tim.
The Streetstock Tri-series ran night two with plenty of carnage throughout a hectic evening of racing. Ryan Musgrove was the driver of the night, claiming the round before heading to Greymouth for round three.
Several drivers ended their weekend with bent cars. Ben Jenkins won the Ian Musgrove Trophy for the combined rounds between Nelson and Blenheim and will head west with a strong chance of defending his Tri-series title.
The Youth Ministocks are following the Streetstock Tri-series, with a podium round win for Eli Gare.
Bailey Jefcoate had a great night for second, and Tate Carpenter finished third. They are also paired with a Streetstock driver for the series. Stevie Thompson’s night ended early after rolling and getting caught in traffic on turn two.
The Stock Car hit-to-pass didn’t include too much mayhem as many of the cars are heading to Dunedin next week for their South Island title.
Roydon Winstanley picked up two wins to take the title from Jack Rarity, with Troy Cleveland third.
The Pam Nixon Memorial Trophy was contested in the Production Saloon grade, with a hard night on gear leaving several cars unable to make the final heat.
Sam Martin picked up a second and two wins to leave the others fighting for minor placings.
Dave Leitch stayed out of trouble to finish second, with Richard Ross third. There were a couple of rollovers in the ¼ midget class. Bailey Bensemann was shaken after ending his night early, his car needing some straightening before returning to the track. Mack Rawson also tipped over but was able to return. The final race produced an epic battle, with Darcy Rasmussen edging out Blake Stilwell by a hundredth of a second for the win.
Speedway NZ has released a new future championship calendar, which is huge news for the club. It has regained the New Zealand Midget Championship title for next season, will host the New Zealand Super Saloons in 2029, and the club’s first-ever Sprint Car title in 2030.
