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Last Updated: Nov 28th, 2010 - 10:22:29 |
While the Australian pairing of Darren Treloar and Justin Plaisted won the opening meeting at Gisborne, it signified the end of the World Champions Mick Headland and Paul Waters foray in the series when they backed into the wall suffering leg injuries.
The local pairings of Sefton Trutts and Calvin Fogarty and Andrew Buchanan and Phillipa Burns waved the flag for the Kiwis at Gisborne, but the South Island trip was truly dominated by the Australians. Back on more common style circuits, both big and small, three of the four Australian combinations made all three finals.
The best meeting had to be the Rolly Inn Ruapuna round on Thursday. Well a Kiwi won, but despite this the CSA prepared one of the best bike tracks and attracted one of the largest crowds to motorcycle speedway racing in recent times. They were up on their feet on several occasions and I have not heard a crowd so responsive for motorcycle speedway at Ruapuna since Ronnie Moore rode in what was his last race in Christchurch at the Templeton track in 1975. I have been critical of the demise of the small infield track and the surfaces dished up for the bike classes and run foul of some of the CSA members because of my comments, but I freely give credit to the team responsible for this meeting, and pleased to do so. Even the program had the majority of names and numbers correct. Good bike racing will still pull a crowd with the help of some Trans Tasman rivalry and a number of the regular car competitors had smiles after watching this meeting. The track held and some very good solo racing was also witnessed. Well done Ruapuna.
For the record, John Hannon and Tony Hirini won the final after playing catch up against the three Aussie combinations. They only got to the final by winning the B main. Mark Plastied and Sam Harrison won the start that left the former World Champions, Darren Treloar and Justin Plastied and current Australian Champions Mark Mitchell and Tom Golding scrapping for position with the kiwi pair. Plastied and Harrison had the front position but never gained much advantage while Hannon and Hirini fought hard to hold 3rd. They squeezed in to take 2nd away from Mitchell and Golding coming out of the Prison bend for the last time. Having secured the inside line, Hannon drove low into the Town bend holding out wide Plastied and Harrison, and took the lead. Mitchell and Holding were hot on their tail and they followed the kiwis to cross in 2nd. The unlucky Plaisted and Harrison combination scrapped home in 3rd after being caught mid track, with Treloar and Plastied close behind.
Veteran racers John Warwood and Laurie McMahon won the Canterbury Sidecar Championship run over a one off final as some off the combinations also rode in the trans Tasman meeting as well. Paul Anderson and Mike Stevenson were 2nd with Josh Wilson and Mark Hannaford 3rd.
Solo racing saw Grant Tregoning win the final from Auckland’s Sean Mason and Andrew Aldridge. Mason qualified for the final by taking out the B main. Under 21 Champion Dale Finch scored well for a direct run into the final but suffered a mechanical problem when lining up for the final.
Weather came and cleared but light rain fell through the final rounds at Moore Park on Friday. A good crowd fronted for the second time in two days in Christchurch, but competitor numbers were down from the previous night. The Aussies again dominated the racing and won the two test races. Three of them all made the semis and knocked out the Ruapuna winners as well as three other kiwi combinations. Treloar and Justin Plastied went on to win from Mark Plastied and Sam Harrison. The kiwi hopes were in the hands of Russell Stewart and Andrew Parker who managed to hold out Mitchell and Golding for third.
In the absence of Tregoning, Aldridge won the senior solos from Finch and UK’s Tim Webster.
Ivan Mauger's Academy North vs. South event was won by the North by a good margin of 41 to 24 points. Sean Mason and Dylan Hancock top scored for the North with 8 points each with Ryan Terry-Daley chiming in with 6. Best for the South was Adam Wilson with 7 points.
Loaded up and competitors were away to Oreti in Southland for Saturday’s meeting. Again the weather came and went clearing for the start, but like Moore Park, it came in again as the meeting was drawing to a close. Another good crowd fronted to witness some excellent racing and Oreti would be the envy of many clubs given the amount of support they receive from the local business fraternity.
Treloar and Justin Plastied were top qualifiers with only one point separating the three Australian units. Mark Mitchell and Tom Golding along with Mark Plastied and Sam Harrison all went direct to the final. It was close between two North Island units and two Oreti combinations for the last chance final position. Andrew Buchannan and Phillipa Burns were to take on Oreti’s Fraser Gillespie and David Uitentuis and Shaun Kerr and Robin Poole with current NZ champion, Les Plummer and Kervin Demanser. Plummer had cooked the power unit in the last heat so Jason Harpur and Mark George took their place. They could not match Gillespie who has been making a habit of leaving it to the last minute to secure a final spot. This time though he was squeezed out in the final by the Aussie boys. Starting from grid four, Gillespie was forced wide and out the back door while the Australian combinations battled it out three wide out of the first turn. Treloar stamped his domination on the series by taking his third final win from Mitchell and Golding with Mark Plastied and Harrison leading home the local boys of Gillespie and Uitentuis.
Too good and dominant they were, justifying the credentials they came with and command. Some good raps for some of our Kiwi combinations as several were very competitive and others I am sure will lift their game. The value of it all was that we have started some Trans Tasman rivalry in very good spirits and gave all the local boys (and girl) a bench mark to gauge them selves by. Let us hope it can be developed into a bi annual Trans Tasman Series.
The Ivan Mauger North vs. South Solo section was won narrowly by the South 29 to 24 points. The North missed not having a couple of their riders from the Moore Park event and those that rode would have welcomed the experience. Adam Wilson topped the scoring for the South with 8 points ably supported by Josh O’Dockerty and Jeremy Godfrey 5, Cory Lang and Daniel Shuttleworth 4 each. The North captain Sean Mason also scored 8 again with Ryan Terry-Daly and Chopper Bagshaw picking up 6 each with Hayden Bagshaw grabbing 4 point for the team.
Support Solo racing saw the current NZ under 21 Champion Dale Finch win the rounds of racing from John Tuffley by two points. Grant Tregoning’s chances ended when he had a big off requiring an excellent drop from the UK’s Tim Webster. Webster has recent displayed some of his best form and finished 3rd equal with Tregoning, Andy Aldridge and Alex Cunningham.
Media: Warrick Korstanje 16/01/2010
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