Easter marks a big weekend for Canterbury Motor Cycle Speedway Club at Moore Park West Melton when they welcome the visitors to town.
Two New Zealand titles will be decided as well as the Moore Park Challenge for Solos.
The Motor Cycling New Zealand Short Track Sid Car Championship as well as the Solo challenge will be held on Friday 21^st at 1.00pm. Five North Island competitors will join the side car field on the way back from the NZ Side Car Grand Prix in Invercargill, and who knows, the new Grand Prix Champion may be among them. 2NZ Les Plummer and Kevin Demanser from Gisborne have entered and will battle with the 2^nd place unit from last year, Nick Edmonds and Paul James from Auckland. Edmonds and James have held the Short track title before as well as the Speedway New Zealand crowns in the past, for two consecutive years.
Noel McNamara and Glen Bagshaw who won the Burt Munro Title this year will be in the hunt and with Oreti’s Grant Lightfoot and Kevin Macdonald riding, the locals have some stiff competition .Bring the Frank Arnerich / Sam Mason combination into the field and qualifying races will be interesting as the top four unit’s race over three heats for the title.
Oreti’s Alex Cunningham will defend his Moore Park Challenge Title and
will be riding with the memory of his good friend Andy Tree riding on
his outside shoulder. The three Bagshaw brothers from Auckland, Sean
Mason and the southern man, John Tuffley will add some punch to the solo racing on Friday.
Sunday 23^rd at 1.00pm sees the Solo field booster for the MNZ Short
Track Title. Over 25 senior solos have entered and this field needs to
be reduced to 16 for the 20 heat qualifying races. The top four
competitors then enter the cut throat one off race final for the title.
Defending champion Grant Tregoning was supposed to be away in England but travel delays will see him ride. Andrew Aldridge should be gone but Tregonning will face some competition from the evergreen Larry Ross, 2^nd in the NZ Solo Champs last month.
Palmerston North’s Jason McKay and Mitchell McHardy come back down for another crack while Bradley Sharp from Oreti will race after flying in from Australia on his way home. Watch some of the blasts from the past. Joining Ross will be Craig Blackett and Jamie Martin. Experience can count in championship meetings. Add the names Moohan, Stenning, Lang and Tocher and that is another six riders to contend with while even more still have come for a race.
Junior solos will also do battle for their Short Track Title. Konner
McKluskey Young will defend his title with a challenge coming from
Anthony Knowles and Adam Wilson locally. Auckland’s Bradley Andrews,
Bradley Wilson Dean, Michael Patey and Ryan Terry Daley join Jack McRae from Invercargill. Josh O’Dougherty and Shilo Tocher will want some points to see if they can make the one off final.
Over 40 races each day which includes rides for non qualifiers
throughout the weekend and demonstration rides from some ATVs.
