What a fantastic few days - a long weekend if you’re lucky enough - filled with chocolate and two nights of nail-biting, points-adding, spectacular racing from all classes, with a wide range of championships and titles up for grabs.
Friday night saw the Manawatu Streetstock Championship run over three heats, with great battles from 6g Cody Gooch and 4p Dean Dingwall. We had one rollover in the final - 352b Taamai Graham. But the star of the night, winning two of the heats and overall by just a single point from Gooch, was 72b Darren Melling, with 5s Anthony Washer finishing third on the podium.
The Lucas Oil Super Saloon Series had two heats and a 15-lap final, which saw outstanding driving. The win went to 58p Peter Bengston, second place to 27s Joe Ingram, and third to 6b Jakob Flynn.
It’s always exciting to see the Midgets in town, and how fantastic it was to see this open-wheel class run the Dewtec 30-lap feature with only one stop, due to 12v Brent Huijs and 75m Charles Smith tangling in turn three in spectacular fashion. But it was the smooth driving of 2nz Brad Mosen who took the chequered flag, followed closely by 95k Mitch Fabish and 22k Terence Dorrell.
The final round of the Lucas Oil Superstock Series saw many cars and drivers giving it their all to take the title, but at the end of the night the feature was won by 126g Asher Rees, who took the flag from 1nzv Brad Uhlenberg and 26v Kaelin Mooney.
The Stockcar King of the Arena qualifying night was always going to be brutal, with over 60 cars all trying to qualify for the 30 places in the finals - and it didn’t disappoint. Out on the track, 88v Fletcher Hoskins and 226p Liam Metcalfe both spent time upside down, and there seemed to be carnage and battles everywhere. But by the end of the night, we had our qualifiers, with the repechage set to kick off Saturday night’s racing for the final two spots.
Friday 3 April 2026, full results - https://speedhive.mylaps.com/Events/3447544
As keen as mustard and with tummies full of chocolate, we were back at the track Saturday night full of anticipation for another fabulous night of racing - and we weren’t disappointed. The night started with the repechage, which saw 134p Rebecca Barr rolled by 38p Neil Coley. 68p Keanu Wallace managed to escape the carnage to take the win, securing the final qualifying spot.
All points mattered in the heats, with Wallace and 48p Josh Mulcahy taking wins. But at the end of the night, the crown was claimed by 267p Karlin Painter-Dudley, followed by 9p Zeon McNabb and 23p Riki-Lee Kauri.
The consolation races for the Stockcars delivered the quote of the season. From the commentary box, a man with many sayings and a great voice - Stu Russell - after watching Barr deal some payback to Coley (whose car is painted bright yellow with a little duck on top), quickly quipped: “Rebecca’s out duck hunting,” with a chuckle in his voice. Brilliant, Stu.
The Manawatu Midget Champs, held over three heats, saw the title go to 95k Mitch Fabish, with 2nz Brad Mosen second on the podium and 22k Terence Dorrell third. Let’s hope we see more of this class next year.
The little things with wings - the Minisprints - came out buzzing next. 8p Nathan Jefferies took the flag in the first race, followed by 97p Jordan McLeod and 1nzs Karl Uhlenberg. The second race saw 2nzs Regan Ogle hold off the rest of the pack, with 85s Erin Uhlenberg second and 54p Jayden Williams third. 7s Bronson Pierce crossed the line first in the feature, followed by 81p Glen McCutcheon and 1nzs Karl Uhlenberg.
You’ve got to love and admire the Youth Ministocks. These kids put so much into their cars and are so proud. They are tomorrow’s Superstock, Stockcar, and Saloon car drivers. One to keep an eye on is opening race winner 18p Aidan Waihi - the way he moves through the pack is like a stealthy black panther stalking its prey. Next to cross the line was 271p Blake Mudge, followed by 77p Will Carroll-Holland. 23p Kobe Dorn dominated the pack in race two, closely followed by 77p Will Carroll-Holland and 66p Blake Preston. The third race saw 21p Mason Taylor lead the way, followed by Carroll-Holland (right up in the points tonight) and 44p Baxter Reid. 294p Charlie Newman took the chequered flag in the fourth race ahead of 53p Callum Tootell and Waihi.
To round off a fabulous weekend of racing, the old boys came out in the non-contact class of Historic Stockcars - although I’m not sure everyone listened at the drivers meeting about the “non-contact” rule! There may have been a bit of tip-tapping just to say hello. One of the crowd favourites, 1p - the little silver Mini driven by Jono Mouldey - took his first win. Go the Mini! 6p Elvis Rowlands charged through the pack in the second race, with his new motor proving itself to take the flag.
The last race saw one or two competitors missing: 6w Craig Ellmers (Elmo), whose bellhousing bolt came loose, and 3nz Brendan Locke - possibly carrying damage from earlier heats, as plenty of drivers seemed keen to “say hello” to him. Sadly, this race was called off after 6p Charlie Harper, 6p Elvis Rowlands, and 8p Jason Jack brought back flashbacks for more mature members of the crowd - reminiscent of Bruce Robinson in the #1 Tank dealing to Billy Dorn in the stars and stripes #8p... and that’s all we’ll say about that.
Saturday 4 April 2026, full results - https://speedhive.mylaps.com/Events/3448432
One meeting to go - haven’t we been lucky with the weather? Let’s keep our fingers and toes crossed for the next one.
A huge shout-out to all the volunteers and people behind the scenes who make it possible for us to enjoy speedway.
Be kind, everyone - until next time.
Word on the Street
By Nicola
