A massive night of ENZED Superstock Teams Champs action has seen the four semi-finalists determined at the Robertson Prestige International Speedway on Saturday night. With the weather set to be a factor on finals night, a decision will be made whether to start at an earlier time on Sunday, when the Palmerston North Panthers battle the Gisborne Giants in one semi-final and the Glen Eagles take on the Kings in the other.
Race 1: Hawkes Bay Hawkeyes v Baypark Busters
The night commenced with the Hawkeyes cruising past the Busters, 19m Kerry Remnant’s elimination by 29b James Clarke setting the pace early. 46b Quinn Ryan won by more than a lap, with Busters filling the next two places.
Result: Quinn Ryan 46b, Ross Ashby 38m, Dylan Towler 66m, Adam Groome 9b, James Clarke 29b
Hawkeyes 130, Busters 65
Race 2: Waikato Wanderers v Great Britain Lions
An impressive performance from the returning Lions saw race winner 410gb Jelle Tesselaar roll 717h Tyson Wootton en route to victory. Wootton had earlier shown 5gb Charlie Sworder what teams racing was all about, but to his credit Sworder recovered from the big hit and took home third to cement a large points haul for the visitors.
Result: Jelle Tesselaar 410gb, Frankie Wainman Jnr 515gb, Charlie Sworder 5gb, Tony Wootton 71h, Marc Dunn 93h
Lions 165, Wanderers 30
Race 3: Palmerston North Panthers v Stratford Scrappers
A cohesive Panther unit took a couple of laps to subdue the Scrappers, but were then superb as they cruised to a 1-2 finish. 88p Jack Miers slowed from third place to block early race leader 28s Blair Uhlenberg, with 581p Jordan Dare and 172p Daniel Burmeister flying the flag.
Result: Jordan Dare 581p, Blair Uhlenberg 28s, Daniel Burmeister 172p, Jack Miers 88p, Tyler Walker 133s
Panthers 145, Scrappers 50
Race 4: Auckland Allstars v Wanganui Warriors
Few expected the Warriors to dismantle the Allstars the way they did, with 57v Dylan Marshall having one of the drives of the night to take the win. 38v Zane Dykstra was similarly assured in third as the Allstars were blown off the park for pace.
Result: Dylan Marshall 57v, Gary Lonergan 95a, Zane Dykstra 38v, Hayden Hart 166a, Max Holloway 81v
Warriors 135, Allstars 60
Race 5: Canterbury Glen Eagles v Wellington Wildcats
89w Dale Robertson losing a diff off the line turned this race into a one-sided affair, with 808c Scott Tennant a revelation for the Glen Eagles. 991c Harley Robb took the win, backed up by Tennant and 25c Lloyd Jennings in a high quality walkover.
Result: Harley Robb 991c, Scott Tennant 808c, Lloyd Jennings 25c, Ethan Levien 46w, Keegan Levien 5w
Glen Eagles 165, Wildcats 30
Race 6: Rotorua Rebels v Manawatu Mustangs
The passion that the Rotorua Rebels have displayed over the last two seasons proved to be no match for a fired up Mustangs outfit, who hung together long enough to cause the upset of the weekend. Leader 94r Dale Stewart being rolled after an attack on the 6p Justin Cunninghame tank went wrong proved to be the tipping point, and 599p Ron Tye was first to the flag in a famous victory.
Result: Ron Tye 599p, AJ Axtens 14r, Maddie Wise 136p, Justin Cunninghame 6p, Rebecca Barr 34p
Mustangs 155, Rebels 40
Race 7: Kihikihi Kings v Hawkes Bay Hawkeyes
A fast and efficient race saw Kihikihi blockers 75k Gavin Taniwha and 71k Shane Mellsop running riot over the Hawkeyes, with 147k Matt Nielsen and 1nzk Asher Rees similarly effective at the head of the field.
However the order in which the cars crossed the line bore no relation to the final results with Rees relegated two places for a first lap incident and both 46b Quinn Ryan and 422b Dylan Ashton disqualified for contact after the flag on Taniwha. This led to a 185-0 whitewash for the Kings.
Result: 147k Matt Nielsen, 71k Shane Mellsop, 75k Gavin Taniwha, 1nzk Asher Rees
Kings 185, Hawkeyes 0
Race 8: Gisborne Giants v Waikato Wanderers
Once 127g Ethan and 10g Peter Rees hit the front the Wanderers had no answer, with the Giants almost damage free as they headed to the decider with the Mustangs.
Result: Ethan Rees 127g, Peter Rees 10g, Jamie Hamilton 9g, Robbie Mabey 33h, Josh Prentice 5g
Giants 175, Wanderers 20
Race 9: Baypark Busters v Palmerston North Panthers
Possibly the most damaging race of the night, with 581p Jordan Dare a target early but 88p Jack Miers leading all the way to secure a semi-final spot for the Panthers. 38m Ross Ashby’s spectacular roll saw his car virtually destroyed but partially driveable, if to no obvious effect with the Panthers still recording a 1-2 finish.
Result: Jack Miers 88p, David Lowe 722p, Seth McConchie 272m, Dylan Towler 66m, Jordan Dare 581p
Panthers 150, Busters 45
Race 10: Great Britain Lions v Auckland Allstars
The Allstars were keen to make amends for their first round loss, and a big early hit on 515gb Frankie Wainman Jnr proved to be decisive. 66a Randal Tarrant and 166a Hayden Hart weren’t going to be deterred from their task, even if the Lions were gallant in defeat.
Result: Randal Tarrant 66a, Hayden Hart 166a, Jelle Tesselaar 410gb, Charlie Sworder 5gb, Gary Lonergan 95a
Allstars 150, Lions 45
Race 11: Stratford Scrappers v Canterbury Glen Eagles
A fast race that saw the Scrappers lead until almost mid-race, a 971c Jayden Ward block on 133s Tyler Walker elevating 991c Harley Robb to the lead. 82s Hamish Booker had a late charge, but Robb was too good and took his second win as the Glen Eagles progressed.
Result: Harley Robb 991c, Tyler Walker 133s, Scott Tennant 808c, Darrel Wallace 557c, Blayke Adamson 99s
Glen Eagles 145, Scrappers 50
Race 12: Wanganui Warriors v Rotorua Rebels
26v Kaelin Mooney’s introduction to the Teams Champs saw 94r Dale Stewart powered out of the race in a big turn one hit. However Mooney was out of the race too, and with 14r AJ Axtens in a determined mood the Rebels were too good for a vastly improved Warriors outfit that has a heap of potential.
Result: AJ Axtens 14r, Zane Dykstra 38v, Max Holloway 81v, Michael Rumney 7r, Alan McRobbie 10r
Rebels 130, Warriors 65
Race 13: Wellington Wildcats v Kihikihi Kings
The Wildcats were hoping to make amends but just couldn’t lay a finger on 58k Stefan Roigard who cruised to victory. Taniwha was again impressive in the block role, as the Wildcats ended a disappointing night.
Result: Stefan Roigard 58k, Gavin Taniwha 75k, Ethan Levien 46w, Matt Nielsen 147k
Kings 160, Wildcats 25
Race 14: Manawatu Mustangs v Gisborne Giants
The final race of the night would determine the last semi-finalist, but four laps in the result was all over with only one Mustang remaining. 127g Ethan and 10g Peter Rees were again 1-2, with 144g Tim Ross home in third as the Giants repeated their first round haul of 175 points.
Result: Ethan Rees 127g, Peter Rees 10g, Tim Ross 144g, Rebecca Barr 34p, Josh Prentice 5g
Giants 175, Mustangs 20
Results can be viewed online at https://speedhive.mylaps.com/Events/2099920
| Total Points | ||
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Gisborne Giants | 350 |
| 2 | Kihikihi Kings | 345 |
| 3 | Canterbury Glen Eagles | 310 |
| 4 | Palmerston North Panthers | 295 |
| 5 | Great Britain Lions | 210 |
| 6 | Auckland Allstars | 210 |
| 7 | Wanganui Warriors | 200 |
| 8 | Manawatu Mustangs | 175 |
| 9 | Rotorua Rebels | 170 |
| 10 | Hawkes Bay Hawkeyes | 130 |
| 11 | Baypark Busters | 110 |
| 12 | Stratford Scrappers | 100 |
| 13 | Wellington Wildcats | 55 |
| 14 | Waikato Wanderers | 50 |
