BIG NIGHT OF RACING AS 2023 MINISTOCKS IN PARADISE KICKS OFF
By Daniel Neville
The 2022/23 Driftkartz Ministocks In Paradise got underway for on Friday February 10th at TWS Paradise Valley Speedway with record entries and an assurance that the future of speedway is in good hands. Last season’s event was cancelled due to Covid 19 restrictions but this year is was back and bigger than ever with 140 plus cars on hand and busy first night of racing.
There were 5 groups in the senior division and 2 in the junior division and they were all loaded with young drivers all eager to prove they have what it takes to win.Both the seniors and juniors were racing for just 26 qualifying spots in each so every little moment counted for every driver as they went into b
attle to make the finals.
Red group for seniors started the meeting with a very tidy drive from 7w Thomas Davis coming from grid 8 to take the win. Heat 2 claimed a few in the wall but local 971r George Crawford did it all right claiming the win. The third and final heat went the way of 46s Regan Ogle which saw him top the group from 7w Davis with 73a Owen Marx, 29h Blake Lockett and 65v Benjamin Tulloch also qualifying.
Red Group Points
Blue group for seniors was next and the first of the lap one pile ups happened with a few out copping damage early on. It was tidier from then on with the 98b of Deegan Butcher winning from the front grid. Heat 2 saw another local take the win in the form of 88r Cohen Wright who held off 93r Flynn Fraser for much of the race. Heat 3 was full of bumps as drivers pushed to make the finals. The win went to 21b Tom Steel which saw him qualify alongside 93r Fraser, 98b Butcher, 88r Wright and 46h Noah Britton.
Green group for seniors hit the track next and a good drive by 83m Brian Fraser to lead the pack home. Heat 2 passed by in a flash with the 227s of Cory Symes getting the flag. Heat 3 was all on to make the final with the win going the way of 19n Toby Walker and making the finals were 137a Peanuckle Rawiri, 46v Ashton Mooney, 11r Jack Cunningham, 10b Kierren Flower and 12c Cole Phillips.
Yellow was the next and another dose of accidental crashes opened proceedings but thankfully all involved were okay. After all that it was 14b Rynan Dittmer who carried the flag. Heat 2 bent a few bumpers for some but on the positive side 26w Kaleb Bean kept it tidy for the win. Heat 3 and the last chance to make the finals field. The win went to 81n Callum Russ after 8 laps of push and shove and also a big hit that caused a bit of damage to to the 69p of Jesse Barber with the driver also checked by medical staff. Qualifiers from the group were the 81n of Russ, 14v Dittmer, 26w Bean, 359p Ethan Macdonald and 85h Kacy Wade.
The fifth and final group for seniors was coloured purple and a tidy race which was won by 44g Corbyn Wilson. Heat 2 was a Palmerston North benefit with 41p Harrison Cheetham grabbing a good win. Heat 3 was another great race which was won by 17s Rhyan Dobson to make the finals with 47r Kam Castleton, 42b Seth Ireland, 116a Zac Ingram and 44g Corbyn Wilson.
The 26th and final qualfier was 321c Kelan Keith who beat 98v Ethan Linklater in a run off after they were tied as the next highest points getters.
In the junior division orange group first up. It was a stop start race with 59c Marcel Vlaanderen getting the win eventually with a few others stranded on the infield. Heat 2 was possibly the tidiest of the night with the win going to 88b Memphis Trengrove who negotiated a lot of lap traffic to take the win. Heat 3 was won by 66b Cullen Smith in another busy race.
Junior Orange Group Qualifiers:
66b Cullen Smith
88b Memphis Trengrove
59c Marcel Vlaanderen
98r Reeve Transom
74w Cooper Dickinson
62w Aiden Bean
64r Riley McKeown
18p Aiden Waihi
45w Charlotte Philpott
5n Mackenzie Keene
12r Rahnee Cooper McNae
5v Marcus Taylor
972r Jimmy Crawford
The junior cream group were the last of the first round and an exceptional drive by 23a Lucas Baldwin to track down the leader and take the win. Heat 2 went well to close out the second rounf of racing at it was second generation driver 52p Boston Joblin who collected the win. Heat 3 went down to the wire and the win going to 98k Caleb Smith.
Junior Cream Group Qualifiers:
23a Lucas Baldwin
5h Regan Le Cheminant
52p Boston Joblin
98k Caleb Smith
39b Jaelim Dudding
741a Tiana Chatfield
9r Blake Fraser
99r Declan Orr
88w Ashton Kahui
18s Sophie Pilcher
91r Ella Coxhead
11b Justin Blair
127w Reed Doherty
The finals for both seniors and juniors will the main focus today (Saturday) from 5pm with second and third tiers competitions too for those with enough points and consolations for the rest.
MIP Driftkartz Top 26
Stitch n Print 2nd Tier
Sportsweb Photography 3rd Tier
Wholesale Tyres MIP Junior Top 26
Media Results
Lap Data
Fastest Lap
Lap Records - The ministock lap record was broken tonight by 88R Cohen Wright
Meeting Photos - www.sportsweb.co.nz