SWEETING AS

By Pete McNae

At 19, Wade Sweeting appears wiser than his years. He's changed clubs three times, classes twice and been in the middle of his share of drama but all of that is behind him – along with most of his rivals in the stockcar class.

Sweeting, a second year apprentice engineer from Rarangi, outside of Blenheim, has crammed a lot into his speedway career. He was the little lad in the peewee stockcar leading out the Eastern States Titans stockcar team as a 6-year-old, going straight into youth ministocks when he turned 12 before moving on from that class before he “aged out” at 17.

At 16, he became the youngest driver to qualify for the finals of a national stockcar championship when he made the final field in Greymouth. And now, he's a proven member of the Canterbury Crushers stockcar team while building an imposing record at individual events in the summer of 2021-22.

“I'm really comfortable with my decisions now,” Sweeting says. “People have had their say about changing tracks from Blenheim to Nelson to Christchurch but I've worked out that there's only one opinion that counts.”

Sweeting is back in Nelson this Saturday for the Stockcar King of the Ring, presented by Baby on the Move Nelson. It's the substitute promotion the team at the Milestone Homes Top of the South Speedway came up with when Covid-19 constraints saw all national and island titles scrubbed for this season. Nelson had four South Island championships lined up; super saloons, stockcars, streetstocks and superstocks. They have put together meetings like the King of the Ring instead, to attract visiting drivers for a de facto championship.

Sweeting has been a regular visitor – and winner – already this season. He took out the Nelson open club championship, ran second in the Summer Slam best pairs and has carried the chequer more than any other stockcar competitor in open racing. He will head into the King of the Ring with a well-earned reputation – and a target on his 151C Rees stockcar.

“That's great, I love paybacks. If someone wants to have a go, just bring it,” Sweeting says. “I got into stockcars because I enjoy the contact. I don't mind fixing things when I've broken them so I hope someone is keen to have a crack.”

Sweeting was busy working on the car after a successful Mainland teams racing meeting with the Crushers when we caught up. Since starting work and earning his own money, mum and dad have stepped back from some of the expense. The teenager can do most of the work himself but is careful about where his pay packet goes.

The ex-Brad Powell (Palmerston North) and Harley Robb (Christchurch) car has done plenty of work. But Sweeting holds the Nelson lap record at 15.9s and enjoys watching his opposition wonder about how an older car, run on a budget, can be so quick.

“I've heard all the cheating comments and I've always said they can check my car all they want. It was the same in ministocks, with the illegal chat going on ... I have nothing to hide,” Sweeting says. “I think some guys just can't handle the fact that I've spent a quarter of what they have and can still drive past them.”

The key, he says, is combinations. He is fussy about set-up and pays tribute to fellow competitors and sponsors Gavin Marshall and Melissa Gifford for pointing he and dad Mark in the right direction.

“It's diff, suspension, tyres – it's not a $35,000 motor, I have a $5000 motor thanks to the great work by Mean Machine – but it all works together.

“Gavin taught me that it's 33 per cent car, 33 per cent driver and 33 per cent set-up so I try to make sure the set-up is bang on because that is the key to getting the package to work. He and Moo (Gifford) have been the ones who have got me going in the right direction ... Gavin would be racing his own car now if I didn't keep stealing his parts!”

Sweeting's been putting in work this season, too. He's raced in Greymouth, Blenheim, Nelson and at his home track at Woodford Glen although, with the championship season now on ice, he might throttle back a little to save money for a full campaign next season.

Track code switches in the past might be one part of what got him offside with some competitors. He grew up a passionate fan of Eastern States Speedway and hanging out with the Titans team as a little lad. But the club went through some changes and he and Mark chose to bring the stockcar to Nelson and run as 151N. He was added to a Tasman Thunder-South Island Select team as a sixth driver for the national stockcar teams and enjoyed the experience but the Nelson class numbers dropped away and Sweeting was approached by Woodford Glen.

He had mates racing there, the Glen offered the chance to perhaps crack the Crushers line-up and get regular teams racing and promoter Steve Lennon was happy to release Sweeting to run meetings elsewhere without issue.

“Nothing at all against Nelson, I had great times with great mates there in the Gumboot Racing days with Hamish (Carter) and Josh and Brayden (Nell) in the ministocks but I wanted to race where the big fields were and to get the chance to teams race.

“Once you've blown a car out of the way to help a team-mate win a race or done some clinical move that helps get a result, there's no feeling like it in speedway,” Sweeting says. “Teams racing is like being part of a family, you get that bond and trust.

“I hope Nelson and Blenheim can get their numbers up and get back to teams racing – it's good for the club spirit and it's good for the South Island because we need to be getting regular racing to match the North Island.

“People here won't like me saying it but it's not on the same level – North Island teams racing is brutal and we need that preparation to put up a good showing when we travel.”

So with his present – and future – tied to Woodford Glen, does Sweeting see a class change to move across to the superstock pits? Unlikely. Apprentice wages are eroded quickly in motorsport and Sweeting has goals in the stockcar class. Plus, there's that small matter of personal pride.

“I spend a fair bit of time in the shed and most of the money I earn to have a stockcar that's on the pace. I don't have the money to get a competitive super and I don't see the point in spending money to go slow,” he says. “I've been in this since I was 6 – I'm 19 now and mostly what I want is to have fun with mates and enjoy the sport. When it's no fun or putting me in debt, I'll look for something else.”

• Wade Sweeting has sponsorship backing from Jack's Tyres (Blenheim and Nelson), Speedworld Automotive, Rodz Ridez and Restorationz, High Rev Ltd, Strathdullan Properties Ltd, Riverlands Sandblasting, Brian FM, Motorworld Paint and Panel, Supercharge Batteries, Gulf Oil, SOS Hair and Beauty, Taylor Made Construction and Mean Machine. Pit support includes Mark Sweeting, Gavin Marshall, Melissa Gifford, Hannah Chapman and Graeme Gullery.
• Saturday's other features include the sidecar club championships, the final round of the club champs for the three-quarter midgets and round two of the SM Hydraulics series for the quarter midgets. 

Track photos: Rebecca Connor Maling, BM Photography

Article added: Wednesday, 19 January 2022