CATCH ME IF YOU CAN

By Pete McNae

It's great when a plan comes together.

For the Nelson Speedway Association, that meant pushing on with a meeting when the weather forecasters suggested indoor pastimes were preferable tonight. For the stockcar and superstock classes at the Milestone Homes Top of the South Speedway, it was making the most of lower numbers and justifying their place in the programme. And, for Wellington sprintcar driver Stephen Taylor, it was opening the Hydraulink War of the Wings with a handy points haul, a second feature win on the trot and handing the race car back to owner Landon Dawson in mint condition, if a little dusty and with both car and driver temperatures near the upper end of the gauge.

Taylor's assault on the South Island series, with this round presented by Mike Rollo of Harcourts Real Estate, is no seat-of-the-overalls thing. Dawson has put a lot of effort into preparing a topline race car with Taylor supplying a strong motor and the talent to squeeze the best out of the combination. They tuned up with a feature win at Ruapuna last week but this time it carried more meaning, round one of a six-meeting series that has been won by the best sprintcar pilots the South Island has mustered over 23 seasons.

Fifteen cars fronted, from as far down the island as Invercargill and Te Anau, with a few new names breaking the seal at the tight Nelson track for the first time. Early time trials in the full warmth of the day (sorry forecasters, but you'd have more success looking out the window) saw familiar faces setting the pace; Jamie Duff, Connor Rangi, Caleb Baughan, Daniel Anderson and Sam O'Callaghan with Taylor sixth. As is the usual format for the WoW series, the field was split into three groups with 1 meeting 2, 1 racing 3 and 2 taking on 3 across three heats. Winners were Steve Duff Jnr, Taylor and Oscar Harcourt, another second generation sprintcar driver, who made the most of a good grid draw to scoot away for a flag.

The top six drivers squared off in a six-lap dash to set the grid for the 30-lap feature, Taylor sewing up a front-row start alongside Caleb Baughan with his dad, Ray Baughan, and Rangi qualifying on row two with Jamie Duff and Daniel Anderson snaring the next spots.

In the 30-lapper – still a long way even on the shorter Nelson circuit – the field needed Taylor to put a wheel wrong. Not happening, not this week. After Baughan had jumped him in the dash, Taylor wasn't being shaded again and led from lap 1 to lap 30. There was remarkably little chaos, Rangi ended up backed into the wall on turn 2 with the nose of his car facing the rapid traffic. He chose to bail and head infield, the race officials chose to exclude him from the results. Jamie Duff was out soon after and Taylor's only misstep came near the end when he got the car sideways on the back straight trying to pass Harcourt, which actually scrubbed off just enough speed to give him time to react when Harcourt spun out 30m later in turn 3.

Crisis averted, he banked the feature win while there was no quit in the Baughan family, Caleb getting past his dad who wheel stood the 95C car off a restart allowing Caleb in the 59C to dive by and secure second. Behind third placed Ray Baughan were Steve Duff Jnr and O'Callaghan as the only other drivers on the lead lap.

The only other talking point came around the lap ... after lap ... after lap completed under yellow as there was a trackside debate over whether lapped drivers should be sent to the rear of the restart grid or be slotted in where they were running in the traffic. Option A was the final call but not without some angst. Done now, nothing to see here.

 

 

As mentioned, the supers and stockcars tried a little push and shove to compensate for fields which were on the lean side. Stockcar stirrer Dylan Clarke and his superstock counterpart James Nicholson got things started with Riley Eathorne and Roydon Winstanley playing along as Brett Nicholls and Alex Hill took a couple of pot shots among the superstocks. There were no full noise hits -- Nelson can't afford to lose cars or drivers -- but the intent to use the bumpers was welcomed. Morgan Dumelow and Ian Clayworth scored well deserved wins while Josh Nell got one in his first race back too.

The streetstocks held their club champs and started the night with a good turnout before finishing up on a par with the stockcars and superstocks. Two fairly tame opening heats provided the targets for the third with Ryan Musgrove ensuring a good finish for the Muz Motorsport team when he picked on (or picked off) Ryan Morrison and Matt Watson as Harry Moffatt-Schwass aimed up on Steve Soper. Cody McCarrison, with a fourth placing then a pair of wins became the 2021-22 club champion with Moffatt-Schwass second and Bradley Evans third in a strong showing from Richmond Exhaust and Radiators Specialists-backed cars. But Soper, Watson and Morrison each looked more than ready in quick cars. This is not over ...

Across in the production saloon pits, drivers were split into “young” and “old” camps for a de facto teams race series. With Pam Nixon and Dave Leitch missing from the olds and Zoe Connolly away for the youngs, there might have been some borderline birthday divisions to make up even teams but it was a night for the younger set with wins for Jordan Gillespie and Kaylim McNabb counting towards a 98-point total while David Allan pulled one back for Team “Old” but then somehow was denied his chequered flag. Maybe Gillespie was simply showing his elders due respect by carrying it on the victory lap for him. Individually, McNabb and Eddy Frans were the leading scorers with 30 points apiece.

There's no “old” in the quarter-midget class for 8- to 15-year-old competitors, although Locky Martin made double figures tonight, competing on his 10th birthday. The Nelson drivers still haven't found a way past Canterbury's Jack Brownlees, but Martin got close a couple of times, as did Bailey Bensemann. Meneka Rawson had the best race of her young career and first-season driver Darcy Rasmussen has quickly bridged the gap to the more-experienced racers.

In a little break from the usual fortnightly routine, Nelson is back in action this coming Saturday with a new promotion for the local club, the Stockcar Summer Slam, presented by Thelin Construction. A best pairs event that has attracted a solid haul of out of town drivers, there's $5000 in prize money with Brian FM chucking in another $500 for the stirrer of the meeting. Only one driver in the pair scores race points, the other can go hunting ... or both can. Racing starts at 6pm with a full supporting programme.

Photos: Rebecca Connor Maling, BM Photography

Article added: Saturday 13 November 2021