Post by jason on Apr 12, 2012 14:46:43 GMT 12
This is something that I haven't done in a very long time, and thats to sit down for a couple of hours and try to do justice to the racing that I have witnessed over the last few weeks. But also, I needed to tell people about how awesome the Speedway fans, competitiors are after coming to the party about a cause that we have been focused over the last 2 weeks. Lets talk about this later though.
One of the biggest things that has been said to me about this site is that people are enjoying the interactivity that we have with our readers and listeners. Going along with that theory, it is now the reason that when we do write ups, we will do them via the forum. This allows feedback to be placed if you don't agree with it, or even better still, if you do agree with it. The Pits web site has become the main stay of Speedway in the deep south and recently, it has moved to a more national audience. This happened purely by accident, but it has been good to be able to let New Zealand know that speedway does exist past Woodford Glen. I would have to say that the 3 southern tracks have some very talented drivers, from Youth Minitstocks/Saloons, through to Super/Saloon drivers and Sprint Cars. In most cases, they punch well above their weight on a national scene. But as the site has grown, so has my appreciation of how much talent we have in New Zealand full stop. The Jamie McDonalds through to the Micheal Pickens and the Malcolm Ngatai's. It certainly doesn't take long to get hooked. and as the season winds down, there is one thing I can promise you and that is my continued commitment to bringing the talent to the site and to the show. Even through the off season.
But this update is about the 3 southern tracks over the last couple of weeks. Beachlands and Central have both ended their seasons, with Riverside stuill having a meeting left to complete. One of the biggest concerns that I had over the last few weeks was something that might have been a little self inflicting. Having travelled away to give the guys at Woodford Glen a hand for the Battle of the Stocks, I was very concerned that once I had watched such a top notch event that I would then have to come back south and not have the same intensity or entertainment value as the big meeting had at The Glen. With little or no expectations of anything, we headed off to Dunedin for their last meeting of the season. This was to a 2 day meet, with the Friday being used to make up for a meeting lost earlier in the season due to weather. As the meeting got under way, the Friday night event went exactly as i thought it would. It filled a void, but it certainly wasnt a top notch meeting. But there was something that came out of this meeting that made it truley special. As many know, there were some lives lost in Foveaux Strait, and much to many peoples suprises, there has been some 88 lives lost on the strait since records were started. There is no big memorial there for those people. After the recent incident, there was a call in the south for some sort of memorial to be erected to remember all those that had been lost to the notorious stretch of water. A young man by the name of Leon Harrison decided that he would do something about it. A Facebook page was set up, and like most things on Facebook, once word got around it went viral. With over 1000 members, it looked like the funds to get the community lenders behind the project. Sadly, things went stagnant and as quick as the idea had started, it soon stopped. A request came through from a Invercargill City Councillor to perhaps lend some suggestion on how they could reignite interest and help out where we could. That night as I lay in bed all tucked up nice and warm, my lovely girlfriend was viewing some photos of some kids. I asked who they were, to which she replied, the kids of one of the people that perished on the boat. She was visibly upset. The next day I spoke to my co commentator, Stife, who went on to tell me that one of his good mates had been on the boat that had been lost at sea recently. It was then that i knew that I had to do something for these guys and put a plan together to show the people of the world of how big the Speedway family is. We got a couple of buckets and set out to fill them the best we could. The reason that the first night was so special in Dunedin was because it was the first place that we had put the bucket around. And with a small crowd, they managed to get over $500.00. Just simply amazing. On behalf of myself, Stife and the Memorial fund, we would like to thank the Committee of Beachlands Speedway for allowing this to happen.
After the first night, I knew the second night would be good. How good, I didnt know, but i just knew it had to be better. Now this is where i stick my foot right in my mouth and admit that it was simply just an amazing night of racing. The atmosphere was there when we arrived, with everyone in a good mood. Cars started arriving, then more, then more, until the pits were filled with good numbers in every grade. Saloons would have Adam Gent, Daryl Ainsley and 46a Niglel Ross front up, and what a show did they put on. In fact everyone did there bit. Results can be found within this messageboard. But what really blew me away was the second night of collection for the Memorial Fund..... $1500 ......But it was how it was done. $1000 of it came form the crowd, but the rest of it came from the prize giving at the end of the night. 25i Mike Verdona put his appearance money in, along with large donations by other individuals. It was simply just amazing. It safe to say the the final meeting at Beachalnds Speedway was a huge success. I must say that Beachlands has been a very enjoyable track to be apart of this season and looks to be going very forward. Im sure the Beachlands are planning hard out for their bumper season next year with the NZ Streeties and NZ Saloon GP. Can't wait.
We then moved on to Riverside Speedway for the Good Friday meeting. If i had to be honest here, I was a little concerned that this meeting would be a flop due to the day it was on, or it was going to go off for the same reason. The second option certainly was the way it went. The Streetstocks were the guys that stole the show, with the Teams deal between Invercargill and Dunedin. This annual event always brings out the best in the racers, and for most, because it was the last racing they would be doing for the season, they went all out. The rest of the racing was awesome, with the exception of the Modified Sprints who were running their Southland Champs with a confusing and interesting format. Don't get me wrong, their racing was good, its just that no one understood it. The Saloons also had their Southladn Champs, and boy was it a goody. Ainsley out in the first race with suspected engine damage, which in the end turned out to be nothing, opening it up for the North Island visitor. Ross went on to win, but oh how things could of been different if Ainsley had of carried on. 2 champs so far and both went to out of town drivers. Would the same be for the other champs that was runniing? Yep, it would. Streetstock driver, come part time Production driver, Matt Stewart, came down in a borrowed car and battled it out with Chris Kergozou for most of the meeting, with a bumper separating them for the final spot. Matt Stewart had done it. Not a good day for the Southlanders in the Southland Champs. The Youth Saloons put on some close racing as well. they have been split in to 2 groups, with the faster cars competing in one, and the slower drivers in the other. 17i Raymond Phillips was perfect all day. Phillips is to step up into Modified Sprints next year, with his new car sitting in the garage at home already to go. But it was the 2 last races that were to be the races of the day. With the exception of the Speedweek racing these last 2 races were to get the crowd up and vocal. The first was the in Saloon race. Ross, Ainsley and Verdona threw their cars around and gave it everything. The racing was top notch and so darn close. It really is hard to describe.. you simply had to be there. The same can be said of the race of the season for me. and that was the Streetstock Chain race. What a race, It had the crowd on their feet and close to the fence watching it. There wasn't one person that left Riverside without feeling like they got their moneys worth. Talking of moneys worth, the fund raised $1000.00 out of Riverside for the meeting. Once again, thanks to the Committee of Riverside Speedway and the public and drivers. Top effort. And a bigger pat on the back for running this meeting on a traditionally boring day. This was now 2 meetings I had enjoyed over a couple of weeks and on par with the Battle of the Stocks.
The last lot of meetings we attended was Cromwell's Easter meeting. Traditionally, numbers for this meeting are always large, but sometimes it lacks in entertainment value. The draw for the weekend was the South Island Sprint Car Title, and would feature around 13 cars for the event. I had expected a little more, but at least 13 was enough. The guys in the Sprinters didn't disappoint over the night, with local contracted the kink of Cromwell, Jason Scott, taking the win. Backing up from last season, this was a good result for him after a very mediocre start. A surprise package to place in 2nd was the 47t car of Corey Price. Pricey had a very high class puit crew for the weekend, that had flown in just specially for the weekend to help Pricey try and get the title. Ex NZ Champion, and arguably NZ's best Sprint Car driver, Jamie McDonald and his Crew Chief, Lee Rusher, had Price dialed in for the meeting. Invercargill's only entry. 4i Kyle Shearing, rounded up the top 3. The format for the weekends racing for the Easter Champs was accumulation of points over the 2 nights. In a very unusual step in an open wheeler grade, they decided to give points to cars that failed to finish as well. This is something that is unheard of in Sprint Car racing especially, but for some reason, it was used on this weekend. Not to take it away form Matt Honeywell in the 64c car, who went on to take the weekend out, but he failed to finish 2 races. He still got points for these 2 races. But had it been done the correct way over the weekend, then it should of been Corey Price that won the whole weekend, due to the fact that he finished every race. I did question it but got told that its how it was. It was the only thing that didn't add up all weekend. The Saloons and Supers put on top notch racing as well, with the Ainsley, Gent and Ross show continuing over the couple of nights. Another to show up in Cromwell was the 791e car of Rob Flood. Now this kept it real interesting, as Flood added another element. The racing from these guys was just spot on. 12m Krista Vermulen popped into Cromwell for a couple of nights of racing and was soon footing it with the big boys on the challenging Cromwell track. Vermulen went on to register her first win in the Super, and then went further by adding another one to it. The all in Super/Saloon race proved once again to be an exciting race, with Rob Flood just to good for the rest. Ray Stewart and Krista Vermulen were not far off each other. Verdona found the wall and lacked air in some tyres. The racing over the 2 nights was awesome and totally loved it. Awesome effort by all over the 2 nights. The Memorial fund jumped another $1496 at Central as well.... Outstanding effort giving us a total of just shy of $4500 .. Massive effort form the people of Speedway
The second night feature: Jase vs Stife in the Fastest Mouth in the South Modified Sprint race.
Modified Sprints are a grade that I have come to love. with the wee Moddys screaming around a track, it amazes me how such a small engine can deliver such amazing speed and lap times. On the first night of the Cromwell meeting, I had a very excited Stife come flying into the tower and felt the need to interupt me while commentating to tell me that he woud be raing in a Modified Sprint the next night. I said.. on ya man, and went back to the job at hand. 2 secs later he said, but so are you. seemingly, Stife had been down in the pits and said that he would love to have a go in a Moddy while he was talking to Kim Phillips. Tom Lumsden overheard and said that if he ever wanted a go, that he would make his car available. Kim Phillips said that if he was going to have a go in Toms car, then Jase could have a god In Craig Phillips 17i rapid Water car. The rest is history. Reluctantly agreeing, the race was set up to run on the last race on the second night. Word got round very quick, and before long there were texts coming from all directions and people coming up to us both in the pits. It was safe to say i was quiet over the course of the meeting leading up to the event, but was determined to give it a go. After the last race of the night, there was to be a run off between Daryl Harris and Craig Philips for 3rd. I paced around the place waiting for it to be over, thinking all the time about what -people had told me. Apart form 4 laps in a Streetie, I had never been on a Speedway track in my life. In all honesty, I had never had the desire. Some of us can talk, and some of us can drive, was my theory. People kept telling me how hard it was and that any wrong move would spell disaster. I think i shed a pound or 2 over the night, cause the nerves were getting the better of me, and I couldn't eat. Stife was like a midget on steroids, bouncing around the place. As i was getting into the car after putting overalls and shoes on, I had noticed that Craig was a little nervous about me getting into his car. I assured him that I wouldn't go balls out, but would respect the fact that he was letting me drive it, and that it was his car. Lining up beside Stife, the flag dropped and away we went. Everything that had been told to me was a bloody load of shit. These things are the best handling car I have ever driven. and when you put the accelerator down, it knows exactly what to do. Te more you drive them, the more confident you feel. I decided that instead of speed, I would use the right lines that I had been watching the others use over the night. Stife was off and gone, and was driving like a mad bastard. But I was just loving the chance to drive one of these machines around the track, and true to my word, I respected the chance and looked after the car. 3 and a bit laps later, it was all over. Feeling like I had been hard done by with just a small amount of laps, the concern had turned to Stife, who was driving a little bit to much like a mad man. Stife managed a 16.9 sec lap.. Fast but messy, where I was happy with the 18 sec lap.. Cruising but in complete control. If you have ever thought about buying one of these things, then i would strongly recommend it. They are simply just fun. On a personal note: Than ks so much to the Cleanways, Rapid water 17i driver, Craig Phillips, I very much appreciate the chance to drive such an amazing race car. Big thanks also to Tom and Wayne Lumsden. Stife is still grinning.
And that about completes this update. Thanks to all the southern tracks for such awesome events over the last couple of weeks.. It has been just awesome
Jase
One of the biggest things that has been said to me about this site is that people are enjoying the interactivity that we have with our readers and listeners. Going along with that theory, it is now the reason that when we do write ups, we will do them via the forum. This allows feedback to be placed if you don't agree with it, or even better still, if you do agree with it. The Pits web site has become the main stay of Speedway in the deep south and recently, it has moved to a more national audience. This happened purely by accident, but it has been good to be able to let New Zealand know that speedway does exist past Woodford Glen. I would have to say that the 3 southern tracks have some very talented drivers, from Youth Minitstocks/Saloons, through to Super/Saloon drivers and Sprint Cars. In most cases, they punch well above their weight on a national scene. But as the site has grown, so has my appreciation of how much talent we have in New Zealand full stop. The Jamie McDonalds through to the Micheal Pickens and the Malcolm Ngatai's. It certainly doesn't take long to get hooked. and as the season winds down, there is one thing I can promise you and that is my continued commitment to bringing the talent to the site and to the show. Even through the off season.
But this update is about the 3 southern tracks over the last couple of weeks. Beachlands and Central have both ended their seasons, with Riverside stuill having a meeting left to complete. One of the biggest concerns that I had over the last few weeks was something that might have been a little self inflicting. Having travelled away to give the guys at Woodford Glen a hand for the Battle of the Stocks, I was very concerned that once I had watched such a top notch event that I would then have to come back south and not have the same intensity or entertainment value as the big meeting had at The Glen. With little or no expectations of anything, we headed off to Dunedin for their last meeting of the season. This was to a 2 day meet, with the Friday being used to make up for a meeting lost earlier in the season due to weather. As the meeting got under way, the Friday night event went exactly as i thought it would. It filled a void, but it certainly wasnt a top notch meeting. But there was something that came out of this meeting that made it truley special. As many know, there were some lives lost in Foveaux Strait, and much to many peoples suprises, there has been some 88 lives lost on the strait since records were started. There is no big memorial there for those people. After the recent incident, there was a call in the south for some sort of memorial to be erected to remember all those that had been lost to the notorious stretch of water. A young man by the name of Leon Harrison decided that he would do something about it. A Facebook page was set up, and like most things on Facebook, once word got around it went viral. With over 1000 members, it looked like the funds to get the community lenders behind the project. Sadly, things went stagnant and as quick as the idea had started, it soon stopped. A request came through from a Invercargill City Councillor to perhaps lend some suggestion on how they could reignite interest and help out where we could. That night as I lay in bed all tucked up nice and warm, my lovely girlfriend was viewing some photos of some kids. I asked who they were, to which she replied, the kids of one of the people that perished on the boat. She was visibly upset. The next day I spoke to my co commentator, Stife, who went on to tell me that one of his good mates had been on the boat that had been lost at sea recently. It was then that i knew that I had to do something for these guys and put a plan together to show the people of the world of how big the Speedway family is. We got a couple of buckets and set out to fill them the best we could. The reason that the first night was so special in Dunedin was because it was the first place that we had put the bucket around. And with a small crowd, they managed to get over $500.00. Just simply amazing. On behalf of myself, Stife and the Memorial fund, we would like to thank the Committee of Beachlands Speedway for allowing this to happen.
After the first night, I knew the second night would be good. How good, I didnt know, but i just knew it had to be better. Now this is where i stick my foot right in my mouth and admit that it was simply just an amazing night of racing. The atmosphere was there when we arrived, with everyone in a good mood. Cars started arriving, then more, then more, until the pits were filled with good numbers in every grade. Saloons would have Adam Gent, Daryl Ainsley and 46a Niglel Ross front up, and what a show did they put on. In fact everyone did there bit. Results can be found within this messageboard. But what really blew me away was the second night of collection for the Memorial Fund..... $1500 ......But it was how it was done. $1000 of it came form the crowd, but the rest of it came from the prize giving at the end of the night. 25i Mike Verdona put his appearance money in, along with large donations by other individuals. It was simply just amazing. It safe to say the the final meeting at Beachalnds Speedway was a huge success. I must say that Beachlands has been a very enjoyable track to be apart of this season and looks to be going very forward. Im sure the Beachlands are planning hard out for their bumper season next year with the NZ Streeties and NZ Saloon GP. Can't wait.
We then moved on to Riverside Speedway for the Good Friday meeting. If i had to be honest here, I was a little concerned that this meeting would be a flop due to the day it was on, or it was going to go off for the same reason. The second option certainly was the way it went. The Streetstocks were the guys that stole the show, with the Teams deal between Invercargill and Dunedin. This annual event always brings out the best in the racers, and for most, because it was the last racing they would be doing for the season, they went all out. The rest of the racing was awesome, with the exception of the Modified Sprints who were running their Southland Champs with a confusing and interesting format. Don't get me wrong, their racing was good, its just that no one understood it. The Saloons also had their Southladn Champs, and boy was it a goody. Ainsley out in the first race with suspected engine damage, which in the end turned out to be nothing, opening it up for the North Island visitor. Ross went on to win, but oh how things could of been different if Ainsley had of carried on. 2 champs so far and both went to out of town drivers. Would the same be for the other champs that was runniing? Yep, it would. Streetstock driver, come part time Production driver, Matt Stewart, came down in a borrowed car and battled it out with Chris Kergozou for most of the meeting, with a bumper separating them for the final spot. Matt Stewart had done it. Not a good day for the Southlanders in the Southland Champs. The Youth Saloons put on some close racing as well. they have been split in to 2 groups, with the faster cars competing in one, and the slower drivers in the other. 17i Raymond Phillips was perfect all day. Phillips is to step up into Modified Sprints next year, with his new car sitting in the garage at home already to go. But it was the 2 last races that were to be the races of the day. With the exception of the Speedweek racing these last 2 races were to get the crowd up and vocal. The first was the in Saloon race. Ross, Ainsley and Verdona threw their cars around and gave it everything. The racing was top notch and so darn close. It really is hard to describe.. you simply had to be there. The same can be said of the race of the season for me. and that was the Streetstock Chain race. What a race, It had the crowd on their feet and close to the fence watching it. There wasn't one person that left Riverside without feeling like they got their moneys worth. Talking of moneys worth, the fund raised $1000.00 out of Riverside for the meeting. Once again, thanks to the Committee of Riverside Speedway and the public and drivers. Top effort. And a bigger pat on the back for running this meeting on a traditionally boring day. This was now 2 meetings I had enjoyed over a couple of weeks and on par with the Battle of the Stocks.
The last lot of meetings we attended was Cromwell's Easter meeting. Traditionally, numbers for this meeting are always large, but sometimes it lacks in entertainment value. The draw for the weekend was the South Island Sprint Car Title, and would feature around 13 cars for the event. I had expected a little more, but at least 13 was enough. The guys in the Sprinters didn't disappoint over the night, with local contracted the kink of Cromwell, Jason Scott, taking the win. Backing up from last season, this was a good result for him after a very mediocre start. A surprise package to place in 2nd was the 47t car of Corey Price. Pricey had a very high class puit crew for the weekend, that had flown in just specially for the weekend to help Pricey try and get the title. Ex NZ Champion, and arguably NZ's best Sprint Car driver, Jamie McDonald and his Crew Chief, Lee Rusher, had Price dialed in for the meeting. Invercargill's only entry. 4i Kyle Shearing, rounded up the top 3. The format for the weekends racing for the Easter Champs was accumulation of points over the 2 nights. In a very unusual step in an open wheeler grade, they decided to give points to cars that failed to finish as well. This is something that is unheard of in Sprint Car racing especially, but for some reason, it was used on this weekend. Not to take it away form Matt Honeywell in the 64c car, who went on to take the weekend out, but he failed to finish 2 races. He still got points for these 2 races. But had it been done the correct way over the weekend, then it should of been Corey Price that won the whole weekend, due to the fact that he finished every race. I did question it but got told that its how it was. It was the only thing that didn't add up all weekend. The Saloons and Supers put on top notch racing as well, with the Ainsley, Gent and Ross show continuing over the couple of nights. Another to show up in Cromwell was the 791e car of Rob Flood. Now this kept it real interesting, as Flood added another element. The racing from these guys was just spot on. 12m Krista Vermulen popped into Cromwell for a couple of nights of racing and was soon footing it with the big boys on the challenging Cromwell track. Vermulen went on to register her first win in the Super, and then went further by adding another one to it. The all in Super/Saloon race proved once again to be an exciting race, with Rob Flood just to good for the rest. Ray Stewart and Krista Vermulen were not far off each other. Verdona found the wall and lacked air in some tyres. The racing over the 2 nights was awesome and totally loved it. Awesome effort by all over the 2 nights. The Memorial fund jumped another $1496 at Central as well.... Outstanding effort giving us a total of just shy of $4500 .. Massive effort form the people of Speedway
The second night feature: Jase vs Stife in the Fastest Mouth in the South Modified Sprint race.
Modified Sprints are a grade that I have come to love. with the wee Moddys screaming around a track, it amazes me how such a small engine can deliver such amazing speed and lap times. On the first night of the Cromwell meeting, I had a very excited Stife come flying into the tower and felt the need to interupt me while commentating to tell me that he woud be raing in a Modified Sprint the next night. I said.. on ya man, and went back to the job at hand. 2 secs later he said, but so are you. seemingly, Stife had been down in the pits and said that he would love to have a go in a Moddy while he was talking to Kim Phillips. Tom Lumsden overheard and said that if he ever wanted a go, that he would make his car available. Kim Phillips said that if he was going to have a go in Toms car, then Jase could have a god In Craig Phillips 17i rapid Water car. The rest is history. Reluctantly agreeing, the race was set up to run on the last race on the second night. Word got round very quick, and before long there were texts coming from all directions and people coming up to us both in the pits. It was safe to say i was quiet over the course of the meeting leading up to the event, but was determined to give it a go. After the last race of the night, there was to be a run off between Daryl Harris and Craig Philips for 3rd. I paced around the place waiting for it to be over, thinking all the time about what -people had told me. Apart form 4 laps in a Streetie, I had never been on a Speedway track in my life. In all honesty, I had never had the desire. Some of us can talk, and some of us can drive, was my theory. People kept telling me how hard it was and that any wrong move would spell disaster. I think i shed a pound or 2 over the night, cause the nerves were getting the better of me, and I couldn't eat. Stife was like a midget on steroids, bouncing around the place. As i was getting into the car after putting overalls and shoes on, I had noticed that Craig was a little nervous about me getting into his car. I assured him that I wouldn't go balls out, but would respect the fact that he was letting me drive it, and that it was his car. Lining up beside Stife, the flag dropped and away we went. Everything that had been told to me was a bloody load of shit. These things are the best handling car I have ever driven. and when you put the accelerator down, it knows exactly what to do. Te more you drive them, the more confident you feel. I decided that instead of speed, I would use the right lines that I had been watching the others use over the night. Stife was off and gone, and was driving like a mad bastard. But I was just loving the chance to drive one of these machines around the track, and true to my word, I respected the chance and looked after the car. 3 and a bit laps later, it was all over. Feeling like I had been hard done by with just a small amount of laps, the concern had turned to Stife, who was driving a little bit to much like a mad man. Stife managed a 16.9 sec lap.. Fast but messy, where I was happy with the 18 sec lap.. Cruising but in complete control. If you have ever thought about buying one of these things, then i would strongly recommend it. They are simply just fun. On a personal note: Than ks so much to the Cleanways, Rapid water 17i driver, Craig Phillips, I very much appreciate the chance to drive such an amazing race car. Big thanks also to Tom and Wayne Lumsden. Stife is still grinning.
And that about completes this update. Thanks to all the southern tracks for such awesome events over the last couple of weeks.. It has been just awesome
Jase
