A spectacular night of ENZED Superstock Teams Champs action has seen the four semi-finalists determined at the Robertson Prestige International Speedway on Friday night. Top of the table Palmerston North Panthers will battle the Baypark Busters and the Auckland Allstars take on the defending champion Canterbury Glen Eagles in Saturday night's finals.
Race 1 : Waikato Wanderers v Wanganui Warriors
The event started with a bang, 777h Dan Pollock rolling 57v Dylan Marshall in turn two of the first lap, with the car landing on its wheels and the Warrior restarting. 166v Hayden Hart assumed the lead and set about getting to the chequered as soon as possible, swatting aside attacks that came thick and fast. He met his match when 79h Matt Jarvis nailed him in turn four, but the Wanderers were unable to capitalise with Pollock slamming into his teammate. A last lap 71h Tony Wootton hit on the back straight wasn’t enough to stop the flying Hart, who crossed the line for a famous win. The Wanderers were gutsy but ultimately succumbed.
Result: 166v Hayden Hart, 777h Dan Pollock, 57v Dylan Marshall, 38v Zane Dykstra, 71h Tony Wootton
Warriors 145, Wanderers 50
Race 2 : Stratford Scrappers v Gisborne Giants
The action didn’t stop in this one, with 5g Josh Prentice leading early until some expert blocking saw 82s Hamish Booker assume control. The first casualty was 127g Ethan Rees, who was powered into by 10g Peter Rees after a huge turn one hit by Booker. The Giants landed big hits on everyone other than the leader over the remainder of the race, with Booker crossing the line for a famous win. Prentice was second home with Peter Rees rolling 89s Tyler James in the final corner. The result was close, but in the Scrappers favour and extended when second placed Prentice was disqualified.
Result: 82s Hamish Booker, 126g Asher Rees, 10g Peter Rees, 307s Matt Picard
Scrappers 120, Giants 65
Race 3 : Great Britain Lions v Baypark Busters
515gb Frankie Wainman Jnr was the early leader but 1nzm Todd Hemingway muscled his way through as 58m Stefan Roigard eliminated 418gb Niels Tesselaar. Just over a lap later 29m Ryan Hunt left 555gb Frankie Wainman Jnr Jnr hanging from the fence and it was a tough road to hoe for the Lions from there. They were brave but national champion Hemingway led from the front and the Busters were convincing.
Result: 1nzm Todd Hemingway, 5gb Charlie Sworder, 29m Ryan Hunt, 515gb Frankie Wainman Jnr, 5m Elias Dykstra
Busters 135, Lions 60
Race 4 : Rotorua Rebels v Manawatu Mustangs
If ever defeat has been snatched from the jaws of victory it was by the Rebels in their race against the Mustangs. 14r AJ Axtens led comfortably for the first 8 laps, and regained command when the chasing 99p Jamie Hamilton spun him and was promptly blocked. But the last lap saw the Mustangs emerge out of nowhere with Hamilton taking the flag from 722p David Lowe. An encounter of the highest quality, with post-race drama narrowing the gap with Hamilton relegated and 581p Jordan Dare disqualified.
Result: 722p David Lowe, 14r AJ Axtens, 99p Jamie Hamilton, 7r Michael Rumney, 94r Dale Stewart
Mustangs 125, Rebels 70
Race 5 : Canterbury Glen Eagles v Hawkes Bay Hawkeyes
In hindsight the lap three roll of 971c Jayden Ward was pivotal in another great race, with the damage that race leader 16b Brett Loveridge suffered being the difference between the two teams. 14c James Thian took the win followed by 235b Regan Penn with a fine drive to a fruitless second place.
Result: 14c James Thian, 235b Regan Penn, 557c Darrel Wallace, 422b Dylan Ashton, 991c Harley Robb
Glen Eagles 135, Hawkeyes 60
Race 6 : Auckland Allstars v Wellington Wildcats
The Wildcats hopes of a title proved to be a short-lived affair with the Auckland Allstars recording the most convincing win of the night thus far. A damaged 89w Dale Robertson in third was the only hope, with 74a Codi Chatfield too energetic and a fast-finishing 72a Cody McKee taking second.
Result: 74a Codi Chatfield, 72a Cody McKee, 89w Dale Robertson, 2nzw Ethan Levien, 96a Jamie Fergusson
Allstars 150, Wildcats 45
Race 7 : Palmerston North Panthers v Waikato Wanderers
Lap 2 was the deciding factor in this encounter with two Wanderers on the infield - 77h Wayne Slater rolled and 71h Tony Wootton injured. 156p Trent James handled his Teams Champs debut with aplomb, leading from start to finish in a big win for the Panthers.
Result: 156p Trent James, 94p William Humphries, 777h Dan Pollock, 41p Scott Williams, 88p Jack Miers
Panthers 170, Wanderers 25
Race 8 : Wanganui Warriors v Stratford Scrappers
With both teams winning their first outing, the Warriors - Scrappers race was a virtual quarter final, and while the Warriors looked impressive, they were no match for a resurgent Scrappers. 166v Hayden Hart led early but when he was blocked it was 87s Brodie James who took the lead. He dealt to 15v Ryan Marshall and lost the lead, and it was 6s Blayke Adamson who assumed control and took a famous win. Hart was a game second but that wasn’t enough.
Result: 6s Blayke Adamson, 166v Hayden Hart, 15v Ryan Marshall, 87s Brodie James, 82s Hamish Booker
Scrappers 130, Warriors 65
Race 9 : Gisborne Giants v Great Britain Lions
The Giants recovered from their earlier loss to cruise to a victory over the Lions. 126g Asher Rees was almost untouched to take the flag, and with 29g James Clarke in third they collected 125 points.
Result: 126g Asher Rees, 515gb Frankie Wainman Jnr, 175gb Karl Hawkins, 555gb Frankie Wainman Jnr Jnr, 5g Josh Prentice
Giants 110, Lions 85
Race 10 : Baypark Busters v Rotorua Rebels
The qualifying race of the decade saw the Busters and Rebels execute teams racing of the highest calibre. The lead changed hands multiple times, including on the final lap with veteran 19m Kerry Remnant emerging victorious over 14r AJ Axtens.
Result: 19m Kerry Remnant, 14r AJ Axtens, 1nzm Todd Hemingway, 9r Brent Stewart, 29m Ryan Hunt
Busters 135, Rebels 60
Race 11 : Manawatu Mustangs v Canterbury Glen Eagles
After a first-up win, the Mustangs tried hard against the defending champions but couldn’t overcome the early loss of 722p David Lowe. 808c Scott Tennant ran home to the flag, with 172p Daniel Burmeister a valiant second from two more Glen Eagles.
Result: 808c Scott Tennant, 172p Daniel Burmeister, 14c James Thian, 557c Darrel Wallace, 34p Rebecca Barr
Glen Eagles 145, Mustangs 50
Race 12 : Hawkes Bay Hawkeyes v Auckland Allstars
Seven laps in and it looked like the Hawkeyes might be in with a shot against the Allstars, but the charmed run of their lone gunner came to an end when 235b Regan Penn was spun. 72a Cody McKee had some nervous moments but took the flag and the Allstars were semi-finalists.
Result: 72a Cody McKee, 235b Regan Penn, 272a Seth McConchie, 99b Jacob Buckrell, 66a Randal Tarrant
Allstars 135, Hawkeyes 60
Race 13 : Wellington Wildcats v Palmerston North Panthers
A scrappy race saw the Panthers advance to the semi-finals. 52p Scott Joblin led until spinning out and 94p William Humphries took up the running. 89w Dale Robertson had a brief taste of the lead on the final lap but was pinned at a crucial moment and that was all it took.
Result: 94p William Humphries, 41p Scott Williams, 89w Dale Robertson, 5w Keegan Levien, 52p Scott Joblin
Panthers 150, Wildcats 45
Total Points
| Race 1 | Race 2 | TOTAL | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Palmerston North Panthers | 170 | 150 | 320 |
| 2 | Auckland Allstars | 150 | 135 | 285 |
| 3 | Canterbury Glen Eagles | 135 | 145 | 280 |
| 4 | Baypark Busters | 135 | 135 | 270 |
| 5 | Stratford Scrappers | 120 | 130 | 250 |
| 6 | Wanganui Warriors | 145 | 65 | 210 |
| 7= | Gisborne Giants | 65 | 110 | 175 |
| 7= | Manawatu Mustangs | 125 | 50 | 175 |
| 9 | Great Britain Lions | 60 | 85 | 145 |
| 10 | Rotorua Rebels | 70 | 60 | 130 |
| 11 | Hawkes Bay Hawkeyes | 60 | 60 | 120 |
| 12 | Wellington Wildcats | 45 | 45 | 90 |
| 13 | Waikato Wanderers | 50 | 25 | 75 |
