Forever Champion Remembered, New Champion Crowned At Beachlands

Andrew Andrew

• RACE REPORTS

Forever Champion Remembered, New Champion Crowned At Beachlands

Beachlands Speedway

Shuttleworth Motorsport Media

Photography by Robin Simpson

Images supplied by: Christopher Scrimgour

(Disclaimer - results as seen by myself while commentating, results may have changed slightly due to relegations etc. - This article or extracts from it are not to be used by any other form of media without prior permission.)

Excitement, emotion and an sense of celebration filled the pits at Custom Signs Beachlands Speedway over the weekend as the Southern club hosted the showcase event for Super Saloons, the Cando Fishing New Zealand Super Saloon Championship.

Two stunning nights of sunshine saw the public come from far and wide to take in this event, its been a tough couple of seasons for the grade with a number of drivers parking their cars throughout Covid and the loss of Blenheim's Paddy North and reigning champion Peter Dickson both losing their battles with cancer, it was encouraging to see an entry list containing almost forty of New Zealands best drivers entered.

Qualifying was run on the Friday and three groups carrying the names of three Beachlands Super Saloon legends would take to the track to make the top six in their groups to gain automatic qualification in the finals. Two more drivers would gain entry via the repocharge.

So the qualifying races started with the Wayne Andrews Group and it didn't take long at all before we saw our first element of controversy unfold when local driver Ricky Boulton was put to the rear of the field after being deemed the cause of a stoppage involving Christchurch driver Mark Osborne, not a popular call with Boulton who just had to take it on the chin and work his way through the field once more.

Steve Flynn of Napier would get the job done in this heat taking out the win over Malcom Ngatai of Christchurch and Ritchie Taylor also of Christchurch third.

The second heat for the Wayne Andres group saw Grahame Strong of Napier bring out a caution after filling the arena full of smoke. The intense smell of what seemed to be burning oil floated through the air, officials eventually bringing Strong's car infield to check the extent of the smoke. Strong however was given the O.K to return to the race.

Flynn again showed his class working his way from well down the field to take his second heat win of the night, Taylor consistent rolling home second with Central Motor Speedway's Greig Johnston home third.

The third and final heat for the Wayne Andrews group was a clean fast race but again Flynn was just a level above everyone on track. The former two time New Zealand Super Saloon Champion wasn't really mentioned as a factor in this championship, but was soon looking likely to be a red hot favorite taking home his third race win in as many races. Second home was Boulton with former Superstock driver Peter Bengston of Palmerston North third.

News broke later in the evening that Flynn had been relegated in one of his heats, giving him two race wins and leaving him top points scorer going through to the finals on Saturday.

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Other drivers to qualify from the Wayne Andrews group along with Flynn were Boulton, Taylor, Bengston, Johnston and Strong, while the big talking point was three time champion Osborne and the current 2NZ Chris Cowling both having to find a way through via the repocharge race. Cowling suffering major damage in a heat three incident.

Group two was the Shane Maaka Group and it would be the first time local fans would get to see Wayne Belk from Australia in action. Unfortunately for Belk he got battered from pillar to post having incidents with Napiers Chace Rodda and Christchurch's Ryan Marsden on separate occasions, this race would also see current 2NZ Saloon driver George Phillips of Cromwell suffer damage that would end his night after just a few laps, Phillips caught up in an incident with Rodda.

Nelson driver Ian Burson would take out the race one win ahead of Trevor Elliott of Christchurch and his clubmate Hayden McKay in third.

Heat two for the Shane Maaka group was delayed due to sunstrike for some time, eventually when the racing got back underway the drivers put on a clean race on a track that was really starting to test the drivers, the surface rutting up fairly badly making the four bar cars a handful to drive but anyone with a torsion bar set up would hold a notable advantage.

Popular driver Benji Sneddon of Kihikihi would take race honors in heat two coming home first ahead of Rodda with Auckland's Craig Cardwell third, Cardwell certainly looking the best of the four bar cars all night.

The third and final heat for the Shane Maaka group would see Belk again in all sorts of trouble, the Australian hitting a decent bump coming out of turn two, firing him off into the wall on the back straight, Belk wouldn't be the only driver to bring out a caution with heat two winner Sneddon also stopping against the wall in turn three, making him a spectator for the rest of the third heat.

Burson would again race home to take the race win, ahead of Elliot and McKay.

Drivers to qualify from this group were Burson, Elliott, McKay, Sneddon, Cardwell and Rodda.

The third group was the Bruce Boulton Group and in heat one it was Josh Verity of Bay Park who bought out a caution on lap two, hitting the wall in turn two putting him out for the heat. The rest of the race was a good battle which would eventually be won by Shane McIntyre of Blenheim, McIntyre the former two time champion would get home ahead of Grant Flynn of Napier and local driver Terry Soper of Dunedin third.

Heat two for the Bruce Boulton group saw former National Champion Steve Flynn of Tauranga man handle his radical looking four bar machine lap upon lap at the front of the field. Cowling said at the conclusion of the race "the track was rough, but it's the same for everyone", and he was dead right, Cowling managed to get a rare win for the four bar cars coming home to win the second heat ahead of Garry Edwards of Tauranga, and making it a Bay Park trifecta was Sam Waddell in third.

Heat two showed if you got to the front of the pack that it would be difficult to be beaten and the third and final heat race for the night in the Bruce Boulton group showed just that with Waddell getting of the line nicely and taking a lead into turns one and two. Again like Cowling in heat two, Waddell did well to wrestle his car around a testing track but he did enough to get himself home in first, Ray Stewart of Cromwell battle hard and threw everything he had a Waddell but would have to settle for second on track ahead of Flynn who was consistent in third.

Waddell would later be relegated two spots for an on track infringement, giving the win to Stewart.

Drivers to gain automatic entry into the final were Flynn, Stewart, Waddell, Cowling and McIntyre, while Soper, Edwards and Mark Pitcher of Wellington would all tie on points meaning Saturday would kick off with a three car run off for the last available spot in the Bruce Boulton group, this run off was won by Soper who was ecstatic to qualify at home.

So roll on finals day, a number of big names such as Chris Cowling, Osborne, Marsden, Jackson Lovelady and Kane Lawson both of Christchurch amongst the cars having to battle it out for the last two spots on the grid, there was going to be some disappointed drivers.

The talking point prior to the finals was the track, and if it cut up like Friday then it was all but game over for the four bar cars who struggled with the rough surface. The Beachlands Speedway crew worked endlessly throughout the night to bring back a pretty good looking track for the Saturday, a track that left a few scratching their heads when after the three car Bruce Boulton group run off had left the surface black and already rubbering up early, prior to the repocharge races. It was a completely different race surface, and a whole new ball game.

Repocharge one saw a great battle unfold up front with Ngatai having to fight hard to maintain a lead with Lawson and Pitcher both fighting hard behind the Cantabrian. Ngatai would manage to bring his Stealth machine home just ahead of Lawson who would miss the cut, but his Woodford Glen clubmate would go on to the big dance.

Repocharge two and this would be Chris Cowlings shot at redemption, finish second and you are racing Tier Two, win and have a shot at being the New Zealand Super Saloon Champion. This Repocharge was full of incidents, the first when Osborne made contact with Edwards causing Edwards to spin then Osborne himself also spinning up along with Bodie Abrahamson of Auckland, all cars would continue on at the restart.

Next to get a dose of the spins was Marsden who was charging hard, Marsden went slightly off the black line that was appearing on track and looped up in turn three.

Cowling would have to defend challenges from two restarts but would eventually break the shackles and race off to take the second repocharge by over six seconds, Edwards settled for second with Osborne the big upset in third.

So roll on heat one, twenty laps of action in the Cando Fishing New Zealand Super Saloon Championship, the top twenty cars had been sorted, the national anthem was sung and a moment silence for the "Forever Champion" Peter Dickson were all done.

As the green flag dropped all cars managed to negotiate turns one and two, they powered off down the back straight at Beachlands and another clean corner ticked off but you could see cars starting to push, starting to nudge and try and unsettle the competition to grab a couple of places further up the field.

The first to go was Waddell who spins then came the concertina effect where Rodda, Ngatai, Bengston and Steve Flynn would all make contact, ultimately putting Ngatai onto the infield and putting paid to his title hopes.

Waddell was put to the back of the field as the race restarted, by this stage Chris Cowling was the pioneer working his way slightly wider than mid track and he was finding serious grip, Cowlings charge was short lived as Rodda and Steve Flynn would have a coming together in turn four putting Flynn out of the vent with damage, a gutting end to what looked to be a promising campaign for the Burger King car.

The race would restart and again Cowling went mid track and within a couple of laps had the race lead after battling multiple laps with Boulton.

Boulton could not contain Cowling, the former New Zealand Saloon Champ racing off to over the length of the straight lead beating Boulton home by over seven seconds on a track that he could barely handle one night earlier. Boulton took second place with Johnston impressive in third place.

All cars except Steve Flynn returned for heat two, a noticeable amount of duct tape was apparent on a number of cars with some very close wheel to wheel action in heat one.

Heat two didn't last long before we saw the first caution, Elliot made contact with McIntyre coming out of turn two, spinning McIntyre but both drivers being allowed to continue on. Chris Cowling who started from nineteenth in this heat was slowly working his way forward, again using a mid to high race line, but it was the second Cowling entry Steve Cowling who would sustain considerable damage and bring out the next caution. McIntyre looked for a gap up the inside of Cowling coming out of turn four but run up the left front wheel and over the bonnet of Cowlings car, McIntyre got put to the rear of the filed while Cowling would restart.

Waddell was the race leader at the restart but he slid in turn two opening the a gap that would see him go from first to third in one corner, Waddell would then spin the very next lap, struggling to find anything at all on offer as far as grip goes.

This wasn't an issue for Chris Cowling as he continued his charge through the pack, at this point getting up to sixth place, a handy bag of points to go with his earlier race win, and considering he had a row two start in heat three, this would have been a sizable points lead. Cowling however would also spin in turn two, being clipped in the process and dropping him well down the order, at this point you would suggest his title aspirations were also gone but he would fight back in heat two to grab thirteenth spot.

The win in heat two would go the way of Burson who had to fight hard for the win, Cardwell threatened at times but came under attack himself from Grant Flynn who was really starting to show some form. This win would see Burson in the box seat going into heat three, Burson had scored himself thirty three points to be leading, but would start mid pack in the final, Cardwell had thirty points while Boulton would also carry thirty points through.

Heading into the third and final heat and the word in the pits and with the fans was that this was Burson and Cardwell's title to lose. Both were buried back in the pack, Chris Cowling was an outside chance but had a handy starting spot, both Flynn and Strong were also in with a shot but would need some luck to go their way.

The atmosphere was intense, you could sense the excitement amongst drivers and spectators alike, who was going to earn the right to be called the New Zealand Super Saloon Champion and carry the number that Peter Dickson had worn so well?

Heat three would get underway and it took no time for Chris Cowling to make his way to the front of the pack, Cowling had done this the hard way, he had to come through the second repocharge, and suffering damage in heat two added to more pressure than what he would have wanted.

An early caution saw both Johnston and Rodda have a coming together in turn two, this would spell the end of Rodda's night while Johnston would continue on.

At the restart Cowling again would charge ahead, Sneddon did everything in his power to battle with Cowling while he just could not hold him back, down the field Cardwell was on the charge, picking up a couple of spots, all valuable points in the grand scheme of the title chase, a title his father Tony has claimed four times, three of those time right here at Beachlands Speedway.

Unfortunately for Burson he just could not buy a trick, the points leader was well buried at the rear of the field and the car just looked to have nothing to offer, the man that deserves the 1NZ on the door watching his title aspirations go up in smoke lap upon lap.

Cardwell also dropped a couple of spots late in this race, telling points that would tighten up the points chase, the title was anyone and Chris Cowling was well back in the hunt, at this point racing away to a five second lead over Sneddon.

Cowling would hold the lead to take a popular and well deserved race win, but was it enough to claim his maiden title?, Sneddon drove well to take second with Steve Cowling back in third.

Cars rolled off to be teched while final points were added and confirmed, Chris Cowling would get to stand on the top step of the podium for the first time at a New Zealand Super Saloon Championship, an emotional and heartfelt win, and a chance for Cowling to put the number one on the side of his car, just like his best friend Peter Dickson had done twice before.

Grant Flynn surprised many with a consistent night, Flynn went into the final heat fifth in points and was the big mover getting up to second overall, with Craig Cardwell retaining his 3NZ status fighting to the very end to grab that last spot on the podium.

There was scenes of elation on track as the place getters families and teams came out on track to celebrate, also on track to celebrate was Lucinda and Dakota Dickson, Peters wife and young daughter, there was certainly a feeling in the air of celebration across Beachlands Speedway.

Tier Two Super Saloons were also entertaining as it featured some big names that failed to qualify for the Tier one championship.

Race one was full of action with Marsden having to take drastic action in turn three to avoid a spinning Lovelady, both cars making contact but Marsden parking up infield.

This race would be won by Edwards, Osborne second and Pitcher third.

Heat two, and race one winner Edwards would be the cause of the only caution when he lost a wheel going into turn two, Joe Ingram of Palmerston North would take a win, getting off the line cleanly and remaining unchallenged for the entire heat, Lawson was awarded second with Abrahamson third.

Heat three and Belk of Australia would be the first to spin on turn two of lap one, this caused a decent tangle up with Abrahamson and Verity that took some time to unfold. All three cars would restart the race but Belk would also spin down the back straight later in the race causing the yellows to come on once more.

Out front and taking the race win was Osborne who finally got to the front after a challenging weekend, Pitcher was again consistent in second with Verity getting himself up to third.

This meeting was also the final round of the Pits Media Challenge and the Friday night saw Youth Saloons hit the track. Dunedin's Max Kemp had a six point buffer over Riverside's Joshua Richardson going into the final, and Richardson drove well in the first two heats to claw the lead back somewhat. Up front though it was Jayden Cron of Beachland's who was dominant all night, the young driver taking all three race wins in a brilliant performance that would now see him right in the points mix for the overall championship.

At the end of the nights proceedings it was Cron and Kemp who were tied first equal, and Kemp gave Cron the overall win, a great show of sportsmanship within the grade. Richardson would claim third overall.

Youth Ministocks would also race for the Pits Media Challenge on the Saturday of the event, early favorite Clay Dawson of Cromwell spun in turn two of race one and got hit putting him out for the event.

Trent Ainsley of Cromwell, much like Cron the night before dominated the grade, the young driver winning all three races in front of a big crowd, but overall it would be Ashdyn "Smash" Gable that would take home the Pits Media Challenge trophy, great reward for a solid season to date. Dylan Jones of Cromwell would be second overall with his clubmate Zak Phillips third.

The Otago Production Saloon Championship was contested on the Friday night over three heats and produced some great racing, heat one would go the way of Beachlands Liam Gilles with Tyler Kelk second and Aaron Brookland third, both of Dunedin. Race two and Brookland took the top spot before finishing infield in race three, Sam Martin of Blenheim would get home second with Kelk third.

The final race was intense with Martin and Gillies changing positions on a number of occasions, but in the end it was Gilles who would get across the line first, Martin second with Kelk third.

Overall the Otago Championship went the way of Gilles with Kelk second and Martin third.

In other support classes on the Friday night we saw Streetstocks, race wins went the way of Adam Stewart who also suffered a spectacular roll over in heat three, while Ben Jenkins and Jareb Verdoner all of Dunedin banks race wins.

Streetstocks also entertained Saturday night, winners this time around were Scott Ashton and Braden Adams of Dunedin, and Jenkins.

Jayden Fraser of Riverside Speedway was simply too fast in Modified Sprints with the young driver taking the race win on all three races on a smooth track that favored the Modified Sprints. Fraser was challenged on a couple of occasions by Glen Johnston of Dunedin but was simply too fast.

The final grade to run in support of the New Zealand Super Saloons was Stockcars, Paul Simon of Dunedin would take out heat one while clubmate Liam Squire would bag a win in race two.

Race three for Stockcars would be one to remember for Savannah Simon who took her first ever race win after seven seasons of competition, Simon looked competitive all night and capped off a great weekends racing with a solid win. [yith_wc_productslider id=11338]

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