Losing My Teams Champs Virginity

Andrew Andrew

• RACE REPORTS

Losing My Teams Champs Virginity

Palmerston North Speedway

Shuttleworth Motorsport Media

Photography by Daryl Shuttleworth

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.) There is an abbreviated saying all the young hipsters are saying these days, "FOMO" meaning Fear Of Missing Out, I think that's what I was suffering in recent years when I heard everybody in my circle of speedway friends talking about the New Zealand Superstock Teams Champs at Palmerston North Speedway ...,.... the so called holy grail, the event you don't want to miss, ........ seriously was it really that good?, If it is why am I missing out? So last season I bought tickets for my wife Orlana and myself to make the pilgrimage to Palmerston North to take it all in, to see what all the fuss was about, was this event the ultimate event just because a few people said so, then a few more repeated it because they wanted to be the cool kids? I mean I have in previous years bought the live stream and yeah, it was good but not spectacular, hence the reason we wanted to see this in the flesh. With all of this excitement we were all set, flights from Invercargill booked, rental car and accommodation sorted only to have Covid put a stop to our plans, and being unable to make the rescheduled dates it was no teams champs for us. Fast forward twelve months and we were again excited to be heading to this event, we spent the week prior doing a mini tour of the North Island, taking in Hamilton, Taupo and Napier before finally getting to Palmerston North where a large "Welcome Race Fans" banner welcomed us and gave us that bit of a buzz we were needing. Now being from Invercargill I haven't seen a decent field of Superstocks in years as I was in Phuket honeymooning when the Rees tour came South to Riverside. My last taste of Superstock action was as a spectator at the New Zealand Championship at Beachlands back in 2006/07 season, and I also haven't sat back and watched speedway as a spectator for around seven years, always having to commentate, so this was another aspect of this event I was looking forward to. So we are in Palmerston North, we pull the mighty Corolla rental car over on a street as the road ahead is closed due to an event, this just happened to be a show of cars outside the Speedway Garage. Mustangs, Panthers and Great Britain Lions teams just to name a few all displaying their cars proudly, selling merch and setting the scene for the next couple of days action. Being outside the Speedway Garage we thought it would be rude not to head inside and partake in a drink or two and have a look around. What a great venue with memorabilia placed around and the joint full of people with the same Speedway passion I have, it was that good we returned again the following morning, only this time they had live entertainment and very large dispensers of beer at a pretty reasonable price. Honestly I've never seen so much beer consumed prior to lunch time ........... you legends. So Saturday, we decide to head to the town square in Palmerston North for a look at scrutineering, it was a balmy 25 degrees and the first day we had seen sunshine on our North Island trip, we had spent four days avoiding floods and heavy rainfall. We had a bit of a poke around, checked out the teams, bought a race program so I could upskill myself on formats, drivers etc. At this point I still didn't know who i was going to back, being a South Islander the obvious choice was the Glen Eagles out of Canterbury, but for some reason, I don't know why, but I hold a soft spot for the Gisborne Giants, so I threw a lazy tenner on both teams at the T.A.B. and even grabbed a shirt of both teams to show my support. My wife backed Great Britain ..... why? ..... no idea, but they did seem like a crowd favorite. I was told prior to going that you back any team who is facing the Panthers ........ im guessing they are a bit like the Crusaders Rugby Team, that successful that everyone likes to see them beaten. (for the record I thought the Panthers were good ......... not as good as the Eagles, but ok) From here it was time to head to Palmerston North Speedway, I expected that I would have to park miles from the venue, not that that was an issue for an athlete like myself but just an expectation. I was wrong, I parked up a block from the arena, waltzed on in, got my bag search and we were here ....... finally I would experience teams in Palmy. Now inside we had a bit of a wander down pitlane, said "Gidday" to some drivers and worked our way around to where we would be seated in the main grandstand. You could feel the sense of excitement in the air, people were amped, dressed up in team colours, there to show their support for these modern day gladiators who were set to go to battle, it was tribal and i was fizzing at the bung! Our seats were great, about five rows from the action, I had been told "the grandstand is shit, don't sit there you see nothing", but it was honestly great, hey there may be better seats in the arena somewhere but these were awesome. Grand Parade rolled out on track and every team were shown the respect they deserved, even the Panthers. Large rigs led each team, supporters hanging from the back of them as the cars and drivers followed, this was really starting to set scene for what was all about to unfold in front of us. The first two teams came out on track, The Hawkeyes and The Busters, as they set off on their familiarization laps my wife said to me "shit they are quick", I responded with "yip, and they hit each other at that speed", now that's entertainment. Now I wont break it all down race by race, as this isn't my typical race report, this is about our experience and seeing what all the hype is about. As the races unfolded we were treated to some big hits, roll overs, destruction and some great racing thrown into the mix, it was fantastic, the crowd was screaming and yelling, the atmosphere was electric, I was starting to see why this event is so addictive to the thousands that turn up year in year out. We got through night one and I was pumped, I was like a kid on Christmas Eve, excited, I wouldn't shut up, talking to people they said "you haven't seen anything yet, wait until tomorrow when the finals are on, that's when the real action starts" ........ I found that hard to imagine, but they were right. Day two and the semi finalists were sorted, Kings, Eagles, Panthers and Giants, I was still alive and well in the T.A.B stakes. Weather was the big factor, my phone got a thrashing on multiple weather sites, all telling me that we had a bout a three or four hour window to get this event run. The Palmerston North Speedway crew made the decision to start racing early to try and avoid that wet weather that was coming in. Again the place was pumping, a live band, a very vocal crowd and some great racing on track, who could ask for anything more? Now its here that I must credit Bruce Robertson for putting this beast together, you Sir bring together an amazing weekend that really pumps some money back into Palmerston North businesses and community in doing so, I can see why the locals love this event, I am truly grateful to you. (ever need another commentator - im your man). So the semis, Eagles thumped the Kings while Panthers took apart the Giants, two insane battles that were a level above what we had seen the night prior, I was pumped for the final, could not wait, but either could the forecast rain, as big drops started to pelt down on the Palmerston North Speedway track. Teams chipped in, officials did everything they could in their power to bring the surface back as the Eagles and Panthers sat idle on the infield, but the rain would not go away, getting heavier as the night progressed, the inevitable then came through the sound system, it was Stu "The Love Muscle" Russell letting the fans know that the final would now be run on Monday at 2pm, and racing for the night was over. Yip, you would expect my heart to sink and disappointment to set in, as I would miss the final the following day as I was flying out of Wellington at noon, but I wasn't disappointed, or upset as I had just had the most fun I have had at a speedway event ever. I would love to have been there to watch the Eagles spank The Panthers but I watched the Facebook stream while waiting for a connecting flight at Christchurch airport, made my T.A.B account look healthy once more. Now I have been to International Rugby events, International League events, V8 Supercars, and too many rock concerts of international acts to even remember and no word of a lie, this event blew them out of the water as far as bang for buck goes. It was a spectacle, it was entertaining, adults and kids all showing so much passion for their chosen team and speedway racing in general. Families were there, every member of that family wearing a different team shirt, could you imagine the banter going on in those families over the weekend? So my fear of missing out is gone, I've taken it in and I loved it, and hell yes I will be back ....... hopefully next year, but I also seem to be developing FOMO for a certain World 240's event held in Rotorua each year, lets see where the budget stretches to. Thanks Palmy for a fantastic experience, my Palmerston North Superstock Teams Champs Virginity is gone, and I feel complete as a man. If there is one event you want to tick off speedway fans this seriously is that event. I have written this four days after I left the arena and im still buzzing, and in what has been a bloody tough couple of years for us all, that feeling is priceless.

ARE YOU READY TO MAKE A MOVE?

Your number one platform for dirt track racing. Purchase tickets, merchandise and watch your favourite videos right here, on Driven By Dirt.

Explore

Account

Support