Riverside Beats Rain For Youth Champs

Andrew Andrew

• RACE REPORTS

Riverside Beats Rain For Youth Champs

Riverside Speedway

Photography by Vanessa Adcock

Images supplied by: Christopher Scrimgour

Saturdays racing at Aotea Electric Riverside Speedway was nothing short of a massive gamble for the club, not only had the club lost a number of key figures to Covid and Christmas commitments, and a brand new untried track surface, but the rain pelted the track with 18mm of rain on the Friday night really putting this event in serious doubt.

A very committed track crew led by Callum Crockett spent hours rolling the flooded surface to produce a fantastic racing surface that many believed wouldn't need a drop of water over the days racing, hence why it was comical to see dust coming from the track mid event, and needing watered constantly throughout the meeting.The Southland Youth Saloon Championship was the feature of this meeting, the Speedway Superstars of the future doing battle to be crowned the champ. Riverside's Alex Crosbie went into the event as the red hot favorite but some upcoming Riverside clubmates and a few Dunedin drivers were determined to make it hard for Crosbie who has missed winning this championship on multiple occasions.

Heat one and Crosbie started mid pack and got down to business straight away, picking off a number of cars within the first lap to be challenging for the lead early, Crosbie was patient and within four laps held the race lead and built up a half lap buffer before taking the race win. Behind him some great battles were unfolding for the minor placings, Riverside's Joshua Richardson who has been this seasons big improver worked his way through the field to claim second ahead of fellow clubmate Kaden Cracknell in his first season in third.

Life would be a little easier for Crosbie in heat two, starting from the front. Richardson battle hard with Crosbie, the pair putting on a show with Richardson just in front, Richardson got caught behind lapped traffic allowing Crosbie to slip by, but this was short lived as Richardson managed to box Crosbie behind lapped cars to take the lead back.

This was only short lived though as Crosbie snuck down the inside of Richardson on the back straight taking the lead before a caution came out due to a solid crash in turn four where Cracknell made contact with Riverside's Holly Murdoch sending her car sideways with damage and out of the race.

At the restart off went Crosbie to bag another race win, and have one hand firmly on the Southland Championship Trophy. Richardson took his second podium for the day with second spot, while Dunedin's Deikin Borthwick drove well to take third.

Race three would settle the championship, Crosbie would start from well down the pack but once again found himself battling up front within the space of a lap. Richardson who was also in contention was caught behind a number of cars, and he just couldn't find a gap leaving him well down the field.

Crosbie would eventually grab the lead off Dunedin's Max Kemp who was also looking quick, but was no match for Crosbie.

Crosbie would grab his third win of the championship to finish three from three and securing the Southland Youth Saloon Championship. Second in race three was Kemp who got home just ahead of Caydan Race Of Riverside in third.

Overall results as mentioned were Crosbie first, Richardson second with Borthwick third overall.

The crowd was keen to see Stockcar Teams Racing back at Riverside and it was the Otago Outlaws who travelled South to take on the newly reformed Southland Spartans.

The Southland Spartans were made up of Shanan and Peter Knight, Adam Naber, Jesse Hamilton and Phil Johnson as a reserve, while the Outlaws were Nico Tuhura, Jesse Helm, Billy Greer, Rodney Andresand and Casey McEwan from Central Motor Speedway as a reserve.

As the teams lined up the fans were up to the catch fence in anticipation for what would turn out to be a great teams battle. Tuhura got the jump on Peter Knight on the front row and started to pull away to a nice handy lead.

Behind him it wasn't going as well for his Outlaw team mates as one by one they got targeted by the Spartans while Peter Knight stayed within touch of the leader, Shanan Knight, Naber and Hamilton were doing the business for the Spartans.

As the race unfolded Tuhura was running out of support to protect him, a couple of Spartans tried to take a swipe at Tuhura but he was simply to quick and out drove the challenges right up until Hamilton got up on his inside at turn two taking him out to the wall and pinning the race leader there.

This allowed Peter Knight to take over the lead and remain well protected by Shanan Knight to the flag taking a popular win for the Southland Spartans team.

Stockcars also ran three heat races as well and put on a great show across all three.

Race one saw McEwan from Central Motor Speedway get off the line cleanly and remain untouched to take a race win ahead of Shanan Knight in second and Peter Knight third, some great battles were happening just behind the leaders between Riverside drivers Luke Molloy and Luke Fallow who were like magnets the entire race.

Race two for Stockcars and a major upset was on the cards with a number of the front running cars either not finishing or being spun on multiple occasions. The one stoppage in race two was when Andresand put Riverside's Gary Mowat into the wall with a solid hit in turn two, both cars retired to the infield after this incident.

The big surprise came when Beachlands driver Zara Lee Tuhura who is fresh out of Youth Saloons found herself at the front of the field and driving towards her first race win in Stockcars at Riverside.

Zara Lee Tuhura drove like a seasoned veteran controlling the lead perfectly, driving well beyond her years, Tuhura took the popular race win ahead of clubmate Greer with McEwan up into third place.

Race three would round up the day, and saw another entertaining race across the field, plenty of spinning and cars being nudged infield or brushing with the wall, and just good hard fast action with a big pack of cars. Riverside's Kahu Moxham was the only casualty that bought out a red light, his car stopping late in the race.

Again McEwan was just too good for the field taking his second win of the day, Molloy took a well deserved second with Shanan Knight third.

A small field of Streetstocks would contest the Best Pairs Championship, just three teams entered.

Riverside veteran Steve Dryden would team up with Beachland's Rookie Regan Constable, as one team, Troy Dryden and Lance Yeo both of Riverside was team two with Jake Barr of Dunedin and Chris Kergozou of Riverside the third team entered.

Heat one was pretty straight forward, Steve Dryden got to the front and drove off to remain untouched taking the race win. Some good battles were shaping up throughout the pack however and by the time the checkered flag dropped it was Troy Dryden up to second with Constable third, giving team one good bag full of points.

Race two, much of the same, Steve Dryden to the front and cruising comfortably before a stoppage for a stranded Barr car bought out the red light. At the restart it was once again plain sailing for Dryden taking his second win of the event, Kergozou got up to second after not finishing heat one and Troy Dryden third.

Kergozou would throw everything at Steve Dryden in race three but to no avail. Dryden would prove to once again be just too fast for the field, remaining comfortably out in front while the rest of the pack would battle behind him. Kergozou was relatively comfortable in second while Troy Dryden and Constable would put on a show for third with Constable getting the spot to give him and Steve Dryden the Best Pairs Championship.

Six Shooters were the first grade to get a skid on the new Riverside surface and it was much to the liking of Central Motor Speedway's Jake Shearing who took the lead early and raced off to a handy lead. Behind Shearing was Riverside's Gavin Read who was trying to keep in touch with Shearing but found himself the meat in the sandwich as Shearings older Brother Luke started to pressure him for that second spot.

Luke Shearing would eventually slip past Read but couldn't wind in the lead his younger sibling had built up, Jake Shearing taking the win from Luke Shearing second and Read third.

Race two and Luke Shearing would battle hard with Riverside driver Hayden Graves, the pair both challenging each other for the race lead lap after lap before Shearing broke the shackles and cleared off for the win, Graves was a solid second while Brian Ellison of Central Motor Speedway drove a smart race to claim third, having to defend that spot for a number of laps.

Luke Shearing was in fine form in race three also, this time having a good battle for the early race lead with Riverside driver Duane Cracknell. Central Motor Speedway's Samantha Sandford came unstuck in turn three hitting the wall with force bringing out a caution. Sandford would head infield with heavy damage to her car while the field got underway once more.

At the restart Luke Shearing was just too good, building a buffer that would see him take his second win of the day, Cracknell drove well for second just ahead of Ellison who was again third.

A good class of Production Saloons were entered for this meeting and produced some good wheel to wheel action across the three heats. Riverside Life Member Tony Jones took no time at all to get himself to the front of the pack in heat one and drive off to a solid win over a pack who were battling hard behind him.

Riverside's Jared Dawson and Blake Murdoch tried to stay within striking distance of Jones but would have to settle for second and third respectively.

Jones was off the front for race two and it was pretty much game over from the outset. Alistair Green put up a fairly hefty challenge but his car came to a grinding halt with just one lap to run, from the restart Jones was too quick taking his second race win of the day, Murdoch strong in second with Dave McKenzie of Riverside securing the best result of his short career in third.

Jones would start from the rear for race three and would have his work cut out for him if he was to maintain the perfect record. Up front it was Blake Hamilton of Riverside who built a solid lead and when Jones finally got to him it was too little too late, Hamilton snatching a well driven win, Jones happy to settle for second with Laura Heads of Riverside third.

The final grade to run was Saloons and they definitely entertained. George Phillips of Central Motor Speedway would start from the rear of the field as he was trying some new set ups on his new Stealth, Euan Shearing also of Central Motor Speedway would start half a lap down in his Hypermac Super Saloon, just doing some shakedown laps before some big meetings in the New Year.

Race one and Phillips took no time at all working his way from the rear and through the field and up to the front of the pack, Phillips would win this one comfortably from Riverside's Darren McLeod with Dunedin's Paul Carr looking fast in third.

Race two and much the same from Phillips, however he was made to work a bit harder with a good battle for a couple of laps with Riverside's Darcy Hewitt who is starting to look good after just a couple of meetings in the Saloon grade.

Phillips would eventually slip past with Hewitt holding onto second and Carr of Dunedin third. The surprise package of this race was McLeod who punched out the fastest lap of the race in a car that Don Black use to race in the eighties, times in the mid fourteen second bracket very respectable for the A9X Torana, and testament to McLeods driving.

Race three saw plenty of thrills and spills, Hewitt was starting to try and find a way through the field just clipping the back end of clubmate Jamie Black's car sending him into the wall, Phillips managed to miss the carnage but Carr and Lyndon Houliston of Central Motor Speedway didn't, all cars ending up with damage and a trip to the infield.

At the restart it was Phillips who cleared off but a second caution would come out when McLeod made contact with the wall in turn two taking him out of the race after showing some fast pace.

Phillips would cruise to victory ahead of Hewitt with Shearing bringing his Super Saloon home third.

Aotea Electric Riverside Speedway will return to action on December 28th with the annual ILT Fireworks Extravaganza.

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