Auckland racer Gary Lonergan is proving to be the driver to beat in major stockcar events this summer.
Lonergan earned a convincing victory in the North Island Stockcar Championship at Baypark Speedway on Saturday, adding to an early-season win at the New Zealand Grand Prix and third placing at the recent New Zealand Championship.
Lonergan was the pacesetter throughout the two-night meeting with his pit crew keeping his 3NZ racer running trouble-free at a meeting that had very short turnaround times between races.
He started his campaign with an unbeaten run through his three qualifying heats and continued with a victory from grid 10 in the first of the 30-car championship finals.
He strengthened his position with impressive moves through the traffic from grid 25 to second place, chasing home Wanganui's Trevor Greig in the second final to hold a six-point advantage over Greig heading into the final race.