Dan Corrin in action at Baypark in March. Photo / Stuart Whitaker
Dan Corrin in action at Baypark in March. Photo / Stuart Whitaker
Dan Corrin's outstanding season on the national speedway circuit will take some beating.
The 23-year-old saloon car driver, contracted to the Baypark Speedway Club, became just the second driver to claim all three major titles in one season after he won the NZ Saloon Car, the North Island and NZ Grand Prix titles.
He also picked up his first Bay of Plenty Championship title at Baypark in March.
It was no surprise then that his remarkable season was rewarded at the New Zealand Speedway awards evening in Wellington last weekend.
Corrin won the awards for the Speedway Poster of the Year and Saloon Competitor of the Year before accepting the major prize of Speedway NZ Sportsperson of the Year, regarded as the highest accolade for a driver to win in New Zealand Speedway.
"I was not so much expecting to win but I knew we had just had the best season we have ever had and out of everyone I was probably one of the best," Corrin said.
"But you never know with those awards, as they base it on a whole list of things like attitude as well that go into it.
"It was pretty cool to hear my name and to go up and get that [Sportsperson of the Year] one was pretty special."
Corrin will be off to Indiana, US, in two weeks to meet with a professional speedway team and get the opportunity to race against the best drivers in America.
Dan Corrin in action at Baypark in March. Photo / Stuart Whitaker
"I spent some weeks over there last year meeting people and basically getting to know everyone and now they want me back to work on a crew again," Corrin said.
"I will go back over there and learn some more and get some driving in."
Corrin is regarded by long time speedway fanatics as one of the most talented drivers to come through the New Zealand system for years.
A professional career may not be too far away for the Gisborne-raised driver.
"I would love to drive professionally and actually make a living off it - that is my ultimate goal.
"That is something you can't really do so much of here in New Zealand compared to the United States so I am leaning in that direction.
"I love what we have got going here in New Zealand speedway so my dream would be to race in the US in their season and race here in our season."
Next year, Corrin will move up a class to the more powerful and faster Super Saloons.
* Winner of: New Zealand Champs Gisborne; New Zealand Grand Prix, Meannee; North Island Champs, Waikaraka; Speedfest Best of the Best, Huntly; Bay Champs, Baypark, Tauranga; Waikato Champs, Huntly; Eastland Champs, Gisborne; Bruce Ellmers Memorial, Gisborne; Easter Champs, Rotorua; Saloon Teams, Huntly.
