Speedway: Bartholomew takes first roll honours

UNDER CONTROL: Fire crew make a dash to bail out Sam Bartholomew. PHOTO/Duncan Brown

Hawke's Bay superstock driver Sam Bartholomew had the honour of being the first driver to be rolled at Meeanee this season last night.

While it was ironic for a superstock driver to take this honour away from a stockcar driver, it was Bartholomew's second of the season as he rolled at Manawatu's Harrisville track a fortnight ago. Last night Bartholomew appeared to roll himself after hitting a couple of bumps near the pit gate in his first heat in a 14-strong class.

The action continued for the 3000 spectators when retired Hawkeye Murray Long put his former teammate, Steve Jude, into the wall on lap seven. Palmerston North's 2NZ Peter Bengston won the race from Hawke's Bay-based Palmy-contracted Shane Mellsop, who recorded a win in Palmy the previous night, and Hawke's Bay's Thomas Stanaway.

Long's son and Hawke's Bay Magpies rugby prop Jason Long raced the second heat and finished fourth. Bengston won the heat again from Stanaway and another Bay driver, Quinn Ryan.

Before the meeting there was plenty of interest in how former motocross rider Matt Goodgame would go in his first meeting in his boss Mark Alexander's TQ. In his first heat Goodgame hit the fence and rolled on lap six in the same spot as Bartholomew came to grief. One of the Bay's two-time national champions in the class, Craig Todd, won the heat from his vastly improved clubmate Kris Gillies and experienced Gisborne campaigner Ryan MacGregor.

Palmerston North's 2NZ Jayden Ward was the last driver out on to the track for the first stockcar heat as his crew worked frantically to finalise repairs after the previous night's meeting in Palmy. But this didn't stop Ward from winning the 19-car race from the Bay's Jason Penn and Randal Tarrant.

Ward also won the second heat which saw more action than the first. His clubmate Scott Penn put Hawke's Bay veteran Tony Palmer up the wall on lap six on his way to second place.

Jason Penn's nephew, Regan Penn, the Bay's top ministock driver last summer, continued his impressive form with wins in his first two heats in a 15-strong class.

Hawke's Bay's national Super Saloon champion Steve Flynn won his first two heats comfortably in a 10-strong class. Gisborne's David Moorcroft and the Auckland-contracted Kristin Vermeulen provided the toughest competition.