Speedway: Just keep going Strong

Hawke's Bay's Grahame Strong, Mount Maunganui's Mark Osborne and Auckland's Lance Jennings with the spoils of success. Photo / Geoff Bicknell, Kiwi Motorsport Media

Hawke's Bay super saloon driver Grahame Strong may abandon plans to retire in December after earning the 2NZ stickers for his car at Meeanee on Saturday night.

"Everyone is telling me to delay those plans. They are encouraging me to try and get the 1NZ and then I will have had all three but that might take a while ... hopefully not as long as it took between the 3NZ and 2NZ," Strong said, referring to the fact he finished third at the 2006-07 nationals.

Last month Strong, 49, said he would retire in December as that is when he brings up 30 years of racing and it would be a good time to pull the pin. However with the form he displayed during the two-night Valvoline-sponsored 35-car nationals, Strong has every right to reconsider those plans.

He was the second-top qualifier in his group on Friday night by one point behind Nelson's then 3NZ Ian Burson.

On Saturday night Strong finished 10th from grid 19 in his first heat, fourth from grid nine in his second and second from grid three in his third. He had no idea he had made the podium as he assembled in the infield with the rest of the class for the presentations.

"I just did my best to try and win the race. I didn't worry about anything else ... this is better than awesome," Strong replied when told of his success.

If he was looking for inspiration to continue beyond December he didn't have to look far. On the other side of the podium was Auckland 67-year-old Lance Jennings, a veteran of 45 years of racing.

Jennings finished one point behind Strong and six behind the Mount Maunganui-contracted Mark Osborne, who won a third national title.

"I had to do that for the old man ... Dad has got cancer," an emotional Osborne told the crowd of 5000 afterwards.

Hawke's Bay's defending champion, Steve Flynn, had his hopes of a third national title dashed when his motor gave up on lap 13 of the 20-lap first heat. He had also qualified second in his group the previous night.

"That's racing. I had a lot of high hopes and was having a good run. The car was feeling awesome ... this is pretty sad," Flynn said before telling Osborne he wanted his title back next year.

Flynn's brother Grant finished fourth, one point behind Jennings. Bad luck also hit Hawke's Bay's Todd cousins, Duane and Craig, during the 26-car David Jones Motors New Zealand TQ Grand Prix, which was also staged over two nights.

Both had finished top of their respective groups during their four qualifying heats and this saw Duane off pole and fellow previous Grand Prix winner and two-time national champion Craig off grid two in the winner-takes-all, 20-lap final. However before the end of the first lap both had been forced to the infield with battery failure.

"I can't explain it. We put them on charge like we do all the time between two-night meetings but they didn't charge," Craig said afterwards.

Aucklander Lawrence Baker won his first Grand Prix title. Ryan Barry and 2NZ Hayden Guptill completed an Auckland trifecta, with Guptill pipping another Aucklander Jason Corbett on the last turn in a spectacular battle for the last podium berth.

The Tony McIntosh Memorial trophy was up for grabs in the 16-car superstock class but only the 12 host track drivers were eligible. It proved a Hawke's Bay Hawkeyes trifecta with Quinn Ryan finishing one point ahead of 2NZ Jason Long, who was one point clear of Tom Stanaway.

There was another Hawke's Bay trifecta in the 19-car Gold Cup Ministocks, with Regan Penn first, Jakob Flynn second and Ethan Dorward third. All are third-generation drivers.