SPEEDWAY: Father, son rev up for big night at the track

SHANE HURNDELL
Darrin Wilson's dream of a return of regular solo bike racing at Meeanee comes true on Monday night.
But there's a certain part of his dream which came awfully close to a nightmare on Thursday. The veteran Hawke's Bay rider and his 12-year-old son, Brad Dean, who also races, were mountainbike racing down a Te Mata Peak track when Dean clipped a rock and cart-wheeled over his handlebars and on to the ground.
"I was lucky to avoid running over him with my bike. I took him to hospital and he was lucky to come out of the accident with severe grazing and bruises to his arms and legs," said Wilson.
"I'm pretty sore but I'm confident I'll make it out on to the track on Monday night. I want to win one of those first, second or third placegetter trophies," a stiff-looking Dean told SportToday yesterday.
"We mountainbike regularly to keep fit for our motocross and solo bike racing. It wouldn't have been the same racing out at Meeanee for the first time on the new track without Brad," said Wilson.
His son will become a third-generation rider from their family to race at Meeanee. Wilson's father, Tony, and brother, Mike, who will have spectator and commentator roles respectively on Monday night, are former solo bike racers.
A Havelock North Intermediate School pupil, Dean has been solo bike racing for two seasons. Most of his racing to date has been done at Auckland's Rosebank track.
"It will be good to race the Aucklanders down here for a change," said Dean, who finished sixth in the Hawke's Bay Motorcycle Club's championships in the 8-12 years 85cc class.
He will be one of at least 12 riders in the junior section, while his father and Craig Ramsay will be the Bay's best hopes in a 12-strong senior field. While the Bay's top rider, Andy Bargh, will be out of the province competing on the national circuit, his uncle and five-time national champion, Manawatu's David Bargh, will be competing.
Each group will get five four-lap heats, and a final for the top two riders from each group will be raced over two laps.
"It's going to be great ... we haven't had solo bikes here on a regular basis since 1998," said Wilson, 41, who has been a speedway racer for 22 seasons.
"Wally Wheelspin" (Wilson's nickname) has led the push for a new solo bike circuit at Meeanee for several years and presented his proposal for the new circuit, which is in the middle of the existing track, to the Hawke's Bay Speedway Club committee r this year.
"Getting the committee to support it was the easy part ... everyone said yes. But building the track was the hard part ... it took seven days and seven nights," he said.
The first demolition derby of the season, which will involve at least 40 cars, will be the other feature attraction on Monday night. Stockcars, saloons, mini stocks, streetstocks, kiwi lites and sidechairs will also be in action.