MOTORSPORT - Midgets set the pace for Thornley

New Whangarei Saloon and Stockcar Club captain Paul Thornley is a fan of all forms of speedway but at the moment TQ midgets are front and centre.
Thornley was instrumental in adding a TQ Series to this year's club programme after spending so much time travelling down to Western Springs in Auckland to compete last season.
"This year we've got a local business, Top Notch Concrete, to put some money up to sponsor an event and that gives some incentive for the Auckland drivers to come up here and compete," he said.
The TQs made a late appearance up here last season when their racing finished in Auckland. But this year the Whangarei club has organised a three-date series at their Port Rd track, with points going toward an overall winner.
The first day's racing on Saturday drew seven Auckland drivers, with Thornley and Juanita Clark taking the total to nine - making it the biggest field of the day at the Radio Hauraki Speedway.
Ironically, the other Northland TQ driver, Anton Johnson, blew up a motor at Western Springs the previous weekend and couldn't compete on Saturday.
With his new position in the club, Thornley won't be competing in Auckland much this year.
"You don't really get enough track time racing down at Western Springs, so the idea of a Whangarei series was for the slower grade of TQs to get some more track time and give the middle range of drivers a chance to win something for once."
Thornley got into speedway by racing saloons and hadn't given any thought to driving TQs - small 300kg carts powered by unusually large motorbike engines that rocket around the speedway track - until a friend offered to swap.
"He drove my saloon and I drove his TQ and I kind of caught the bug.
"I've been doing it for two seasons and it's been a lot of fun."
Like most forms of motorsport, how fast your ride goes directly relates to how much you want to spend.
"It depends on how big your pockets are ... I've got a young family so I'm just doing this as a bit of fun," he said.
For the record, he finished fifth overall.
The class was won by Auckland's Ryan Baker, with Karl Linklater second and Steve Smith third.
Shane Hick won the super saloon class, with Keith Wilson the overall winner of the limited saloon class. Racing was tight in the production saloon class with three drivers, Rex Roycroft, Ross Hunter and Kyle Simpson, ending the day in joint first place.
Chloe Blacklock won the ladies' production class while Kaikohe drivers Peter Cortesi and Miles Greenwood finished the day equal top of the C grade production class.