Motorsport: King of the track just 15 years old

He's not old enough to drink champagne and wasn't allowed to drive home afterwards - but 15-year-old Ben Finemore has rocked motorsport with an unexpected speedway win.

The Tauranga youth beat more experienced drivers to win the New Zealand title in speedway's fastest class at Baypark, despite driving the oldest and probably the heaviest car in the race.

The TAB listed Finemore as a 150-to-1 outsider for the NZ Sprint Car championship.

But in the 25-lap final, Finemore ran his green machine wide open on the high line like a seasoned sprint car master, not a rookie who only steered a V8 sprint car for the first time in October after graduating from the 1200cc youth mini-stock class.

Two seconds behind Finemore at the finish was eight-time national champion Allan Wakeling, of Auckland.

Finemore started from the outside of the front row and led from start to finish, with his fastest lap time 14.22s.

In third was Jamie McDonald, from Auckland, with a best of 14.41s.

Finemore also calmly handled the pressure of three restarts.

The win was achieved driving a 1998 Gambler imported second-hand from the United States.

The crowd - which had watched fearing the fairytale might come to an end at any moment - leapt to its feet as Finemore powered past the chequered flags.

"I just went for it. I told myself to keep going and hold my line," Finemore said afterwards.

"There was a lot of pressure. Especially with Allan right up there on the last restart.

"Two or three times I got a bit crossed up so I hit the brake for a moment and then powered back into it again."

But there was one disappointment.

"I couldn't do any doughnuts," Finemore said.

"As soon as I slowed down the engine started to blow smoke and the temperature shot to 240F.

"I think the engine might have let go. I'm very glad it wasn't 30 laps."

Wakeling, who won the first of his eight national titles in 1989 - the year Finemore was born - acknowledged that sprint car racing looks like becoming a young person's game. Third-placed McDonald is 22.

"It was the young guys dealing to the old fellas and I ended up the one in the middle," Wakeling said.

"At least I beat all the other old fellas."

Wakeling qualified third and ran near the front the whole distance but said the restart was his only chance to get past Finemore.

"I did a huge wheelstand when I moved the wing back too far and had to get out the throttle. That cost me 20m or 30m and I had to get defensive when I saw McDonald looming up there. Ben did a really good job. It's great for the sport."

McDonald was impressive moving through the field from grid 10 to claim third spot.

Finemore's biggest threat came from Aucklander Carl Wilson, who ran second until lap 18. Wilson was close to getting his nose in front when he half-spun and came to a halt.

"It broke the u-joint or the driveshaft," he said.

Pukekohe's Kerry Brocas finished fourth. But the night belonged to Finemore, whose achievement will be remembered for years to come.

- NZPA