Motorsport: Kiwi champion leads from start to take title

Michael Pickens. Photo / Supplied

New Zealand champion midget driver Michael Pickens had the large crowd on their feet yelling all the way around the last lap of the World 50 lap Championship at Western Springs.

Pickens held off the challenge of top Americans, Bryan Clausen and Kyle Larson to win the title by a car length to give him his fourth World 50 lap title.

Both Americans had broken the one lap track record in their time trials for grid positions in the feature race of the night.

From the outset of the race Pickens took an early lead and had the Americans right behind as they battled each other for the minor placings but there was no catching the flying Kiwi although they got close on the last lap.

There were five re-starts in the race when the field closed up but Pickens kept his nerve and the lead as he powered away for the title.

Zac Kennedy still dominates the Formula 2 Midgets as he took a heat win and second place before winning the feature race for the second meeting in a row.

The only real opposition comes from Ethan Dejong who took three second placings in the three races.

The Baker boys are still up there in the TQ Midgets as Scott won the fourth race and Ryan took a second and third in his races.

The man who impresses in the sprintcars is the American Jonathan Allard who is the current New Zealand Champion.

A third place in his first drive of the night, a second next time out and in the feature race of the night he was out front and pulling away for his fourth feature win of the season.

For some drivers it was such a good night.

In the second heat of the TQ midgets, Jared Taylor flipped in the air on the second lap, then spinned in the air crashed down on the track.

He was able to walk away from the crash. Later in the same race it was the turn of Kerry Binstead who went up in the air end over end three times before landing on his top.

He had to be helped from the car and was taken off in the ambulance.

The very next race was for sprintcars and on the last lap of the 10 laps Carl Wilson clipped the concrete wall and went over on his side.

He was able to walk away from the wreck and surprisingly was a starter in the sprintcar feature race and a finisher.