Twenty-two competitors from all over New Zealand battled each other over three heats when they contested the Kettle Handyman Service/ICS North Island Streetstock Championship at Stratford Speedway on Saturday night.
After three fast paced heats, Rotorua contracted but South Island based racer Steve Dryden who was racing a Mitsubishi, came out on top and won the championship.
On his way to victory he won the first race from grid one, placed sixth in race two from grid 12 and produced a brilliant drive in race three to finish seventh from grid 22. And then, after all that, he still had to take part in a four lap run off with another Rotorua competitor, Mike King, as the pair were tied on points.
Dryden started on pole position for the run off with King on the outside. The pair raced side by side for almost the entire duration before Dryden nudged King into the wall on the last lap to ensure that he crossed the line first.
Claiming the third spot on the podium was another Rotorua competitor, Chris Shingleton while John Young and Steve Reed were the best of the locals, at fourth equal.