Stratford Speedway: Pickens wins shortened New Zealand midget title

On the Signright NZ Midget Championship podium are third-placed Max Guilford (left), winner Michael Pickens, second-placed Brad Mose, and event sponsor Dylan Waite. Photo / James Selwyn Photography

Michael Pickens is often claimed to be one of, if not the best, midget-car driver that New Zealand has produced, and he proved that yet again at MG Taranaki Stratford Speedway when the Signright New Zealand Midget Championship was run.

The event was scheduled to be run on Friday and Saturday night at the speedway, with qualifying heats on Friday followed by more qualifying heats and culminating in a 30-lap one-race final on Saturday.

With forecast rain for Saturday, organisers made a surprise eleventh-hour decision to run the event over one night, the official call being made just a couple of hours before racing was set to begin.

This required a format change and rather than each driver competing in five qualifying heats and a B-main to find the 20 finalists and their grid positions, this was shortened to three heats each, the B-main and then the 30-lap final.

What ensued was a marathon meeting that took almost six hours to run and, although the support classes depleted in numbers throughout the night, the midget drivers put on a brilliant show with the top drivers producing great car speed once they sorted their setups and figured out the tricky Stratford oval.

Michael, by his own admission, didn’t have good car speed in the qualifying heats but he still managed to record first, second and third places to earn a row-two, grid-four start in the winner-takes-all final.

Midget finals can at times seem to take an eternity to run, but the calibre of drivers in this event ensured there were minimal cautions and the race was completed within 18 minutes.

Brad Mosen, who had been in perfect form all night, started the race in grid one after standout qualifying heats that resulted in two wins and a second place.

After leading the final for 25-five laps or so, he looked to be a sure winner. His car was hooked up, he was running the high line and picking up the left front wheel off the turns. Michael was behind Brad, running a different line, down low but still with great car speed and starting to threaten Mosen.

With just a couple of laps to go, Michael made a move when the pair came upon lapped traffic, they swapped positions a couple of times before Michael settled into a grove at the front of the pack on the last lap and crossed the finish line in first place ahead of Brad.

Michael’s win at this event is his 10th New Zealand Midget Championship win. He has now won the event the last three times it has been run at Stratford Speedway.

Midgets drive through the turn during one of the qualifying heats on Friday night. Photo / James Selwyn Photography

Max Guilford, who finished third the last time the New Zealand Midget Championship was run, finished third at this event too, confirming his position as a front-runner in the class and saving him a signwriting bill!

A field of over 20 adult ministocks raced for the Tool Hire Taranaki-Taranaki Champs on the same night.

After three close races, Whanganui driver Rhys White earned his place at the top of the podium, winning the event by a two-point margin from Stratford driver Cody Ogle. Another Stratford driver, Brayden Shaw, was third.

In the stockcar-class race for its Heritage Shield, Tyler Walker proved to be too hard to beat, winning the first race and then recording two fourth places to easily win by three points from Paul Johnson and Ryan Houghton.

The next race meeting at MG Taranaki Stratford Speedway is on April 15 and will feature the Under 23 Stockcar Champs and the Hydraulink Taranaki 26 and Under Superstock Champs.