Wicked action at speedway nationals

WHAT AN awesome night of racing. It was a night packed with action and plenty of hits.
Who would have thought that after two nights of racing the top three cars would be tied on points at the conclusion of the third heat, but that is exactly what happened.
Defending New Zealand champion, Gerry Linklater from Wanganui, Richard Gaskin (car 22 Wellington) and Alan McRobbie (car 10 Rotorua) were all tied on 76 points and a three way run off was required.
"The run off was one of the best I have seen, there was no contact between the cars, but the drivers gave it their all, with McRobbie and Linklater racing side by side on the final lap and McRobbie just pipping Linklater at the line," said Stratford Speedway President, Chris Hill.
More than 10,000 fans filled the show grounds during both nights of racing.
Thursday Practice
Around 60 cars took up the opportunity to have a practice for the New Zealand Stock Car Championships at the Radio Hauraki Stratford Speedway. Some were on the pace quickly while others seemed to struggle with the dry track conditions.
Earlier that day, before the competitors turned up, the stadium was a hive of activity. New lights were installed in the pits, a marquee was erected and signs put up, along with a multitude of other tasks.
"The highlight of the morning was seeing the TSB Bank Community Super Screen arrive and be installed on the club's new foundations.
It was three hours late, but was set up and tested before racing. The quality of the video was fantastic and it added another dimension to the championships," said Chris.
Friday Qualifying
Qualifying night took place in hot conditions, which caused the track to be very slick and dusty.
Around 170 of the entered cars turned up to entertain the large crowd.
"The first heats for each group were rather tame, but as the night progressed the action came harder and faster and by the third heats drivers had their targets as they tried to help club mates get through," said Chris.
There were three rollovers and several wallings.
Results
New Zealand Stock Car Championships
Alan McRobbie - Rotorua 1st, Gerry Linklater - Wanganui 2nd, Richard Gaskin - Wellington 3rd, Bill Keijzer - Rotorua 4th, Billy Neil - Auckland 5th and Tony Zehnder - Stratford 6th.
Energy Coast Championships
Steven McPherson - Rotorua 1st, Mike Ranger - Rotorua 2nd, Tony James - Wanganui 3rd, Grendon Beazley - Rotorua 4th, Shaun Stewart - Rotorua 5th and Alan Levien Wellington 6th.
Ministock Rumble
Jamie Larsen - Wellington 1st, Declan Roes - Palmerston North 2nd, Bede Anderson - Hawkes Bay 3rd, Justin Farrington - Palmerston North 4th, Kyle Taylor - Wellington 5th and Kyle Carter - Mt Maunganui 6th.