Identical twins and identical cars: Cody (21P) and Seth Hodge (12P) finished 1st and 2nd respectively in the West Coast Youth Ministocks at Oceanview on Saturday night. Photos / SB O'Hagan Photography
Identical twins and identical cars: Cody (21P) and Seth Hodge (12P) finished 1st and 2nd respectively in the West Coast Youth Ministocks at Oceanview on Saturday night. Photos / SB O'Hagan Photography
The 15-year-old twin brothers Seth and Cody Hodge are young men in a hurry.
On Saturday night, it was Cody who got one up on Seth as the twins finished first and second in the West Coast Youth Ministocks at Fast Lane Spares Oceanview Family Speedway.
With 33 drivers entered, organisers decided to run a four-heat format, where every driver would race and accrue points in three of the four heats.
Hawke's Bay driver Liam Danielsen (11B) took out the opening heat, but there were signs of what was to come as Cody (21P) and Seth Hodge (12P) followed Danielsen home.
Stratford driver Liam Whelan (32S) dominated Heat 2 until a late race stoppage when Dylan Madgwick (65W) and Josh Mulcahy (48P) collided.
From the restart, Bailey Smith (72B) powered past Whelan to take the win, with Kihikihi visitor Regan Tyler (25K) in third place.
Returning after sitting out the previous race, Seth Hodge took the win ahead of Tyler, who was in his third and final heat, and another Hawke's Bay youngster, Karlin Painter-Dudley (88B).
After three heats, Tyler held the points lead, but he had no way of adding to his total, and had to watch what would happen in the final race.
Cody Hodge started Heat 4 from pole position, and immediately jumped out to a lead he would not relinquish.
Seth Hodge started well back, but with every car he passed effectively worth a point, he had the opportunity to challenge his twin.
The race was marred by a collision on lap eight involving Danielson and Whelan.
Coming out of the second turn, Danielson's car jumped to the right, squeezing Whelan up the wall, almost rolling the 32S car.
Cody Hodge had built up a comfortable lead, but that was lost as the chasing pack closed up behind him.
However, Hodge nailed the restart, and took the race win ahead of Painter-Dudley, and Jesse Whelan (10S).
Seth Hodge made it up to seventh place, but ultimately passed one car too few.
When the points were tallied, Cody had the championship win over Seth, with Regan Tyler a point further back in third place.
The Minisprints returned to Oceanview for only the second time this season, and the 1NZ Shane Dewar showed the same form which had taken him to the New Zealand title the previous week at Stratford.
Dewar won all three Minisprint races, and was clearly the fastest car on the track.
The 1NZ Shane Dewar showed his class in the Minisprints.
Local driver Dylan Smith (53V) picked up a second and a third placing, as did Kurt Phillips (33S), but neither was a match for the man who in three consecutive seasons has been the 3NZ, 2NZ and now the New Zealand champion.
Sheridan O'Hara (9V) took out the opening Superstock race after getting some blocking and spinning practice with Palmerston North visitor Zane Dykstra (38P).
Zane Riddick (61S) took out the next two races, with Dykstra, O'Hara and Tony Zehnder (24S) sharing the minor placings.
In Stockcars, Mark Johnston (78V) won the opening race ahead of Blair Lockett (89V) and Francis Potaka (52V), but after it was Dion Mooney (6V) who dominated, taking out the next two races.
Mason James, driving Kaelin Mooney's 26V car, won the Grand Slam, with Lockett and Potaka again filling the minor placings.
Wins in the Production Saloons were shared by Brent Hackett (434V) with two, and Shayne Hughes (23V) – choosing again to drive his 20-year-old Honda CRX.
In the Adult Ministocks, Jemma Barnes (92V) had her best night of the season with two victories, after Jayden Barnaby (9V) had taken out the opening heat.
Meanwhile, at the Aotearoa Ladies Crown Stockcar event in Rotorua, which was run alongside the World 240 Superstock Championship, Hailey James (18V) was able to put behind her what has been a frustrating season so far.
Starting Saturday night in fifth position overall after Friday's opening three heats, James drove steadily all night and finished the event in second place – behind Stratford's Carol Podjursky and ahead of Greymouth driver Brittney Carpenter.
It was an excellent result for the young Whanganui driver, in her first full season in the Stockcar class.
And in the World 240's, Maddie Wise (136V) finished in 13th place overall in a field which included multiple time BRISCA F1 champion Frankie Wainman Jnr.
Wise will be ruing a DNF in Heat 2, which cost him a chance at the title, after a 12th place finish in Heat 1 from grid 19 and a sixth place finish in the final heat.
