Trent James (56V) will be one of the leading local chances in the Oceanview 5000. Photo / SB O'Hagan Photography
Trent James (56V) will be one of the leading local chances in the Oceanview 5000. Photo / SB O'Hagan Photography
After a seven-week hiatus because of Covid restrictions, the Whanganui speedway season will burst back into life on Sunday afternoon.
Youth ministock competitors from all over the North Island will converge on Fast Lane Spares Oceanview Family Speedway for the annual running of the Oceanview 5000.
Every Speedway New Zealand track in the North Island will be represented.
Qualifying heats will be held from 3pm to whittle down the 60 entrants in each of the age groups to finals fields of 26 cars and drivers.
Just qualifying for the final 26 in each of the 14-and-under and 16-and-under divisions will be an achievement, with the cream of New Zealand's up-and-coming speedway drivers entered.
Drivers in the U14 division have at best three years' experience racing in ministocks, which are open to competitors 12 years and over.
Drivers in the older category can have up to five years' experience but are not permitted to continue racing youth ministocks after their 17th birthday.
The concept of the ministock came about in the late 1990s when Whanganui superstock driver Daryl Taylor became concerned at falling competitor numbers because of the cost of competing in speedway.
He designed and built the first ministocks based around Nissan and Toyota 1200cc running gear.
Faced with much lower entry level costs, the likes of Dion Mooney, Francis Potaka, Blair Lockett and Gerry Linklater all became involved, later progressing to more advanced and expensive cars.
And when Speedway New Zealand approved the youth ministock class, the face of the sport changed forever.
Youth ministock racing is very much a family business, with much of the summer devoted to travelling around the country to racing events.
In recent seasons, many graduates from the youth ministocks have gone on to win New Zealand titles in a range of speedway classes, proving the youth class as a breeding ground for future champions.
The standard of presentation of cars and crews has improved exponentially in recent seasons, and many of the young drivers maintain their own cars and seek out sponsorship.
Accidents will happen, as Ethan Linklater (98V) and Devon Wilson (7V) discovered at a recent meeting, where only pride was hurt. Photo / SB O'Hagan Photography
The Wanganui Stockcar and Speedway Club has been delighted to welcome a number of new sponsors for tomorrow's racing.
The qualifying groups in the U14 section are sponsored by Ace Auto Dismantlers, Wanganui Exhaust Service Centre and Munchies Express, with the final 26 are sponsored by Phil Carey Concreting.
Sponsors for the U16 groups are F & M Trailer Rentals, OJ Andrews Engineering and Wal Contracting, with Tableau Towbars 21 sponsoring the final 26.
Drivers will accumulate points in each of their three qualifying heats, with the top 26 points scorers in each division going through to the three-race finals format from 6pm.
Superstocks and stockcars will support the youth ministocks and, for the first time in about 10 years, a full field of saloons will hit the Oceanview track.
Plenty of out-of-town superstocks and stockcars have entered.
Cromwell drivers Robert Mitchell and Jack Honeybone are including this meeting on a tour of the North Island and Kihikihi saloon car veteran Rossco Cresswell will finally get to race at Oceanview, the only Speedway NZ track in the country on which he has yet to compete.
Meanwhile, the Wanganui Vulcans Stockcar team will race the Meeanee Maulers and the Palmerston North Pumas in their two races at the Stockcar Teams Invasion at Palmerston North on Sunday night.
The team is Dion Mooney, Callum Sturzaker, Mark Johnston, Dennis Black and Blair Reeves-Smith, with Kaelin Mooney the reserve driver and team manager Gerry Linklater.
The Wanganui Warriors Superstock Team is also building towards the ENZED-Dewtec New Zealand Superstock Teams Champs in Palmerston North in three weeks.
The Warriors team of Elias Dykstra, Scott Duncan, Dylan Marshall, Max Holloway and Maddie Wise came fifth during their first appearance at last weekend's Huntly Teams Invitational.
An opening loss to Stratford Scrappers was followed by a win over the legendary Baypark Busters in the run-off for fifth and sixth in the eight-team field, with Marshall winning the race.
The speedway season may have hit a Covid speed bump in December, but it's a full-on race for the finish line now. The action begins at 3pm tomorrow.
