Blockers will try to stop the progress of opposition cars in a variety of ways, but contact is an integral part of teams racing. On the tight Oceanview track, there will be plenty of metal-crunching bumper action.
Six teams have entered - Bay Park Busters, Gisborne Giants, Hawke’s Bay Hawkeyes, Manawatu Mustangs, Palmerston North Panthers and Wanganui Warriors - and many of the country’s best drivers will be out to claim victory.
Each team will have two qualifying races, where points will be awarded to the first five finishers. After qualifying, the third and fourth-placed teams will race off in the Wanganui Exhaust Centre challenge and the top two will race for the title.
The calibre of cars and drivers entered is top-class. The Busters will be spearheaded by current 1NZ Todd Hemingway, while captain Elias Dykstra is a blocking powerhouse.
The Gisborne Giants are very strong, with the team built around three-time 1NZ Asher Rees and his brother Ethan, with an interesting addition to the Giants being Regan Penn, who won the NZ Superstock Grand Prix at Whanganui last season.
The Manawatu Mustangs will draw from the extensive experience of Jack Miers and Jordan Dare, the latter having his last superstock teams outing before taking a break from the sport.
The Palmerston North Panthers, the most successful outfit for many years, are a mix of experience and youth, with drivers such as Scott Joblin, William Humphries and up-and-comer Trent James to the fore.
The Hawke’s Bay Hawkeyes are in a rebuilding phase. They have imported Rotorua Rebel Brent Stewart, while veteran Paul Vazey, no stranger to Oceanview, retires after this meeting and would love to end his career with a win at Whanganui.
The Wanganui Warriors will be hugely motivated to put on a show in a rare appearance in front of their home crowd. Zane Dykstra captains the Warriors and is joined by regulars Kaelin Mooney, Gerry Linklater and Ryan Marshall.
They will team up with Matt Buckley and Scott Duncan, who slot in for the unavailable Dylan Marshall and Hayden Hart.
In a prelude to the event, former Warriors drivers and their teams have been invited to a get-together on Friday afternoon at the Charlie Berntsen Clubrooms at Oceanview Speedway, a fitting location given Berntsen captained the Warriors 50 seasons ago.
Without doubt, this will be the biggest meeting at Oceanview since the New Zealand Superstock Championships in 2019-20 and a big crowd is expected.
The public gates open at 2.30pm, the Grand Parade will be held at 4.30pm and racing starts in earnest at 5pm.
There is a strong support programme of superstocks, stockcars and youth ministocks, and the meeting will end with the Hessels Poultry Farm Dash for Cash, in which the winner will pocket $2000.
It is going to be a fantastic night to celebrate 50 years of the Wanganui Warriors - and if the local team can bring home a win, that would be the icing on the cake.
