• Bay's national solo bike king will be hard to dethrone

Bay's national solo bike king will be hard to dethrone

Don't expect Hawke's Bay professional Bradley Wilson-Dean to relinquish his national and New Zealand Grand Prix solo bike titles in a hurry.


Wilson-Dean, 26, won all four of his races including the final for the top five qualifiers  on the way to winning the nine-rider Hawke's Bay championship at Meeanee last night. Fellow Meeanee-contracted riders, 11-time Auckland champion Nathan Murray and Jason McKay, completed the Hawke's Bay trifecta.


Karamu High School product Wilson-Dean will aim for a fifth consecutive national title in Christchurch on February 6 and fifth consecutive Grand Prix title in Invercargill on January 9. For the past five years Wilson-Dean has headed to the United Kingdom after these events.


"While I've had offers from teams over in the United Kingdom it's not looking likely in the immediate future becase of the Covid-19 pandemic which is bad in the United Kingdom and all around Europe," Wilson-Dean explained after last night's meeting.


"Hopefully I can get over there in time for world championship qualifying in May," Wilson-Dean said.



"Tonight's meeting was all about having fun ... I wasn't too bothered about the championship," the humble Wilson-Dean explained.


"It was awesome to have the Aucklanders here. Hopefully we put on a good show and the club will give us a few more meetings," he added.


Last night's feature attraction was round two in the Mufflers NZ Ltd Saloon Speedweek presented by Valvoline. It involved 19 drivers, none of whom are contracted to Meeanee.


Kihi Kihi's Chris Taylor (pictured below) produced a superb drive to take out the 20-lap feature by passing Auckland's 3NZ Tom Roberts on the final turn of the caution-free race. Invercargill's Graham Williamson was third and Auckland's Steve Williams fourth.


Taylor started from grid four, Roberts from grid two and Williamson from grid three while Williams came from grid eight. Cromwell's George Phillips did well to finish sixth from grid 16.


Williamson won heat one from grid one. The previous night's first round winner, Stratford's 1NZ Thomas Korff, won heat two from grid one and Palmerston North-contracted Ashley O'Dowd won heat three from grid one.


Stratford's Mark Hinton and Roberts were the respective winners of the Dash for Cash races.


Twelve crews competed in the Hawke's Bay sidecar championship. The Palmerston North-contracted Mike Zachan and Ben Franklin (pictured below) won the title.


Aucklanders Peter Adams and Jason Hira beat the host track crew of Craig Boaler and Ann Plummer in a run off for second.


Another host track crew of Justin Lincoln and George Olsen were on target for a podium finish before retiring with a mechanical issue in their final heat. 
      
Two teams races between the Meeanee Maulers and Palmerston North Pumas added spice to the action in the 43-strong stockcar class. Kyle Lampp secured the win for the Pumas in an action-packed first race.


The Pumas won the toss and opted for pole. Daniel Burmester secured the early lead for the visitors and remained there for the first eight laps. Mauler Gibson Tout produced the best hit of the race when he put Hamish McLeod up the wall on lap six.


While Mauler Cameron Swift did well to take Burmester out of the lead Lampp, who impressed with his cover blocking, was quick to grab the lead and the well deserved win.


Swift (pictured below) secured the win for the Maulers in the second race after Lampp failed to take him out.


Hawke's Bay's Zayne Pullen did well to win two of the heats in the stockcar class. Clubmate Brett Loveridge and Palmerston North'sKyle Rowe triumphed in the others.


Twenty five ministock drivers, including visitors from Palmerston North, Auckland and Whanganui fronted. Hawke's Bay's Erin McCann had her first win when she took out heat three.


Regular winner and fellow host track driver Bailey Smith won the other two heats. His first heat victory came after the race when on-track winner, clubmate Kara Flynn, was relegated two places for an infringement.