Rotorua driver captures HB Streetstock title
Hands up if you were surprised to see Rotorua's Shane Bracken win the Hawke's Bay streetstock championship at Meeanee on Saturday night.
You weren't alone. But Bracken, who took out the 14-car championship from the host track pair of runner-up Al Howatson and third placegetter Tim Towler, wasn't.
"Hawke's Bay is my second home. I have family here in the Bay and I know a lot of the boys," Bracken explained afterwards.
"Phil [McNamara, one of the Bay entrants] helped me out with a lot of work on my car to get it ready and he was happy to take some of my rivals out on the track too," Bracken said.
Going into the third and final heat Bracken had a one point lead over Towler. Howatson was two points behind Towler and another host track driver and multiple winner of the title, Brent Redington, was three points behind Howatson.
McNamara took Redington out in the final heat and Towler had his progress halted by clubmate Thomas McEwan. Towler had to settle for fifth place while Bracken went on to secure his second win for the night and finish the meeting with two wins and a second placing.
"I was one point off the podium at the nationals here last season so it was good to get the top spot tonight," Bracken said.
Hawke's Bay driver Hawke's Bay's Zayne Pullan did well to win two of the heats in the 21-strong stockcar class. Fellow host track driver, Gibson Tout, won the other.
Twelve superstock drivers, including three Palmerston North drivers, Nic Davey, Stephen Penn and Jake Baker, fronted. Heat one saw Hawke's Bay's Morgan Peach claim the victory in his recently acquired car.
Photos Le Prou Racing
Heat two saw Hawkeyes driver Quintin Butcher produced a polished rehearsal for this weekend's ENZED Teams Champs in Palmerston North with a win and 17.5511s lap time on the final lap. Davey claimed the win in heat three from grid four in his Rees-built car.
The mixed saloon class attracted eight saloon drivers and three super saloon drivers. Hawke's Bay-based Palmerston North-contracted Josh Smith won two of the heats. Fellow saloon driver, Steven Martin, won the other heat on the track but was relegated two places for an infringement. This gave the win for this heat to his brother and Hawke's Bay saloon class champion Kevin Martin.
The ministock class attracted 26 drivers, all from the host track, and Bailey Smith continued his hot form with two wins, just like his father Josh, and a fourth placing. Liam Danielsen won the other heat.
Rookie derby driver Hayden Wood won the action-packed 29-car demolition derby which ended the meeting. The first derby of the season lasted 18 minutes.
Wood, who drove a Toyota Corolla, is a workmate of former 1NZ superstock driver Randal Tarrant, himself a more than handy derby driver, so Wood would not have been short on advice.
