Veteran Hawke's Bay super saloon class driver Grahame Strong is having a season to remember for a bloke racing a borrowed car.

"I've already won six trophies this season. Everything going to plan I would like to have 10 by the end of the season which would be pretty good from 14 meetings," Strong said in the countdown to Saturday night's 22-car North Island championship at Meeanee.

The 54-year-old second generation Hawke's Bay Speedway Club life member is racing brother-in-law Johnny Browne's car this season. He has been racing Super Saloons since 1993 but has never won the North Island title.

"I've been third and fourth before. In recent years I've been aiming for second place but now I want to win it," Strong (pictured above, photo John Faulkner) explained.

With his company, Onekawa Metal Recyclers, sponsoring the championship Strong has an extra incentive to capture the biggest slice of the prizemoney after the 25-lap winner-takes-all final.

He was more than happy with his second placing in the Hawke's Bay championship at Meeanee on February 27, his last meeting. With one round remaining in the DVS Super Saloon Challenge in Auckland on May 1 Strong holds a one point lead.

He has won two of the rounds including the previous one in Auckland. He attributed his success to the tremendous support he receives from Brown and the rest of his support crew.

"I've got my original support crew from when I used to race streetstocks in the mid 1980s," Strong recalled.  

Two-time national champion Steve Flynn will start the championship as the favourite. Earlier this season he won the Taranaki, Wellington and Hawke's Bay titles. 

He has yet to win the North Island title. Brother, Grant Flynn, has decided to enter after originally entering son, Jakob Flynn, in his car. Darren Melling is the other Hawke's Bay-contracted driver entered.

Defending champion Sam Waddell of Mount Maunganui is no stranger to success at Meeanee. As much as the Hawke's Bay crowd would like to see a host track winner they wouldn't be too upset if Aucklander Lance Jennings won.

A three-time winner of the title, Jennings, the oldest entrant at 73, is in his 50th season of racing. Two of his titles have been won at Meeanee and he won it when it was last contested at Meeanee in 2013.

The 14-crew East Coast sidecar championship will be the other feature attraction. Fancied Hawke's Bay crews include Craig Boaler and swinger Ann Plummer and Justin Lincoln and George Olsen.

The Pam Gibson Memorial Cup will be up for grabs in the 17-strong streetstock class and the Tony McIntosh Memorial Cup will be chased in the superstock class. Stockcars will provide the other support class action.