Words: Daryl Shuttleworth
Billed as the USA Invasion, it stood out as one of the most anticipated events on the Powderworx Central Motor Speedway calendar, seven world-class American stars going head-to-head with New Zealand’s best across two explosive nights in the Hydraulink War of the Wings Series.
The event that was sponsored by Phantom Engineering attracted 33 Sprintcars, with current 2NZ Daniel Thomas of Kihikihi the top-ranked Kiwi.
Americans Joel Myers Jnr, Johnathon Allard and Brenham Crouch are no strangers to these shores, and they were joined by Mariah Ede, Bryan Murphy, Tanner Holmes and Kaleb Montgomery, who would arrive in New Zealand for the first time.
The brains trust behind this event have done a sensational job. Jason Scott and Peter Murphy organised this event, along with a tremendous effort from the Central Motor Speedway Committee. They even flew in American race commentator Gary Thomas to join regular commentator Daryl Shuttleworth, adding some real American versus Kiwi flavour to the event.
Friday night’s event was struck with a delayed start due to constant rain that was forecast to last about an hour, but fell for three. There was also near gale-force winds followed by baking sunshine, the sort of weather track crews just loathe, but credit to them, they produced a top-notch racing surface to run the heats on. Competitors were separated into three groups to race across four heats.
Zach Sokol of Cromwell got off to a flying start come Heat 1, the Cromwell driver getting himself into a position where he had some breathing room. However, this would soon be gone when Cromwell’s Joshua McIntyre veered to the infield with a fire in his car, bringing the field to a caution, bunching them back up behind Sokol.
Sokol had his work cut out for him at the restart, but rolled on to beat Crouch to the line, Holmes making for two Americans on the podium in third.
Allard was at his best in Heat 2, the former New Zealand Champion demolishing his rivals and sending a message that he wasn’t here to make up the numbers, but to stamp his authority on this series. Allard took the win by three seconds over Ruapuna’s Dyllan Forsey, while Steve Duff Jnr of Ruapuna was third.
A number of people had commented just how clean the racing was and how there were very few stoppages or cautions for incidents. This was the case throughout the next two heats, just good, fast, clean battles throughout the pack.
In Heat 3, Ruapuna’s Caleb Baughan battled hard with defending War Of The Wings Champion Connor Rangi of Nelson, just pipping him for the win. Thomas was third, a pleasing result considering this was his first ever meeting at Central Motor Speedway.
Montgomery showed the big crowd in attendance why he is so highly regarded back home in Heat 4, putting on a brilliant display at the front of the field to just beat compatriot Holmes in second, and a USA trifecta was completed by Myers Jnr in third.
With the heats complete, the top eight point scorers rolled into the infield to run a pole shuffle, where the two lowest on points race each other over two laps, the winner staying out and meeting the next car, and so on, up until they find a pole shuffle winner.
Baughan disposed of clubmate Matthew Leversedge in the first battle, but was soon sent packing in the next by Sokol.
Sokol, too, only lasted one more round, with Crouch starting to flaunt with the wall, looking very quick, coming out in fifth place, and trying to work his way forward.
Crouch then disposed of Thomas, followed by Montgomery, who suffered mechanical issues, meaning he was at least going to start third with two more cars to face.
Holmes was next up in the more favoured car, but Crouch accounted for him too, leaving just Allard to race for pole, and Crouch would continue his fast form, beating the top points scorer to take pole position.
Fourteen cars entered the B Main with just five spots available to run in the Feature.
This race was easily the most disruptive of the night, with multiple incidents, the first coming from a jumped start by Invercargill’s Jacob McIntyre, then a re-grid which led to a Turn 1 incident between Shanarrah Stronach of Cromwell and Baylee Clive of Ruapuna. Stronach would take no further part in this race.
Josh McIntyre and Ede came to grief on the next restart, the Speedway New Zealand officials really starting to lose their sense of humour with the stop-start nature of the race.
Proceedings finally took shape, and it was all on for the top five spots. Gus Dawson of Nelson, who, by now, had mastered his race starts, took off at pace and ensured he would not be challenged despite being reeled in by Jacob McIntyre late in the race.
Dawson took the win, with McIntyre second and Cromwell’s Finn Cleveland third. The two others to go to the feature were Riverside’s Adam Evans and Clive, who had done a remarkable job to come from the back of the pack.
The War Of The Wings Race Director also decided to add Ede to the A Main, citing the fact she was here from America and had suffered chassis damage in an early hot laps session. Now, driving a borrowed car, Ede was allowed to run the feature.
Twenty-one cars lined up for the feature; the night was late, the weather had been a mixed bag, and it was time to smash out twenty-five laps of action.
This would only last just two laps, as soon as the lights went green the arena turned into a dust bowl, vision was at zero and it was only a matter of time before someone would come unstuck.
Unfortunately for Rangi, it would be him at Turn 3, the defending champion spinning. Duff took abrasive action to avoid Rangi, as did McIntyre, but instead it was Murphy coming from well back to drill straight into these cars. He simply couldn’t see, sending his own car upside down, turning Rangi onto his side and bringing the race to an early finish after just two laps.
This took Rangi and Duff out for night two, suffering too much damage, while Murphy’s car, which was in a fairly bad state, would return.
Some fans were annoyed at the early call, but it was the right one at the time, and the last thing that was needed was more damaged cars not being back on track for the second night.
At the time the race was called Crouch was leading, Allard second and Holmes third.
There was another delayed start on Night 2, this time steady rain, which was not forecast, and made the track almost into slime. Wheel packing was done, and the track crew did a fantastic job once again. By race four, there was baking sunshine, and the water truck was needed. Again, a track crew’s nightmare.
Holmes and Montgomery battled hard at the front of the pack come Heat 1 of Night 2. Holmes looked very fast, but with just one lap to go struck a vibration which he wouldn’t gamble on, shutting his car down and retiring, giving Montgomery the race win ahead of Sokol and Forsey. Holmes wouldn’t be seen again until the B-Main, where he would have to start from the rear.
Allard and Thomas would put on a great show in Heat 2, battling hard at the front of the pack. Allard repeated his night one performance by grabbing the race win, Thomas coming home in second ahead of a fast finishing Leversedge.
The big crowd was basking in the sun and enjoying some very fast-paced action ahead of the third heat.
This race would see Jacob McIntyre upstage the pack, ‘The Mighty Silverback’ bringing the local fans to their feet by reeling in Cleveland, who looked to have run away with the race early.McIntyre grabbed victory late in proceedings, relegating Cleveland to second. Cromwell’s Josh Buchanan was third.
There was early contact between Cromwell’s Dean ‘The Thriller’ Miller and Ede in Heat 4, Miller’s car catapulting into the wall coming off Turn 2, leading to a wild wall ride. Amazingly, he recovered the car well to continue, but would later stop bringing out a caution mid-race.
Out front, the man who has won the most War Of The Wings Series, Ruapuna’s Jamie Duff, who put on a show, beating home Cromwell’s Mathew Anderson for the victory. Anderson banked second, ahead of Josh McIntyre, who drove an outstanding race to beat home Thomas, a remarkable feat considering McIntyre had only driven a Sprintcar a handful of times after stepping out of Youth Ministocks.
With the heats decided, the top six cars parked up infield. Each driver was given a sealed envelope, and then American track announcer Gary Thomas went past them one by one, asking if they wanted to swap envelopes with any other driver. Of course, the envelopes contained a starting spot for the Dash race to determine the front three rows of the A Main.
Forsey was the driver to take position one. He had his work cut out for him as he had to contend with Duff and Montgomery attacking him early, but he held on to claim pole position. Montgomery held onto second, with McIntyre sneering third from Duff.
Allard and Thomas had a coming together, putting Allard out of the dash.
That brought on the B Main, which, like the night prior, saw the top five cars advance.
This race was far cleaner than the night prior, just the one caution for a spinning Miller late in the race.
It was fitting that Jason Scott would dominate this race to book himself a spot in the feature of the meeting he had put together. Scott beat Cromwell clubmate James Robinson to the flag, with Riverside’s Harrison Brown third. Ruapuna’s Harry McIntyre and, remarkably, Holmes were the others to progress, the American getting up from last on the grid to steal the final spot in the feature.
The scene was now set, but Mother Nature thought she would turn up to take in the A Main. Steady rain fell, and the call was made to abandon the race introductions and just get the show on the road. To be fair, you would not have thought the track was as wet as it was; steady rain was falling, but the drivers drove the track conditions to perfection.
Holmes was working his way through the pack, while up front Montgomery had passed Forsey and was looking a contender. Duff and McIntyre were going toe to toe when, all of a sudden, the white flag came out, and the race looked as if it had gone Montgomery’s way with Duff second and McIntyre third.
The false finish saw Thomas hit the wall hard on the entry to Turn 1, sending him into a violent roll and bringing the race to a halt. Thomas walked away, but considerable damage was done. A tough battle awaits the former 1NZ, with this car scheduled to stay in the South until the New Zealand Sprintcar Championship next month.
Speedway New Zealand confirmed there was an error in laps, and the race would restart with fifteen laps still to run. There was confusion all around the arena, with some punters even leaving, thinking the event was over.
The cars gridded up for the restart, and the battle up front was intense. Duff and Montgomery looked like two heavyweight fighters going toe-to-toe, the latter slowly breaking away from Duff, who was now in another fight, trying to hold onto second with McIntyre all over him.
McIntyre eventually snuck past Duff and went after Montgomery, but the gap was too much, Montgomery sealing the deal and taking a popular feature win. McIntyre capped off an astounding drive with second, and Myers Jnr, who made a pass on Duff on the last lap to steal third.
A special mention must also go the way of Holmes, who drove from the back of the pack to grab fifth place, an outstanding meeting with some exceptional Sprintcar action over both nights.
Support classes over the two nights were Six Shooters on Friday and Saturday, and Lightning Sprints on the Saturday only.
Race winners over the two nights saw George Hedley of Cromwell secure two heat wins and a win in the feature to claim the weekend. Second overall was Riverside’s Kadin Cracknell, who took one win, and third was Cromwell’s Blair Smith with one win also. Mason Wheelan and Eli Bartley of Riverside also took wins over the weekend.
Invercargill’s Jaden Fraser took two wins in Lightning Sprints, while Ruapuna’s Brett Booth took the other.