Rotorua Stockcar Club has released an updated finals list for this Friday’s World 240s, following the adverse weather that forced the cancellation of the second day of racing last weekend.
Several drivers have since withdrawn, opting to prioritise preparation for the New Zealand Superstock Teams Championship, scheduled just one week later.
Among the most notable omissions are the qualified Gisborne Giants, including three-time New Zealand Champion Asher Rees, recently crowned 2NZ and 2022/23 World 240s winner Ethan Rees, and reigning champion Josh Prentice.
While Grand Slam winner Peter Rees is no longer part of the Giants’ on-track squad, he has also withdrawn from the World 240s finals.
Hayden Hart, who pre-qualified for the finals by winning last season’s second-tier title, has also withdrawn as he turns his focus to teams racing with the Wanganui Warriors. Teammate Kaelin Mooney, however, is included on Tuesday’s provisional entry list.
New Zealand Champion Brad Uhlenberg, another member of the Warriors, is absent from the entry list. His grid positions have not yet been reallocated and are currently listed as TBC.
Stratford Scrapper Matthew Picard, the sole S-car to qualify for the finals, is the seventh and final qualified driver missing from Tuesday’s update.
With New Zealand’s two pre-qualifiers withdrawing, an additional finals berth has opened for Great Britain’s Jordan Falding.
The remaining spot will be decided via the repechage, with the top four finishers from Friday’s opening race advancing to the finals.
Those who benefit include Baypark duo Elias Dykstra and Ross Ashby, Meeanee’s Adam Groome, and Gisborne’s James Clark, who are all now finalists.
The biggest impact from the withdrawals is felt in the Blue Group, where the top three qualifiers- Asher Rees, Brad Uhlenberg, and Matthew Picard – do not feature on the updated entry list. Jayden Ward is the sole qualifier from the group still set to appear.
Despite finishing fifth in the group and being eligible for a finals berth, Keegan Levien does not appear in the lineup. With the Wellington Wildcats squad yet to be formally confirmed, Levien remains almost a certainty after featuring prominently for the team.
That opens the door for Ashby, who finished sixth in the group, to secure a finals place. Kyle Rowe, seventh in the group, could also feature and potentially take a berth in place of either Uhlenberg or Picard.
Groome, who finished eighth in the group, 21 points behind Rees, also moves into a finals berth.
Should Uhlenberg, Levien, and Rowe all not feature, the TBC position could instead be filled by ninth-placed 81V Max Holloway. Holloway is, however, confirmed for the Warriors, which could then see Palmerston North’s Rebecca Barr, who finished tenth, move into contention.
Should Barr also focus on teams racing, eleventh in the group was Auckland’s Brooke Clarkson.
UPDATE 30/1: Rotorua’s Robbie Mabey has since been announced in the final spot, with Uhlenberg, Levien, Rowe, Holloway, Barr and Clarkson not in attendance.
The situation is more straightforward in the Red Group, with Ethan Rees the sole withdrawal. That promotes his clubmate James Clark into a finals berth after finishing fifth in the group. Clark will be the only ‘G’ entry following the withdrawal of his four clubmates.
In the Yellow Group, Peter Rees’ withdrawal would have elevated Tim Ross into a finals berth. Ross, however, is also part of the Giants squad, with the position instead going to Baypark’s Elias Dykstra.
The repechage will open proceedings at 6.30pm this Friday, with Stockcars, Streetstocks, and Ministocks also on the programme. Teams racing, which had originally been scheduled, has now been removed.
The event will be live streamed by The Pits TV.
TBC: 1NZ Brad Uhlenberg/ 5W Keegan Levien/ 79P Kyle Rowe/ 81V Max Holloway/ 34P Rebecca Barr/ 221A Brooke Clarkson- whoever accepts first, in that order.