Image: Graham Hughes (Sportsweb Photography)
A dramatic qualifying night at the 2026 Superstock Teams Championship entertained a capacity crowd at Palmerston North’s Robertson Prestige International Speedway.
Disappointingly, the most anticipated race of the evening between the Canterbury Glen Eagles and the Auckland Allstars fizzled out into a one-sided victory for the three-time defending champion Glen Eagles.
But the rest of the evening was full of drama with some quality races going down to the wire.
The Glen Eagles won their group easily and will face the Gisborne Giants in the first major semifinal, with the Stratford Scrappers and Rotorua Rebels set to showdown in the second major semifinal.
In the minor semifinals, the Palmerston North Panthers will face the Wanganui Warriors, and the Baypark Busters will race against the Great Britain Lions.
Group A
Palmerston North Panthers vs Gisborne Giants
The action commenced with the most successful team in the event’s history, the Palmerston North Panthers, facing up against the Peter Rees-less Gisborne Giants, still in search of their first Teams Championship victory.
The Panthers’ Trent James made an early break from the start of the race, but after just over a lap he was quickly blocked, allowing Asher Rees and Josh Prentice to slot into first and second.
With the educated blocking of Ethan Rees, the Giants were hardly troubled. Asher Rees and Prentice clinically completed the remaining laps and secured 140 points for the Giants. The Panthers filled out the rest of the minor placings, resulting in a haul of only 55 points.
Gisborne Giants vs Wellington Wildcats
The Giants totally dominated their second race against the Wellington Wildcats, who started the race with their two borrowed Nelsonians and both Levien’s.
Brad McGee quickly gained the lead for the Giants, and once again Ethan Rees was in top form with his blocking. The Wildcats were decimated and Keegan Levien, in second, was their sole point scorer.
With McGee’s victory and a handful of minor placings, the Giants scored 155 points. Their combined haul of 295 points after two heats, and only minor placings to both of their opponents, saw them qualify for the major semifinals after just the fifth teams race of the evening, before the Hawkeyes, Allstars and Rebels had even raced once!
Palmerston North Panthers vs Wellington Wildcats
With both teams aware that they were unable to make the major semifinals, the final race in Group A was effectively only to determine who progressed to the second tier.
After a closely fought race, Wellington’s Tim Parker had the white flag beckoning, but was spun, allowing the Panthers’ Rebecca Barr and Scott Williams to pinch first and second place.
The consolation victory resulted in the Panthers finishing in second place and qualifying for the tier two semifinals.
Group B
Stratford Scrappers vs Great Britain Lions
Having been unbeaten at the Teams Championship last season, the Stratford Scrappers opened their evening against the only overseas-based team, the Great Britain Lions. A close encounter played out with Stratford’s Matthew Picard and the Lions’ Charlie Sworder taking up the charge for their teams.
Picard held the early lead until Sworder temporarily took over midway through the race before a quality block job from Brodie James allowed Picard to regain first place.
With just a few seconds between the pair as the white flag fell, Picard was able to hold his nerve and outpace Sworder to the chequered flag. The Lions scooped the majority of the minor placings.
Great Britain Lions vs Hawkes Bay Hawkeyes
Dylan Ashton took the entertaining Charlie Sworder to the wall early in the second race in the group. It was a huge hit, damaging the fencepost and leaving Sworder sore after the impact. A red light saw Sworder removed from the race. Ashton was successfully able to detangle himself and continue.
The Lions’ hopes took a further hit when the experienced Frankie Wainman Jnr was pinged for moving under red lights without the approvals of the officials.
Brett Loveridge took the lead and with a two car advantage for the Hawkeyes, it looked all over for the Lions. But incredibly, Frankie Wainman Jnr Jnr blocked Loveridge, pushing and spinning him to the infield, and Karl Hawkins took the lead for the Lions.
Untouched on the final lap, Hawkins took the chequered flag, with the Hawkeyes finishing in second to fifth placings.
With just 100 points for the race win, it took the Lions to 185 points in total. However, with the Hawkeyes banking 95 points for all of the minor placings, and the Scrappers winning the first race of the group, it effectively eliminated the Lions.
Stratford Scrappers vs Hawkes Bay Hawkeyes
Effectively a winner-takes-all scenario was presented to both the Scrappers and Hawkeyes in the final race. The lead changed multiple times early in the race, the Hawkeyes’ Regan O’Brien putting in a solid performance in a running role.
However, the Scrappers’ Matthew Picard and Blair Uhlenberg put in a series of quality blocks on the veteran Hawkeye, leaving O’Brien’s car prone on the back straight wall as the race ended. O’Brien was unable to finish the race, and it left the Hawkeyes with no other front runners.
Brodie James, Tyler James, and Picard finished in the top three and ensured that the Scrappers comfortably qualified top of the group. Meanwhile, the poor showing in the final race for the Hawkeyes saw them unable to dislodge the Lions for even a tier two semifinal.
Group C
Baypark Busters vs Manawatu Mustangs
Sensationally, the first major surprise of the Teams Championship occurred when the Manawatu Mustangs upset the more favoured Baypark Busters. Or so we thought, until several hours later!
Todd Hemingway shot out to an early lead for the Busters but with the Mustangs’ blockcars in play, the experienced Ron Tye took over in first place.
Elias Dykstra damaged his car by taking a shot at a Mustangs blocker and Brendon Tye successfully immobilized the Busters’ Dylan Towler. Tyler Walker nearly accounted for Hemingway, when the Buster rode over the bonnet of Walker, but he was able to continue.
With Hemingway and Dan Pollock both continuing to run for the Busters, Ron Tye had few Buster blockers to contend with. He took the white flag and had no issue completing the final lap to secure first place.
However, a late two spot relegation against Tye pushed him back to third place and promoted Pollock and Hemingway to first and second. A 140 point haul for the Busters therefore put them back in contention.
Manawatu Mustangs vs Rotorua Rebels
Running in the top three for almost the entirety of the race, the Rotorua Rebels dominated in their first race of the night against the Manawatu Mustangs.
The Mustangs were eventually able to dispose of the entertaining Dion Henderson, but Brent Stewart and AJ Axtens retained their composure to finish in first and second place.
After the race, Stewart was relegated two places, but it was not costly for the Rebels with Axtens promoted to first place, and they eventually finished with a 135 point haul.
Baypark Busters vs Rotorua Rebels
The showdown between the Bay of Plenty rivals saw Luke Alderdice hit the lead early.
AJ Axtens took the speedy Todd Hemingway to the wall, bringing on the red lights and eliminating Hemingway. Axtens was then involved in another stoppage, charging into the veteran Kerry Remnant. His wheels dug into the turn three pole line and saw him roll over, land on his wheels, and continue.
Alderdice continued to lead and took the white flag. With three Rebels blockers to navigate, he rounded the first two before being tagged in the final corner.
Alderdice was unable to quickly refire, and it allowed Brent Stewart to make a pass at the vital moment to secure victory, and a major semifinal spot, for the Rotorua Rebels. The Busters, meanwhile, had to settle for a tier two semifinal.
Group D
Canterbury Glen Eagles vs Wanganui Warriors
A disastrous start for Teams Champs rookie and newly crowned Superstock 1NZ, Brad Uhlenberg, saw the Warriors reduced to three cars after the first few seconds of the race. Uhlenberg was ushered to the wall by Harley Robb, and Jayden Ward surgically pushed the Warrior into the turn two fence post, leading to the first red light stoppage of the evening.
Robb assumed the lead position with the Glen Eagles demonstrating their class, successfully shepherding their front runner to the chequered flag. Jay “Huggies” Holtham’s wheel was dislodged in his attempt to slow down the Warrior’s lead car, Hayden Hart, but the outcome of the race was all but determined by then.
Hart finished in second place, followed by the Glen Eagles’ Scott Tennant. Zane Dykstra finished in fourth, ahead of Ward, resulting in a 135-60 scoreline in favour of the Glen Eagles.
Wanganui Warriors vs Auckland Allstars
It took until 9pm before the Auckland Allstars took to the track for their first race of the evening. The Warriors perhaps surprisingly left out both Zane Dykstra and Kaelin Mooney from their lineup.
An attritional race saw Cody McKee hit the lead early, but just as the Allstars were asserting their dominance, Jamie Fergusson was rolled by the Warriors’ Ryan Marshall.
On the restart, McKee failed to cleanly refire, with Gary Lonergan taking over in the lead. He showed huge courage, moving around the outside of the Warriors blockers on several occasions.
A huge hit from Hayden “Lofty” Hart on Randal Tarrant also had major ramifications for the Aucklanders.
Lonergan successfully picked up the chequered flag, but he was the only Allstar to score points. McKee crossed the finish line in fifth place but was disqualified. The 100-95 scoreline left the Aucklanders with plenty to do in their final race of the night.
Canterbury Glen Eagles vs Auckland Allstars
And so, here it was. THE rematch. A winner takes all, in effect, to qualify for the semifinals. For twelve months this encounter had been hugely anticipated by fans and drivers alike.
It did not bode well for the Auckland Allstars that their previous race against the Wanganui Warriors had been a brutal race, and that they had less than an hour to prepare their cars.
Cody McKee limped out of the gate, taking an age to reach the track. The Allstars looked battered before the green flag even dropped.
It proved to be something of an anticlimax. The Glen Eagles assumed the front positions early in the race and they never looked troubled.
McKee was left facing the wrong way in turn three, and eventually the red lights came on to move his car to the infield. At the same moment, Jamie Fergusson was unable to continue, and it came down to just two remaining Allstars.
Despite the efforts of Gary Lonergan and Codi Chatfield, they were no match for the Glen Eagles. The attacks from Jayden Ward and Darrell Wallace were effective and clinical, and allowed James Thian and Scott Tennant to race home in first and second place.
Scoring just 45 points, the Allstars even failed to make the tier two semifinals, with the Warriors taking second place in the group.
For now, at least, the score is settled truly in the Glen Eagles’ favour.