Images: Suzy Walker Photography
The Beachlands Young Guns tightened their grip on the Shuttleworth Motorsport Media Production Teams Trophy with another commanding display at Powderworx Central Motor Speedway last weekend, which puts them in the box seat for a third straight title, with just one round left on home soil at Custom Signs Beachlands Speedway.
They arrived armed with a 47-point buffer over the resurgent Riverside Rats, who’ve finally dragged themselves off the foot of the table, while former powerhouse outfit the Central Otago Chargers lurked in third, eager to reignite past glories.
The Young Guns were forced to make two changes to what was a very successful line-up, with Josh Binnie and Ricki Pilley sitting the round out. Pilley would be a major blow as he has been the main points scorer for the Young Guns in previous rounds, but Nigel Lawson and Regan Constable would come into the team as more than suitable replacements.
The three-round series takes the teams to Riverside, Central Motor Speedway and Beachlands Speedway, with each stop playing a crucial role in the title fight.
Six-car squads go head-to-head in a trio of brutal 12-lap races at every round, where teamwork, strategy and survival are just as important as outright speed.
Before each meeting, and after the team had decided on their grids, each outfit draws a Joker, who scores double points for the round.
Lawson was picked as the Joker for Beachlands, Steven ‘Socks’ Nicholas for Central, and Brad Fitzgerald for Riverside.
Heat One exploded into life with fierce battles from the very first green flag, as all three teams stacked the front rows with their quickest drivers. The result? Evenly matched machinery, relentless side-by-side racing, and a field that fought tooth and nail from the leaders right back to the tailenders.
With Pilley sidelined, the responsibility fell squarely on the shoulders of rookie Noah Kitto, and the first-year adult racer grabbed it with both hands.
Fresh from an impressive Youth Saloon career, Kitto stunned the field with electric pace, carving through Cromwell’s sweeping turns three and four like a seasoned veteran and putting the Young Guns firmly on the front foot.
But the drama was only just beginning.
As the laps wound down, steam began pouring from Kitto’s machine, the temperature gauge screaming danger with just a couple to run. In teams racing, though, there’s one golden rule: finish at all costs.
Kitto never lifted. Foot welded to the throttle, he nursed the ailing car home to claim maximum points with a gutsy win.
Blake Hamilton charged through to take second for the Rats, while Nicholas crossed third for the Chargers, and, as the designated Joker, doubled his points haul to vault the Chargers past the Rats into second overall.
The Rats then suffered more bad news, which was that Dave McKenzie was out with mechanical issues, leaving them with only five cars able to score points.
The Rats could have scored better in this race with their Joker, Fitzgerald, but he was slapped with a two-spot relegation for contact on Charger Gavin Hurring, dropping him down from third to fifth.
The action continued in Heat 2, where an early caution for debris in Lap 4 gave the opportunity to refocus. On resumption, the racing was as fierce as ever.
On Lap 8, Hurring was sent up the wall with some help from Young Guns’ Olivia Glover. Glover was sent to the rear, while Hurring was unable to continue.
Just two laps later, Hurring was joined by Chargers’ teammate Shanon Fitzgibbon on the infield, his wheel coming off and sending him into the Turn 2 wall. This hurt the home team, who were two point-scorers down in a matter of laps.
Things then went from bad to worse for the Central Motor Speedway team, with Aven Erskine sent to the infield with a flat tyre.
As the race began to settle into rhythm, it was call-up driver Constable who stole the spotlight. Starting deep in the pack for the Young Guns, he tore through the field with blistering pace, slicing past rivals as if they were standing still.
The Young Gun eventually hit the front past teammate Kitto, who was again battling overheating issues, to take the win for his team, with Kitto surviving for second and Hamilton the first for the Rats home in third.
For Constable, it was a solid win, and will make him hard to overlook when the team is selected for Round 3 in Dunedin.
With Central losing half its squad in the race, a strong point-scoring round from the Rats could have moved them into second. It wasn’t to be, however, the team narrowing the gap, but not enough to get the go-ahead.
Heat 3 began with a hiss and a roar, with the caution coming out early as Lawson blew the motor in his car. It was a costly loss for the man carrying the Joker for the Young Guns.
The Chargers needed to bounce back from their Race 2 struggles, and they did just that through Nicholas, their Joker, taking a commanding win – with double points – to put his team back in the mix. Following him home was his teammate, Erskine, with Cam Bowster the first Young Gun home in third.
With two rounds in the books, the Young Guns head into the grand finale in complete control, banking a commanding 70-point advantage and sitting on 465 overall.
The Chargers have climbed into second on 395, while the Rats remain within striking distance on 363, still in the hunt, but needing something special in the final showdown.
Other classes running at this meeting were Youth Ministocks, where Cromwell’s Lucy Scott won overall ahead of clubmate Ryder Harris. Christchurch’s Jack Anderton was third.
Six Shooter honours went the way of Cromwell’s George Hedley, with Blair Smith of Cromwell second and Mason Whelan of Invercargill third.
Sprintcars went the way of Jacob McIntyre of Invercargill, who was dominant in the feature. Second was Josh Buchanan of Cromwell, with Jason Scott, also of Cromwell, third.