Images: Clare McMurdo
Southern Speedway fans love their high-horsepower dirt track action, so when the gates opened at Aotea Electric Riverside Speedway on Saturday for the B Mac Sheetmetal South Island Sprintcar Championship, it was no surprise to see a hearty crowd roll in to take in the spectacle.
Despite just ten cars being entered, and only nine actually turning up, the small field didn’t detract from the quality of the racing, which was hard, fast, and clean throughout the night.
Initially, it seemed unusual not to simply run two or three combined heats before a final.
Instead, the format saw three groups of three battle through two heats before contesting a 25-lap feature. The idea was to keep fewer cars on track during the heats, reduce the risk of damage, and ensure every competitor made the feature race.
It was a decision that ultimately proved to be the right one.
Whether it was the cost of travel or perhaps a bit of a divide within the grade, it’s hard to say, but those who didn’t enter the event were the ones who really missed out.
The atmosphere was relaxed, and the track crew did a superb job preparing the surface, producing a drivey track that created plenty of passing opportunities and was good enough to see the lap record fall during the heat races.
As Riverside’s Jacob McIntyre noted during prizegiving, it was great to see Riverside had “found the keys to the water truck”, a comment the club will no doubt take on board going forward.
Groups A & B were the first to take to the track, with local Joshua McIntyre starting off the front row and wasting no time establishing himself as a contender.
Just a year ago, McIntyre was racing a Toyota Corolla in the local Youth Saloon class. Now he finds himself taming a V8 methanol-breathing monster in front of friends, family and sponsors.
He dominated Josh Buchanan of Central Motor Speedway and Riverside clubmate Harrison Brown, taking the win by over six seconds and, in the process, claiming the crown as the fastest driver ever around Riverside Speedway, setting a lap record in a very impressive display.
Brown moved up to second, leaving Buchanan third. Pre-race favourite Jamie Duff of Ruapuna would only get up as far as fourth.
McIntyre would return to the track in the next heat race, this time groups A & C, which featured his older brother, Jacob “The Mighty Silverback” McIntyre. This would be a great battle in itself.
Josh would need to come from the rear of the field to challenge his brother Jacob. Grant Molloy initially led, holding point for the opening three laps, but once Josh McIntyre made his move, the lead quickly changed hands, with both Buchanan and Josh McIntyre slipping past as the race unfolded.
Up front, Jacob McIntyre was never seriously challenged and banked a straightforward win. Buchanan secured valuable points in second, while Joshua McIntyre completed the podium in third.
Things didn’t go to plan for Duff in his final heat in Groups B and C.
A clash with Molloy in turns three and four sent Duff spinning, ending his race on the spot. The incident meant that if he were to take part in the feature, he would have to start from the rear of the field, leaving his hopes of a fifth South Island Championship looking increasingly slim.
Before the spin, Duff had been leading comfortably. In his absence, Mathew Anderson of Central Motor Speedway inherited the lead and held off repeated challenges from Jacob McIntyre to claim the final heat of the championship. McIntyre finished second, with Brown again consistent in third.
Duff had also lapped quicker than the previous record during the race, but still couldn’t beat the new benchmark set earlier in the night by Joshua McIntyre.
This led to the 25-lap feature, with an all-McIntyre front row.
Joshua McIntyre felt he might be at a slight disadvantage heading into the feature, mentioning the track had “evolved a heap” since he last raced in heat two, meaning others would have a better feel for the surface late in the meeting.
It didn’t seem to trouble him much, though, as when the lights went out and the green flag flew it quickly turned into an all-McIntyre drag race down into turn one.
Picture the scenario: two brothers going head-to-head. The older sibling has a few seasons in the class, while the younger isn’t even a full year into it yet. There was no chance the older brother was giving an inch and handing over bragging rights, while the younger was just as determined to upstage him. It’s almost a surprise the pair didn’t climb all over each other in turn one and end up grounded for a month when they got home.
It was the elder McIntyre, Jacob, who took the early advantage, and he was on song, pulling away from his brother, Buchanan and Brown with ease.
Back in the pack, Duff had gone from last up to sixth within a lap, then fourth, and then, by lap seven, third and chasing down Joshua McIntyre.
By this stage, Jacob McIntyre was well into lapped traffic. He could not afford to be held up, and he managed to stay fairly smooth in all his passes.
Joshua McIntyre also made some decisive moves, but Duff had him in his crosshairs and by lap seventeen, Duff had slipped into second place, leaving just six laps to catch Jacob McIntyre to win.
The big crowd was anticipating something special: a South Island title for one of their local drivers, or an impressive last-to-first-place victory for Duff. Either way, they were starting to rise to their feet and the atmosphere was electric.
Duff attacked McIntyre on Lap 19, and a move brought a new race leader.
Duff had taken control and was not looking like slowing down.
Jacob McIntyre soon had Joshua McIntyre right on him, but contact between the two saw the younger brother fall back slightly.
Duff kept up his momentum, and by lap 24 it was all but over as he cruised home to an impressive win from the tail of the pack to claim his fifth South Island Sprintcar Championship.
Jacob McIntyre settled for second for the second year running, while Joshua McIntyre celebrated third in his first ever South Island title, an impressive result.
The results were not immediately confirmed, with a couple of incidents coming under the close scrutiny of Speedway New Zealand officials, one involving Duff and another Jacob McIntyre.
For a moment, it looked as though the podium could be turned on its head.
However, after a brief discussion with the drivers, the results were allowed to stand. The top three remained in their finishing positions and could celebrate in traditional fashion, drinking a Vodka Mudshake from a dirty shoe.
This event also played host to the Southland Six Shooter Championship, and provided some fantastic battles in the two heat, fifteen lap feature race format.
Central Motor Speedway’s George Hedley was simply too good in heat one.
Hedley was chased hard by local Kadin Cracknell, who has been a big improver in his first season of Six Shooter action, but Hedley would get the job done. Cracknell finishing just over a second behind in second, with Daniel McIntosh of Riverside third.
Cracknell would go one better in heat two, bagging a win which put him on the front row for the winner takes all feature.
Hedley ensured he finished equal on points by collecting second, with Duane Cracknell of Riverside third.
The feature was a brilliant fight in the early stages, with Hedley and Kadin Cracknell going toe to toe for several laps before Hedley’s experience shone through.
He was cool and calm and raced off to win himself the Southland Six Shooter Championship. Second went to Cracknell, with McIntosh home in third.
The Youth Saloons were also in action, contesting a series between Riverside and Beachlands Speedway. Race wins were shared by Beachlands drivers, with Cruz Soper taking the opening heat, Kaian Greene winning heat two, and Max Kemp dominating the third race.
Greene’s consistency across the night secured him the overall victory ahead of Soper, while Riverside’s Lachie Robertson rounded out the podium in third.
Production Saloons were also on the programme, racing for Best Pairs honours.
Race wins were shared between Riverside drivers, with Blake Hamilton taking race one, clubmate Dave McKenzie winning race two, and birthday boy Brad Fitzgerald claiming the third race.
Overall, the Riverside pairing of Tony Jones and Aaron Reed secured the Best Pairs victory. Hamilton and Sam Ogden of Beachlands finished second, while McKenzie and Bryan Wilson, also representing Beachlands, rounded out the podium in third.
The final class on track was the Streetstocks, competing for the Top Gun and Spin Belt trophies.
Heat wins in the Top Gun went to Riverside’s Vandah Thompson, in his first race since stepping up from Youth Saloons, and clubmate Jonathon Delany in heat two.
Shanan Knight of Riverside claimed the Top Gun title after defeating Thompson in the final.
Thompson, however, would still leave with silverware, taking out the Spin Belt in the final Streetstock race of the night.