Words: Daryl Shuttleworth – Brought to you by Evolution Motorsport
Images: Jo Broadhead Photography
The 2026/27 season at Powderworx Central Motor Speedway is officially underway, with the opening meeting bringing teams and fans together for a good cause.
Dubbed the Pink Ribbon Classic, the event was centred around raising funds for breast cancer awareness, with spectators encouraged to wear pink, several cars sporting pink liveries, and discounted admission for female fans, all in support of the cause.
The meeting began on a sombre note, with the club observing a moment’s silence in memory of club member Andy Reddy, who recently passed away.
The club have a busy season ahead, and the jewel in the crown will be the CK Catering Dirt Track Cafe New Zealand Saloon Championship in January, which will see the country’s best Saloon drivers head to Cromwell and race on one of the best tracks for fast paced Saloon action.
Several local drivers have upgraded equipment over the last season in anticipation for the championship.
As expected, the opening meeting saw some of this machinery make it out to the track, with a good field of Saloons entered. Every lap of every race is going to prove valuable in collecting that key piece of set up data that may be the difference between securing a top spot in January, or sitting well down the pack pondering what could have been.
This meeting also doubled as the Central Otago Championship across all grades.
Dunedin’s Leo Bennett got off to a flyer in the opening Saloons heat, with the only real pressure in the early laps coming from local driver Ivan Murdoch, who looked competitive throughout the meeting.
As the race unfolded, Cromwell’s Blayr Findlay charged through the field from well down the order, picking off both Murdoch and Bennett to claim a well-driven victory. Bennett settled for second, with Murdoch completing the podium.
Track conditions made for an intriguing second heat, with the ever-evolving surface proving a great leveller between the four-bar and torsion-bar suspension setups, neither appearing to hold a distinct advantage.
Dunedin’s Aaron Andrews showed plenty of pace, applying constant pressure to Cromwell’s Travis Smith, who had established an early lead.
Andrews threatened to take the lead on several occasions, but Smith remained composed out front, eventually holding on to claim victory ahead of Andrews, with Cromwell’s Phil Burgess completing the top three.
This set the stage for a 15-lap, winner-takes-all final for the Central Otago Championship, with a tantalising battle looming between front-row starters Travis Smith and Blayr Findlay.
As the green flag dropped, Smith led the field into Turn 1, quickly establishing an advantage before coming under increasing pressure from Findlay, who looked threatening once he found his rhythm.
Ivan Murdoch was also showing plenty of pace, but the two four-bar cars were relishing the increasingly slick track conditions, which were beginning to play into their hands.
There were plenty of entertaining battles throughout the pack as the laps wound down, but it was Smith who emerged victorious, firing an early warning shot to anyone with aspirations of claiming the title this season. He will be a contender.
Smith ultimately pulled clear of the field, negotiating lapped traffic on his way to a convincing victory, claiming the Central Otago Championship ahead of Findlay and Murdoch.
Despite his dominant performance, Smith admitted afterwards that “the car wasn’t great to drive at all, it felt horrible”, making his victory over a classy field of competitors all the more impressive.
Small fields of Sprintcars and Youth Ministocks will hopefully improve throughout the season.
Sprintcars started with four cars, before Cromwell’s Brian Ellison had a horrifying roll over on debut in Heat 1, leaving just three cars to battle it out.
Cromwell driver Mathew Anderson went on to take out the title.
In Youth Ministocks, Dylan Brenssell looked the driver to beat after winning both heats, but was almost upstaged by sister Jade in a dramatic championship final.
Jade Brenssell held the lead with just one lap remaining before making contact with the wall at Turn 2. Believing her car may have sustained damage, she pulled onto the infield with just two corners separating her from a potential championship victory.
Her misfortune handed the title to Dylan, while debutant Aaron Barnes impressed with a second-place finish.
In Six Shooters, Riverside’s Kadin Cracknell opened proceedings with victory in Heat 1, ahead of clubmate Mason Whelan and Cromwell’s Samantha Sandford.
Heat 2 saw Kadin’s father, Duane Cracknell, take the honours ahead of his son, while Whelan continued his consistent start to the evening with another strong points haul in third.
Kadin Cracknell returned to the front in the feature, delivering a dominant performance to claim victory. Riverside’s Ryder Harris produced an impressive drive to finish runner-up in just his second adult race meeting, while Whelan rounded out the podium in third.
Super Saloons were a welcome sight at Central Motor Speedway once more, with the most experienced driver in the field, Dunedin’s Ricky Boulton, taking a comfortable victory in the opening heat.
Cromwell’s Phil Burgess, who seemingly couldn’t decide whether he was racing a Saloon or Super Saloon on the night, kept things interesting for a few of his rivals on his way to second, while Dunedin’s Luke Fallow claimed third.
Boulton continued his winning ways in Heat 2, completing a clean sweep of the preliminary races.
Three additional Saloons joined the field for the feature, but there was no stopping Boulton, who capped off a dominant evening by claiming the Central Otago Championship. Fallow finished runner-up, with Travis Smith completing the podium in third.
Production Saloons provided some of the most entertaining racing of the evening, with plenty of close competition throughout the programme.
Heat 1 saw Dunedin’s Noah Kitto take a well-driven victory ahead of Cromwell’s James Westerman and Dunedin’s Cam Bower.
Bower fought back to win Heat 2 ahead of Kitto, with Dunedin’s Tyler Kelk completing the top three.
The feature was arguably the race of the night, with Bower, Kelk, Kitto and Westerman all battling fiercely, trading paint while showing enough respect to keep all four cars on the track.
Bower looked set to claim the championship, but Westerman committed to the outside line on the final corner, getting the nose of his car across the line to snatch a dramatic victory. Bower crossed the line second, with Kelk third.
However, the result would not stand, with Westerman subsequently relegated two positions to third, promoting Bower to the Central Otago Championship title and Kelk to second.
It was an unfortunate conclusion to an otherwise thrilling contest, with the wheel-to-wheel racing and last-corner drama providing exactly the sort of spectacle spectators had paid to see.
Quarter Midgets made their debut at Central Motor Speedway, with a healthy 12-car field providing some entertaining racing throughout the evening.
Cromwell’s Isiah Stretton claimed victory in the opening heat ahead of clubmate Bentley Barclay, with Ruapuna’s Carter O’Brien finishing third.
O’Brien turned the tables in Heat 2, taking the win ahead of Stretton, while fellow Ruapuna racer Felix Mitchell completed the top three.
The feature saw O’Brien deliver a commanding performance to claim the Central Otago Championship, finishing ahead of Ruapuna’s Jack Reed, while Stretton capped off a consistent evening with third place.