Words: Supplied (Colin Smith)
Images: Stuart Whitaker (The Write Angle)
Update: Due to the impending weather, Baypark has postponed the event until Sunday November 8, with gates opening at 3.30 pm and racing starting at 5.30 pm.
Tauranga’s only public fireworks display and a quick-fire racing programme will deliver the spectacle for the second night of the season at Baypark Speedway this weekend.
The headline racing event alongside the popular family fireworks show will be the third annual Bill Buckley Midget Car Classic fought out over a 25-lap feature race.
The changing line-ups across speedway’s open wheel classes will assure a new winner for the third running of the Bill Buckley Classic. Both previous editions of the early-season Midget Car showcase have been won by Auckland’s Brad Mosen, but Mosen has now switched his attention to a debut Sprint Car campaign.
Early season Midget Car competition has seen Te Awamutu’s Mitch Fabish to the fore, winning Baypark’s Labour weekend opener and continuing his run with a Rosetown 40-lapper win at Kihikihi Speedway last weekend.
Podium finishers during October have been Brock Maskovich, Ben Morrison, and Daniel Thomas and the other likely front runners this weekend include Kayden Barker, Luke McClymont, Alec Insley and the first appearance of the season for Auckland’s Trent Way.
There is also an international flavour in the midget category this weekend with North Carolina racer Ethan Mitchell kicking off his third New Zealand campaign.
And the South Island is well represented with Christchurch racers Jay Chadwick and Craig Cox making their second appearance of the season while three-time South Island champ Jeremy Webb (Christchurch) is making the trip north to drive the BSL Racing car usually raced by Travis Buckley.
The second night of Sprint Car competition sees the return of former New Zealand Champion Rodney Wood in 17-car field which will see the opening night podium trio of Jonathan Allard, Dean Brindle and Jamie Larsen also in action.
The other classes to hit the clay oval this weekend to entertain the fireworks crowd are Baypark’s locally registered Super Stocks and a field of Youth Mini Stocks with Rotorua, Auckland, and Gisborne visitors to challenge the Baypark regulars.
Racing starts at 6.30pm. A rain date is reserved for Sunday November 8.