Milestone Homes Top of the South Speedway signed off the 2017/18 season in style at its Easter Extravaganza meeting.
Three current New Zealand champions, along with plenty of former champions showcased their talents amongst the local contingent of drivers. Eighteen side-cars from around the country fronted, the biggest field seen in Nelson in years. It was the first time local pairing of Adie Drake and Kieran Satherley haven’t picked up the main prize but third was a good result against a star studded field.
The Super Stocks were aided with three North Island cars including NZ Champion William Humphries and 3NZ Jordan Dare. The two shared the spoils each night, with Alex Hill finding the podium on both nights as the best club car on the weekend.
The Youth Ministocks ended their season on Friday night with Cameron Thompson picking up the final heat win in his last race as a youth driver. The productions champs went to Eddie Frans who was on the receiving end of several spins, but the car held together to win on the night.
The Super Saloons were light on numbers but three former NZ champions were in the field. Ian Burson gave the field a driving lesson on the first night but ran into car trouble on night two, with Peter Dixon taking out the second night. Shane Carey returned to his home track picking up a heat win and 2nd spot on night two.
The Street stocks were a late inclusion but entertained the field, Matt Watson the pick of the bunch as a few cars’ lives were ended for the season.
The T.Q. grade has been the feature grade of the year with the NZ title here earlier in the season, and again it was the Canterbury duo of NZ Champion Jeremy Webb and Kyle Glover to the fore. Club Champion Alicia MacLauchlan was the best of the locals, picking up 3rd on both features, but Webb was a class act once again.
The stock cars wound up their season with a few good hits, Levi Collier running amuck all weekend, Keightley Teece taking out night 1 and Michael Paynter winning Night 2. Shane Brooks had the best weekend of the season placing 2nd on both nights.
Conor Rangi was completing the final round of the War of the Wings Sprint car series, he had a fantastic debut season finishing 4th in Cromwell to end up 2nd overall.
Overall it was a great final fling for the club as they now build towards the 50th anniversary celebrations over Labour weekend to begin the new season in October.
