Ethan Anderson agrees his first Hawke's Bay Stockcar Championship title couldn't have come at a better time.

"I'm hoping to make the Meeanee Maulers team for the National Teams Champs in Auckland on March 1 and 2," Anderson explained after he won the 30-car Championship at Meeanee on Saturday night.

"I'm stoked. Hopefully this luck continues and the car stays reliable," Anderson said.

A former winner of the Kuru Cup and Krusty 500 events, Anderson, recorded a first, third and two second placings to win the title by five points.

Points accumulated over four heats determined the overall placings.

"We had a high number of withdrawals from the original number of entries so we opted for this format which rewards consistency, ... there was some good entertainment" class rep Greg Zachan explained.

Zachan pointed out another of the Maulers hopefuls, Cameron Swift, won't be racing again this season after collecting knee and ankle injuries.

A four-lap run off between defending champion Willy Stevenson and Hawke's Bay clubmate Caleb Ireland was required to determine second place. Stevenson flipped himself after driving over the front of Ireland's car on turn two of the first lap.

The race ended at this point and Zachan said the drivers agreed that whoever had recorded the fastest lap time during the four heats would secure second place. Ireland ticked this box.

A 15-car Hawke's Bay TQ Championship was the other feature event at the David Jones Motors-sponsored meeting.

Hawke's Bay's two-time national champion Duane Todd won this title for the ninth time. Todd recorded sixth, third and first placings to win the title by three points from clubmate Ryan MacGregor.

Fellow host track driver Chris Wiffin finished one point behind MacGregor in third place. Todd has won this championship four times during the last five years.

Gisborne's Dylan MacGregor had won the first two heats but an electrical fault forced him out of the third heat. However he still finished fourth in the championship.

Six Sidecar crews chased the Noel Kippax Memorial Trophy. Palmerston North's Nick Dunne and Matt Stewart captured the trophy with their victory in the final.

Second place went to Hawke's Bay's North Island champions Craig Boaler and Ann Plummer and another host track crew, Bill Napier and Kayla Meehan, were third.

The Hawke's Bay Hawkeyes took on an Emerging Hawkeyes team in their final rehearsal for this weekend's ENZED Teams Champs in Palmerston North. Brett Loveridge secured the win for the Hawkeyes.

Second place went to Emerging Hawkeyes driver Matt Demanser. Hawkeyes Dylan Ashton and Kairyn O'Brien finished third and fourth respectively. Heat winners in the Superstock class were Hawke's Bay clubmates Ben Milne, Jacob Buckrell, Kairyn O'Brien and his father Regan O'Brien,

The rapidly improving Lachlan Melling won Driver of the Night honours in the Ministock class. Melling is one of numerous third generation drivers in this class.

The Bay's top Ministock driver, Tom Steel, posted two heat wins. His clubmates Tom Blair and third generation racer Macy Penn, were the other heat winners. 

Article added: Monday 29 January 2024