Speedy Signs NZ Superstocks



 I had been waiting for this meeting with great anticipation for sometime. The Rotorua club is held in high regard around the country so it was expected that the number of entries for this championship would be on the high side. The weather gods played their somewhat familiar cards as we all know but 80 competitors still fronted on the second attempt to kick the meeting off. After the shakedown meeting and rained out qualifying it was a long two days waiting for the action to explode at the impecably prepared Paradise Valley Raceway.
Qualifying night threw up some surprises in who did and did not make it. As mentioned by the commentary team, if drivers wanted to be up the pointy end they would have to drive aggressively around the tight Rotorua track. Nothing too drastic but plenty of bumper work was put in to clear a pathway to make those all too important passes to gain points.
Finals night was setup nicely with an amazing repercharge to find the final two spots. Boy I didn't know where to look sometimes but was very pleased with the results although my heart went out to the unlucky Paul Vazey dipping out in the last lap. The plan was to take some shots of the first round of racing then ditch the camera and sit back and enjoy the show. I was certainly not dissappointed, what a great two four nights, I was a contented little puppy when my head hit my pillow back in Auckland in the early hours of Friday morning.
Congratulations to Dale Ewers, Scott Joblin and Peter Rees for their podium finishes. Dale is a well deserved Champion who will carry the title with utmost honour and professionalism during his tenure. All three are some of if not the most prominent competitors in Superstocks at present and all deserve their places.
A few other mentions for those that caught my eye were Jack Miers and Dale McKenzie for utter raw young talent, watch these two. Next is Campbell MacManaway, he seemed to be in everything, was glad to see him make the final. Then there is Paul Vazey, one for his rotten luck and the other is for how tough the 351A battleship is. Lastly is Stan Hickey for giving it one more try, was influential in final heat. Glad he got to carry the chequered around Paradise one more time during qualifying. Must also mention the Top Gear motorsport cars built by Scott Hewson with all three making final and the boss nearly scoring a podium.
Not enough can be said about the Paradise Valley Raceway and the facilities provided by the Rotorua Club. All the immense amount of work over the years showed. Sure there were a few things you could grumble about but most of these things were acknowledged and addressed. I can't wait for the World 240s to get another fix of Superstocks in Paradise. Lastly before I post some pics of the action, thanks to Speedy Signs and all associated sponsors who help to make these big meetings possible