Taipa Stock & Saloon Racing

For more New Year Meet racing pics visit Kaikohe Car Club website (our thanks to Debbie Beadle) - http://www.kaikohecarclub.com/PHOTO%20INDEX%20PAGE.htm

Day One - 29 Dec

Round One

Round Two

Round Three

Last Race – “Mens All in’

Day Two - 30 Dec

Round One

Round Two

Round Three

Last Race – “Ladies All in’

Demo Derby

What great weather we had for this year’s two day New Year Race Meet!

We saw large numbers in all fields with the biggest being the Super & LTD Men, who showed us some of the most thrilling racing over the weekend.  Car 61, Roy (Inchman) Walker, putting on the best show of the day by colliding with Brian Armstrong’s car, no 88, in a multicar pile up and came to rest up against the bank unable to continue the first race.  Then he collided with Max Andresen, in Kaikohe’s car no 58 in the second race, and popped his left front tyre, and doing body damage to Max’s car’s rear left.

Max Andresen car 58k went on to earn the checkered flag in day two, he seems to have come to grips with the way his methanol powered Super is handling. It was great to see Peg ,car 27, back at the track along with Kyle Webster in his rotary powered LTD.

Men’s C Grade boys were the second largest field; round two on day one saw Chris White car 95D trailered and sent home for the day after he played ‘rubbing is racing’ with car no 80, Miles Greenwood finally spinning in front of the oncoming cars, good driving skills on behalf of Miles and the other C Men for not colliding.  We saw Craig DeWaal car 8, Matt Cameron, car 15, and Steve Peers, 50k, swapping for the checker flag over the weekend.

Club President John Hockenhull’s stockcar is looking for a new engine after the weekend; with the stock car boys putting on a great show as always. It was great to see John, Roy 555, Mel 1, Gary 119k out on the track having fun and showing the crowd how the stockcar men drive.

Spanhake Engineering sponsored Day Two was a day of good hard fast racing with the highlight being Men’s C grade driver, Steve Peers, car 50 from Kaikohe, holding out Taipa’s two most competitive cars to take out the third round race.  Roy Walker completed all three rounds, and the grip the track showed allowed Roy to demonstrate his full throttle cornering driving style.  16 year old Shavana Williams won Ladies Super Saloon in her Dad Geordie’s car no 51.

The final race on day two was the ITM Mangonui sponsored ‘Demo Derby.’  Two club donated demo derby cars, prepared by sponsors, Taipa Welding Services, were raffled in the days leading up to the event, and tickets were also sold to spectators.  Two lucky spectators won a car each.  They put on protective clothing and helmets and prepared themselves for the drive of their life.  Jim Poharama won and drove the raffled ‘Tank’ which was a diesel Isuzi Gemini complete with turret and gun barrel.  Glenn Keogh won and drove the raffled ‘Bull,’ which was a Holden Commodore Station Wagon complete with spotted paint, bull’s skull with horns, and rope tail.  It was voted ‘best dressed’ by the large crowd of spectators. Racing began and Glenn drove the ‘Bull’ in a very expert manner.  He used the rear end to shunt other cars and managed to evade frontal crashes for the first part of the derby.  Finally he was locked in mortal combat with the only other mobile car, and the crowd cheered as the competitor car popped its engine and started smoking.  Glenn, and the ‘Bull,’ won.  His prize purse was $500.  Congratulations Glenn!  Glenn tells us it was the best five dollars he has ever spent, and he would really like to drive in another ‘Demo Derby’ real soon.

Spectators came from far and wide, and included Mayor, Wayne Brown, members of Auckland Vintage Speedway Club, and a camera crew from IWorks Touchdown TV Productions.  

The organizers and the drivers wish to thank the Poharama family, and all the New Year meet sponsors: ITM Mangonui, Spanhake Engineering, Shell Taipa, Taipa Welding Services, Redan Auto Electrical, Kauri Arms Wholesale, and Kaitaia Hire Centre.