Eight times New Zealand sprintcar champion, Allan Wakeling took out both features races of the Sprintcar
Summer Slam series at Ruapuna Speedway on Friday and Saturday evening.

On Friday evening the Aucklander headed home American Ricky Logan in the second running of the Salute to
Goodie Classic, with local Matt Honeywell third. On Saturday evening Wakeling secured the Gold Cup when again
defeating Logan with Auckland’s Jamie McDonald grabbing third spot.

On Friday night luck may have been on Wakeling’s side when he looked set to finish in second place behind Dean
Brindle (Auckland) after Wakeling had been locked in a great battle with Logan for second place. Brindle opened
up a handy lead, lapping cars by the mid point of the 20 lap race. Brindle looked to have the race in control but
coming out of the Prison Bend on lap seventeen he could not avoid the spun car of Nelson’s Greg Teece, which
resulted in damage to Brindle’s car forcing him on to the infield for the final three laps. Wakeling held off one last
challenge from Logan before the chequered flag came out with Honeywell, who set the fastest time of the meeting
showing his potential in what is his only second season in the 800 horse powered V8's holding on to third place
with less than half a second separating Skinny Colson (Tauranga) and locals Jamie Duff and Scotti Savage. 

There was no luck involved in Wakeling's win in the Gold Cup on Saturday evening. The veteran of 25 years of
Sprintcar racing was all class has he became the first driver to win the Cup for a second time when again heading
home Logan with Jamie McDonald in third place. The form of Wakeling is likely to see him among the favourite’s
for next Saturday’s New Zealand Championship at Cromwell.

Wakeling was cagey about his chances of winning the national title for what would be a record ninth time.

“It was good to have two win’s so it show’s we are on the pace so hopefully we will be in with a chance, we will be
trying to win, but so will be a lot of the other guys heading to Cromwell” said Wakeling.

The Auckland panelbeater has been racing for over two decades and called on all his experience when pulling off
a stunning pass to take the lead in the Feature for the eighth staging of the Gold Cup. Wakeling went into the
Feature as second qualifier behind professional driver, Logan on a slick track which should have been a bread
and butter track for the American.

Logan lead from the opening lap and quickly opened up a fifty metre leader after just three laps and looked set to
run away with the race but Wakeling then slowly closed the gap and on lap eight  pulled off an amazing pass when
sliding under the American on the Prison Bend. 

As the leading drivers started to tread their way by lapped cars the there was a great battle developing for third
place between Colson, Colin Entwistle and McDonald with the three cars locked together for the twenty lap race.
Colson held third place for the first 16 laps with McDonald and both Entwistle then passing their rival.

At race end, Wakeling had opened up a handy lead over Logan, to take the chequered flag by two seconds, a half
a second back to McDonald. Duff was the first Christchurch driver home, in sixth place with the drive of the race
going to New Zealand champion, Dean Brindle who crashed out of his second heat having hooking the wheel on
Colson car as the latter was slowing for a yellow light. Brindle’s crew has plenty of work to do to repair the car but
were rewarded when given a ‘wild card’ in to the Gold Cup under the promoter’s choice rule. This meant Brindle
had to start at the back of the seventeen car but by race end had worked his way into a creditable ninth placing.

Earlier in the evening Tauranga driver Kerry Bartlett was involved in a spectacular crash that resulted in his car
being badly damaged. His team will face a big task in repairing the car before this weekends nationals.
 

Sprintcars.

Results Friday 29 January

(Competitors from Christchurch unless stated)

Canterbury Spray On Grass Salute To Goodie Sprintcar Classic

Ht 1. Jamie McDonald (Auck) 1, Dean Brindle (Auck) 2, Ricky Logan (USA) 3.

Ht 2. Colin Entwistle (Bay Park) 1, Scotti Savage 2, Skinny Colson (Bay Park) 3.

Ht 3. Matt Honeywell 1, Brindle 2, Allan Wakeling 3.

Qualiflying Points; Brindle 38, Wakeling 35, Logan 34, Honeywell & Duff 33, Colson 32, Savage & Nelson Hartley
(P North) 30, Daniel Eggleton (Auck) 27, Corey Price (Cromwell) 26, Greg Teece(Nelson) 25, Greg Clemence 24,
Chris Burns (Inv) 23, Entwistle & McDonald 20, Michael Gourley 19, Jeremy Halpin (Auck) 17, Jason Scott
(Cromwell) 17,  Ray Baughan 16, Danny Mayson 12, Steve Mora 9, Martin Halcrow (Well) & Kerry Barlett (Bay
Park) 0. 

B Main. McDonald 1, Halpin 2, Baughan 3. 

A Main Feature.  Wakeling 1, Logan 2, Honeywell 3, Colson 4, Duff 5, Savage 6.

Three Quarter Midgets Cars

Ht 1. Ryan Stone 1, Aiden Barclay 2, Lindsay Bailey 3. 

Ht 2. Barclay 1, Stone 2, Brian Fridd 3.

Ht 3. Bailey 1, Fridd 2, Stone 3. 

Feature. Bailey 1, Stone 2, Gareth Nixon 3. 

Modified Sprints

Ht 1. Kieran Harris 1, Darryl Harris 2, Tom Lumsden 3. 

Ht 2. Brett Robinson 1, Anthony Dawson 2, Lumsden 3. 

Feature. K Harris 1, Lumsden 2, Robinson 3.

Quarter Midgets

Ht 1. Matt Leversedge 1, Hunter Rowlands 2, Nathan Clive 3. 

Ht 2. Baylee Clive 1, Leversedge 2, N Clive 3.

Ht 3. Leversedge 1, B Clive 2, N Clive 3.

Feature.  Leversedge 1, N Clive 2, B Clive 3.

Saturday 30 January

Sprintcars

Latimer Hotel & Conference Centre Gold Cup

Ht 1. Mayson 1, Baughan 2, Logan 3.

Ht 2. Wakeling 1, Logan 2, Harley 3

Ht 3. Entwistle 1, Colson 2, Scott 3.                      

Qualifyng Points. Logan 37, Wakeling 34, Colson 33, McDonald 32, Duff 31, Entwistle, Honeywell, Hartley &
Mayson 30, Price 29, Scott 26, Clemence & Halcrow 24, Gourley 21, Savage 20, Halpin  & Baughan 19, Teece
18, Brindle 13, Barlett 12.                                      . 

B Main. Gourley 1, Halpin 2, Savage 3.

Pole Shuffle. Logan 1, Wakeling 2, Colson 3, McDonald 4, Mayson 5, Duff 6. 

Gold Cup Feature. Wakeling 1, Logan 2, McDonald 3, Entwistle 4, Colson 5, Duff 6. 

Midget

Ht 1. Dave Kerr 1, Nevil Basalaj (Nelson) 2, Phillipa Melrose 3. 

Ht 2. Basalaj 1, Blair Low 2, Andrew Brown (Nelson ) 3. 

Feature. Balalaj 1, Gavin Wilkie 2, Steve McCallum 3. 

Three Quarter Midgets 

Ht 1. Kimberley Yateman 1, Fridd 2, Stone 3.

Ht 2. Yateman 1, Fridd 2, Nixon 3. 

Feature. Fridd 1, Tiplady 2, Glen Milroy 3.  

Modified Sprints

Ht 1. Dawson 1, Keith Brough 2, K Harris 3. 

Ht 2. Brough 1, K Harris 2, Craig Jones 3.

Feature. K Harris 1, Robinson 2, Brough 3.

Youth Minisprints

Ht 1. James Thian 1, Alex Boreham 2, Ricky Blackler 3.

Ht 2. Ashley Murray 1, Craig Cox 2, Syd Fergusson 3.

Feature. Boreham 1, Murray 2, Blackler 3.

Quarter Midgets

Ht 1. Luke Adams 1, B Clive 2, Leversedge 3.

Ht 2. Leversedge 1, Adams 2, B Clive 3.  

Feature. Leversedge 1, AJ  Horwell 2, Rebecca Barclay 3.