AUTUMN NATIONALS MEEANEE SPEEDWAY 17-4-99
 
 
 Would you drive through this expecting to watch a speedway meeting?
I WONDER IF I MUST BE MAD TO HAVE DRIVEN FOR FIVE HOURS FROM AUCKLAND TO HAWKES BAY THROUGH STRONG WINDS ,
 RAIN AND AT ONE POINT SNOW FOR FIVE HOURS THEN SAT FOR ANOTHER FIVE HOURS ON A HARD  UNCOVERED WOODEN STAND IN A FREEZING BREEZE FOLLOWED UP BY ANOTHER FIVE HOURS DRIVE BACK TO THE NORTH THROUGH MORE RAIN, FOG AND ICE .

JUDGING FROM THE RELATIVELY SMALL CROWD THAT TURNED UP FOR THE MEETING EVEN THE LOCALS CLEARLY THOUGHT
THAT EVEN LEAVING THE COMFORT OF THEIR HOMES AT ALL WAS TOO MUCH TO EXPECT .

HAVING LEFT AUCKLAND AFTER MIDDAY WE ONLY REALLY MADE IT TO THE TRACK JUST IN TIME TO GRAB A SEAT
AND ORGANISE SOME FOOD INCLUDING ONE OF THE EXCELLENT BAKED SPUDS ON SALE AT THE VENUE .

MENTION SHOULD BE MADE OF THE BUDGET PRINTED PROGRAM SOLD FOR A DOLLAR AT THE GATE WHICH
CONTAINED ALL THE INFO ONE NEEDED PUTTING SOME GLOSSIER JOBS TO SHAME ALTHOUGH SOME OF THE
RACE FORMATS SEEMED TO BE RUN DIFFERENTLY TO WHAT WAS DESCRIBED IN IT .

ALSO CONFUSED IT SEEMS WERE THE COMMENTATORS WHO WERE CALLING YET ANOTHER FORMAT .
FIELDS WERE PRETTY GOOD IN ALL CLASSES RUN AND WHILE THE TRACK DEVELOPED A FEW RUTS
AND HOLES THAT WERE WORKED ON AS THE MEETING PROGRESSED.
I DIDN'T THINK THE TRACK WAS TOO BAD DRIVE WISE AS THERE WAS PLENTY OF PASSING DONE . 
A-GRADE STOCKCARS
21 CARS TURNED UP WHICH ALTHOUGH A GOOD TURNOUT REALLY WAS A LITTLE DOWN ON THE 28 EXPECTED .
ONCE AGAIN I SUSPECT THE WEATHER PLAYED IT'S PART IN THIS RESPECT .

RACING WAS PRETTY MILD AS IS THE NORM FOR THE CLASS THESE DAYS AND IT WAS ONLY THE DEALING OUT
OF JOE FAREM BY DARCY HUNTER FROM THE 25 LAP FINAL THAT PUT SOME LIFE INTO IT .
ALONG WITH FAREM'S ATTEMPTS AT RETRIBUTION AFTERWARDS OF COURSE.

DRAKE PETERS WON THE DEAL ACCORDING TO THE COMMENTATOR BUT IN REALITY IT WAS 21A PETER DRAKE WHO
WAS PRESENTED WITH THE SILVERWARE .WHILE SOME ABOUT ME THOUGHT HE WAS PLACED FURTHER DOWN THE ORDER
DUE TO A SPIN TAKEN EARLIER IN THE PIECE I MYSELF AM NON TOO SURE AS SOME OF THOSE NEXT IN LINE HAD THEIR MOMENTS TOO .
 
MY EYES WERE FOCUSSED ALMOST ENTIRELY ON THE HUNTER FAREM CLASH FOR THE RACES DURATION . IT APPEARED
THOUGH THAT 97R PAT WESTBURY HAD THOUGHT THAT HE WAS THE WINNER BY PULLING UP TO COLLECT THE FLAG
FOR A VICTORY LAP AND HE IS THE ONLY ONE I DIDN'T SEE HAVE A PROBLEM THROUGH THE RACE.
 
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DARCY HUNTER SENDS JOE FAREM UP INTO  
THE CATCH FENCING
 
LUCKILY NOT THROUGH IT THOUGH ALTHOUGH THE 
DAMAGE IS OBVIOUS		  
FAREM SPENT THE REST OF THE RACE TRYING 
TO EXACT REVENGE
STD STOCKS
ONLY 18 CARS AND THEY STARTED OF FAIRLY TAME BUT WERE SOON OUT SHINING THEIR MORE POWERFUL
AND FASTER COUSINS WITH A MINISERIES OF HAWKES BAY VERSUS ROTORUA TEAMS TYPE  RACES .
 
TQS
AROUND 15 OF THESE INCLUDING THE TOP FIVE FROM THIS YEARS CHAMPS .
RACING WAS OK AND THEY HANDLED THE CONDITIONS WELL I THOUGHT
 
SIDECARS
7 ON THE TRACK WITH A COUPLE OF REALLY GOOD RACES
and my hands were too frozen to film them
LIMITED SALOONS
15 CARS INCLUDING OUTSIDERS AND GOOD RACING , NOT SURE WHO WON THOUGH AS I DIDN'T KEEP TRACK OF THE POINTS .
16R MARK OSBOURNE WAS LOOKING GOOD UNTIL HE PARKED UP  SO TOO WAS STEVE LOUDEN TILL SOMETHING WENT WRONG SO NEXT
BEST PERFORMER WAS PROBABLY 28H PHIL TOWGOOD OR 61R DAVE FENTON.
 
SUPER SALOONS
14 CARS WAS AN OK TURNOUT WITH 2NZ DONALD GREGORY AND 2NZ LANCE JENNINGS ON HAND .
DON'T KNOW WHO WON CAUSE I LEFT AFTER 4 HOURS WITH THEIR FINAL STILL TO BE RUN.
 
STREETSTOCKS
A GOOD FIELD BUT THE ACTION SEEMED A BIT TAME BUT THEN I WAS GETTING TOO COLD TO APPRECIATE
MUCH BY THE TIME THEY CAME OUT TO PLAY .
JUDGING BY THE STATE OF THE CARS THOUGH MOST HAVE HAD AN ACTION PACKED SEASON .
 
 
OVER ALL VIEW
NOT A BAD MEETING AND THE HAWKES BAY CLUB SEEM TO HAVE BEEN PUTTING IN THE EFFORT
TO THE FACILITY SINCE MY LAST VISIT SOME YEARS AGO .

COST TO ME APART FROM THE FIFTEEN HOURS SPENT TIME WISE IN ONE DAY WAS 900 KMS ON THE CAR AND AROUND
$120 IN FUEL , FOOD AND GATE FEES FOR TWO OF US SO VALUE FOR MONEY THIS MEETING WAS NOT .
BUT THEN AGAIN IF ALL COSTS ARE COUNTED NO MEETING EVER IS .

REALLY THE ONLY SPOILING FACTOR WAS THE WEATHER WHICH NO ONE CAN CONTROL
BUT THE CONCEPT SHOWED POTENTIAL AND I WOULD LIKE TO SEE THE WHOLE DEAL REHAPPEN NEXT YEAR .

ONE WORD FOR THE COMMENTATORS IS THAT NEXT TIME PUT THE EFFORT INTO GETTING THE
DRIVERS NAMES CORRECT AS THERE WERE SO MANY ERRORS MADE AT TIMES IT WAS EMBARRASSING JUST LISTENING .
ENTHUSIASM WAS THERE THOUGH AND THAT WAS GOOD .