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The New Zealand championship final resembled a demolition derby on Sunday in and the highly fancied 鈥淕鈥� cars were among the casualties.
The podium-deciding finals races were shifted from Saturday night because of rain after qualifying on Friday night.
Six Gisborne cars made the 25-car finals at Nelson鈥檚 Top of the South Speedway 鈥� Peter Rees, his sons Asher (the defending champion) and Ethan, Tim Ross, Josh Prentice and Jamie Hamilton.
However, no 鈥淕鈥� car made the top three as Mount Maunganui鈥檚 Todd Hemingway (99M) won the title in a run-off with Wellington鈥檚 Ethan Levien (46W) after the pair finished the three races equal on 68 points.
Nelson driver Shane Harwood (18N) was third on 63.
鈥淨ualifying on Friday night was a good night for the 鈥楪鈥� cars. They had a really good run,鈥� Gisborne Speedway Club president Sam Hughes said.
鈥淭hen it turned into a demolition derby on Sunday. The Gisborne cars were definitely marked by the rest of the field, particularly by the Palmerton North cars that had made the final.
鈥淏asically, anyone without a 鈥楶鈥� or a 鈥楪鈥� on their cars made the podium.
Baypark driver Todd Hemingway receives the New Zealand Superstock Championship trophy from outgoing champion Asher Rees at the Top of the South Speedway in Nelson on Sunday. Photo / Rebecca Connor Maling, BM Photography
鈥淚t was one of the best New Zealand finals in the past six or seven years because of the intensity of the racing and the big hitting.鈥�
Hughes said the top six cars got taken out. That included the Rees boys and a couple of top-rated Palmerston North drivers.
鈥淚t was a disappointing result for the Gisborne guys, but it was spectacular to watch.鈥�
Jamie Hamilton (96G) finished the best of the Gisborne cars. He was fourth-equal with a Wellington car after placing ninth, seventh and eighth in the finals series.
Peter Rees (10G), fresh from winning the New Zealand Superstocks Grand Prix was ninth-equal on 16th, 4th and 11th.
Tim Ross (144G) was 11th (seventh, 15th, 14th).
Asher Rees, vying for four New Zealand crowns on the trot, was 12th-equal (second, 10th, DNF).
Josh Prentice (5G) was 16th-equal (15th, ninth, DNF).
Ethan Rees (127G) was 16th-equal (12th, 18th, 21st).
The Gisborne club is holding its first meeting of the 2025 season at the MTF Awapuni Speedway on Saturday night.
鈥淚t鈥檒l be a club night with superstocks and classic stockcars the highlights,鈥� Hughes said.
鈥淎ll we need is a fine night.
Meanwhile, the club is holding a fundraiser on Friday night for youth mini stock driver Koby Gooch, who is in the six-strong New Zealand team to take on their Australian counterparts over four meetings in Perth in March.
The fundraiser is an auction and raffles night and items up for grabs include a $1000 blast and paint voucher, a Repco tool chest, a children鈥檚 pedal tractor from Brandt, Wicked Tints voucher, firewood, meat packs, a Weber barbecue, Holden gift pack, rounds of golf at Awapuni Links course, and a variety of donated vouchers.
Doors open at 5.30pm and tickets can be bought from Sam鈥檚 Upholstery, or contact Shanan on 0274282023.
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