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Seriously good line up for Midget Classic

Jarrod MacBeth

An excellent field of cars has been assembled for the Midget City of New Plymouth Classic that will be run at Stratford Speedway on Saturday night and this will generate close and fast racing when the drivers in the class get to turn their wheels in race mode for the first time this season.  The Midget event was originally scheduled to run at the opening meeting but the competitors got nothing more than some warm up laps and a practice before the rain fell, ending the night prematurely and so has now been re-scheduled for Saturday. 

Thirteen competitors have entered to take part including four from Wanganui and two from Auckland.  It is usually local racer Duane Hickman that headlines these events but that may not be the case this time around.  Former five times New Zealand Champion Michael Kendall has re-entered the sport, running as a Stratford contracted car and will race his new locally built Terminator chassied car for the first time.  Living on the Gold Coast, Kendall will fly back sporadically to race at a select few meetings, including the North Island Championship that will be run here later in the season.  Kendall’s car is built by Mike Robins from New Plymouth and team owner Ron Kendall, who has been involved in the sport for fifty years is confident it will be a quick machine.  “This is the tenth car that Mike has built for us.  Our five New Zealand Championships were all won in Terminator cars and we are looking forward to getting out there on Saturday and having a good time” He said.  Michael Kendall has a strong history in the class having run in the states several times and also in the Polar Ice series in Australia.  He has also placed second in the Australian Speedcar (Midget) Championship.  He will be one to watch on the track on Saturday night as will Hickman, the current trophy holder, who cannot be discounted.  Hickman is also running a new car this season, Built by Angus McLeod.  He ran at Western Springs on Saturday where the car seemed to be good.  “The car done everything it needed to do and was fast but they have put a new surface down this season and it’s a bit hard to tell at this stage” he said.  Hickman is looking forward to racing this weekend.  “I’m looking forward to seeing what the car can do on our home track.  It’s going to be tough out there and there are just as good car and operators out there this season as there has ever been.  Everyone has good gear now.  It’s going to be a really good night”.  Add to the entry list Chris Bagrie, who is running a sister car to Hickmans, The Huijs family from Wanganui who all go well, Auckland racer Ricky McGough and locals Mark Phipps, Jimmy Greenough, Mark Willans and Mitch Vickery and it really is a great field that will provide top notch racing.

Also racing for their City of New Plymouth Classic at the meeting is the Adult Ministock class.  Like the Midgets, their event was also originally scheduled for opening night but not completed due to the rain.  Seventeen drivers will take part in the re-run event.

Three other classes will also be racing for trophies – Superstock competitors will compete for both the John and Gary Adamson Memorials. Mitch Vickery will be the busiest driver as he will be racing his Superstock as well as the Midget.  A field of nine Saloons will race for their Plews memorial and nine Streetstocks will compete for the Olsen Memorial.  Youth Ministocks will round out the race program which gets underway at 7pm.