Baypark Speedway hosts the first of its headline events for the big horsepower Sprintcar division this weekend with the $5000-to-win Bay Piston Cup up for grabs on Saturday night.
The 30-lapper was established three years ago as Baypark’s annual flagship race for the fastest class of dirt track racing, and the fourth running of the race has attracted a top quality 24-car entry.
Defending champ Michael Pickens (Auckland) heads the field but his form and fortunes at Baypark have seen him without a feature win at the track since his January 2024 victory.
The front running drivers in the six meetings held to date this summer have been California racer Jonathan Allard and Hamilton’s Daniel Thomas, with two feature race wins apiece. Tokoroa brothers James and Keaton Dahm are the most recent feature race winners at Baypark Speedway with late-December successes.
Pickens, Thomas, and Allard are among the big line-up of former NZ champions chasing Piston Cup success joined by Jamie Larsen (Kapiti), Dean Brindle (Hamilton) and Rodney Wood (Tauranga). Brindle won back-to-back in the first two Piston Cups raced in 2022 and 2023.
A number of drivers will make their first Baypark appearance of the season including young talent Zackary Sokol and former NZ Modified champ Luke Brown, who has made a strong entry into Sprint Car competition this summer.
A string of consistent feature race placings this summer positions Aucklander Ryan O’Connor as a leading contender along with Taupo’s Dean Cooper, who recently claimed his first Western Springs feature victory but has yet to win on his home track.
The other big attraction this weekend is a packed field of 21 Super Saloon Car racers looking to get their final shakedown on the Baypark oval ahead of the 2025 New Zealand Championship over the February 14-15 weekend.
Midget Cars and Stock Cars complete the programme for the seventh meeting of the 2024-25 season at Baypark Speedway.
Racing starts at 6.30pm and with the Auckland Anniversary holiday weekend, Sunday evening (Jan 26) is available as a rain-out date if required.
