Aucklander Ben Harding raced from deep in the pack to win an exciting Bay Super Sundown 30-lapper and grab a $5000 payday on Saturday night.
A regular winner at Baypark a decade ago, Harding has only raced occasionally in the last five years. But he’s never stopped studying the engineering of Super Saloon Cars and has combined trips to the USA with modifications to his car.
“It’s still the same old Hypermac, but we’ve cut the front of it, cut the back off it, and done a lot of work with the shocks,” says Harding.
“I didn’t race at all last season, but we’ve done a lot of R&D. This season, I did four meetings to test the car before [top US racer] Bobby Pierce came down to race it.”
Harding had raced at Palmerston North on Friday night and says his car handled better during the heat races than in the feature.
“After the heat race tonight, we made a few changes to the car—a couple we knew would work and some that were an experiment. Everything worked, and I could run the top and the bottom.”
Harding’s charge from grid nine began with passing three cars on the opening lap, and by lap three, he was battling with Scott Hayward for third place as Steve Cowling and Craig Cardwell led the race.
Harding hit the front on lap 14 and led Cowling home by a clear 3.9 seconds. Hayward was in third, while Napier’s Steve Flynn advanced from grid 10 to fourth.
Tauranga’s Heather Elmsly also cashed in last night, driving a Honda Accord to victory in the Metalman Recyclers Demolition Derby. While demo derbies are often billed as `last man standing’ contests, the annual Baypark event is developing another reputation, with Elmsly becoming the third consecutive female winner.
The close racing from the F2 Midgets this summer has mainly been a duel between James Earl and Corbin Anderson. Leyton Kendall joined the pair to produce a three-way battle for honours, with Anderson taking his second win of the season ahead of Kendall and Earl.
Ash Henstock was the pacesetter in the Stock Cars, with two wins and a second-place finish, to secure the Easter honours ahead of Ryan Decke. A points tie for third was decided by fastest laps, with Chloe Ingram edging out Paula Henderson.
Tauranga’s Bryan Fraser edged out the challenge from several fast visiting drivers to top score in the three-race contest for Youth Mini Stocks. A win and two seconds put Fraser two points clear of Taranaki racer Bronson Pierce.
The final meeting of the season featuring the Super Stock Rumble is on Saturday April 13.
