Four title events are being packed into this Saturday night’s Bay Showdown meeting at Baypark Speedway. The busy night has come about due to a reshuffling of the speedway calendar following a mid-February rainout.
The headline attraction is the second annual running of the Aotearoa F2 Midget Car title, the unofficial national title for the controlled engine Formula 2 category, which regularly produces wheel-to-wheel racing at Baypark.
The 22-strong field chasing the F2 title pits the established stars of the class up against a couple of surprise wildcard entries.
Aucklander Troy Jeffries has been the pace-setter this season with his Honda-powered car, while Baypark’s James Earl is the defending champion.
The wild cards include reigning NZ Sprint Car champion Daniel Thomas, who is making a return to non-wing racing in a BSL Racing entry. And Kihikihi racer Kayden Barker – who recently finished third in the NZ TQ Midget Car Champs – has also secured an F2 drive.
Teenagers Campbell Hayes and Regan Le Cheminant have shown pace in their rookie seasons, while brothers Dion and Leyton Kendall, along with Josh Mathews and Brynn Jackson, will also be among the contenders.
For the other three classes on the programme, there is a chance to chase BOP Championship honours for the first time in almost two years.
Last year, the BOP Sprint Car, Super Saloon Car and Stock Car titles were scheduled for the Easter weekend season finale, but the meeting was rained out.
The Sprint Car field, with 20 cars, features impressive quality, with recent Bay Piston Cup winner Keaton Dahm back in action, along with former NZ champs Michael Pickens, Rodney Wood and Jonathan Allard.
Katikati’s Ayrton Hodson switches back to the dirt after his season opener in the Dunlop Supercars Development Series in Sydney last month, while Aucklander Zackary Sokol makes his first Baypark appearance of the summer, having won three South Island feature races since the season began.
Already with a treble of New Zealand, North Island and NZ Grand Prix success this summer, Tauranga’s Chris Cowling looks to extend his winning streak with the BOP Super Saloon Car title.
Auckland racers Craig Cardwell, Bodie Abrahamson and Ben Harding and Palmerston North’s Peter Bengston are among the visiting challengers, while Baypark’s Scott Hayward, Steve Cowling and Damian Orr are other likely front-runners.
The field also includes two notable returning drivers. Former NZ champ Sam Waddell makes his first appearance of the season driving the car belonging to Blenheim’s Shane McIntyre, while hard charger Matt Smith (Thames) is also returning to the action.
A full 26-car grid is expected to contest the BOP Stock Car Championship with a field comprising visiting drivers from Auckland, Huntly, Kihikihi and Rotorua set to battle with the Baypark drivers over a three-race points contest.
Racing starts at 6.30 pm.
Header Image: Stuart Whitaker/The Write Angle
