Teenage talent Alec Insley from Auckland made an unbeaten start to the 83rd running of the New Zealand Midget Car Championship at Baypark Speedway on Friday evening.
Insley, 19, powered his King-Toyota to wins in each of his three qualifying heats to establish himself atop the leaderboard with 30 points after the first night of racing. He was the only driver to achieve more than one win and also recorded the fastest lap time of the night.
The field completed three of their five qualifying heats on Friday evening, and while Insley built a handy margin over his rivals, the other leading contenders are very closely matched.
Overnight second place is a three-way tie between former champions Brad Mosen and Michael Pickens, along with Aaron Hodgson, all with 27 points. And one point back are Christchurch racer Ben Morgan and Baypark’s Brock Maskovich.
Morgan had an eventful night, tipping his car over while leading his opening heat before restarting from the rear of the field and recovering to finish fourth. Completing the night with a win and a second placing keeps him in contention.
It was a similar story for 10-time champion Pickens, who had to restart from the rear of his second heat after an early spin. He made a strong recovery to win.
The top-10 in points is completed by former champ Hayden Williams (Baypark) on 22, Rotorua racer Ben Vaughan on 21, and another tie between Mitch Fabish (Kihikihi), Corbin Anderson (Baypark), and Ben Morrison (Auckland) on 20 points.
There are six more heats on Saturday night to decide the grid for the 25-lap championship final.
Insley faces a test in Heat 11 on Saturday when he starts from the back row of the grid, while Heat 12 provides the stage for Pickens, Hodgson, and Morgan to race against each other in a heat that could prove crucial to the starting line-up for the 25-lap championship final.
A 25-lap Super Saloon Car feature saw former NZ champion Chris Cowling continue his strong season, finding his way past early leader Damian Orr to win by 2.2secs. Auckland’s Craig Cardwell raced into contention in the later part of the race and came up half a car length from grabbing second spot.
The Six Shooters are making their only Baypark appearance of the season for the 5-race Predator series over two nights. Auckland racer Laurie Petersen holds a clear lead after three races with 26 points, while Stuart Crawford and Simon Wi are tied on 20 points, and Rotorua’s Boyd Westbury is next on 20.
The Saturday conclusion to the Midget Car national title also sees Sprint Cars, Six Shooters, and Youth Mini Stocks on the support race programme.
Racing starts at 6.30pm.
Header Image: Jessica Barnes/Blissful Photography
