Carnage avoided by second fence

Peter Huijs will remember both World of Outlaw international sprintcar races at Arena Manawatu last night for vastly differing reasons.

Last season Huijs entered the big time with a brilliant home-track win in the 30-lap feature, but last night he had the most spectacular crash seen at FMG Stadium.

Huijs threw his sprintcar into the pit corner, where it dug into the track, barrel rolling sideways before lifting off the ground and going over the fence.

Fortunately the catcher fence behind the main fence caught the car, stopping it from going into the grandstand.

It was the first time a car had to be removed from the crowd side of the fence at the Robertson Holden Speedway.

Although Huijs' car was extensively damaged, he walked away from the crash.

"It does show how safe sprintcars are," Huijs said thankfully. "But it spells the end to my Christmas racing."

As his sprintcar sat bent inside his trailer, children were not only scoring signatures from the popular driver, but he also handed them parts of his car. Someone even wanted his enormous but mangled aerofoil.

"At least last week when I rolled, I went over at Te Marua, the chassis wasn't damaged. It looks pretty bad this time.

"I think I've done some serious damage to the engine this time. I revved it when I was upside down."

It was the second major crash on the night with another local, Nick Pedley, rolling end over end down the main straight and coming to rest where flag marshall Darryn Douglas stands.

"I was safe where I was and I saw it coming, took a couple of steps back and ducked," Douglas said. "When I looked up, it was hanging off the fence next to where I stand."

Pedley also walked away but his car was a mess with the chassis cut in half.

The prangs aside, it was a night for the American drivers with five of them filling the top places in the feature and the sixth driver starting in seventh place.

Regular visitor Ricky Logan took out his biggest win on Kiwi soil, leading from start to finish, despite having a right rear tyre almost flat.

"I knew it was flat, the chassis was bottoming out on the corners, but I wasn't about to stop," Logan said. "I never thought I would hold on but I made my car as wide as possible.

"It's all the more rewarding because Palmerston North is my favourite track in the country."

Logan also used slower traffic, passing them part way through the corner, leaving Craig Dollansky having to wait until the next corner.

Logan isn't sure if he'll be around for the full series, with his mother- in-law seriously ill with cancer.

There was a sensation after the meeting when Dollansky, who won the opening round, was disqualified for getting assistance from his crew on the infield when the race was under a yellow flag.

That gave another Outlaw driver, Joey Saldana, second place, followed by Americans Paul McMahan and Jonathan Allard. Auckland's Dean Brindle was the best Kiwi in fifth, while Palmerston North's Nelson Hartley continued his promising rookie season, finishing 11th.

- © Fairfax NZ News