Pickens outclasses midget car rivals

If Michael Pickens' win in the national midget series at Arena Manawatu last year was spectacular, Saturday night's was clinical.

For the second year the classy Pickens won the first round of the $130,000 series with consummate ease from a field which included the country's best drivers.

Last year Pickens twice came from the back of the field to the lead, but on Saturday night, again starting from the back, he bided his time before surging forward.

While other drivers were careful about going out wide, Pickens, who has won both features at Western Springs this season, went out against the wall through the corners to pass everyone.

In one spectacular effort he went from fourth to first on one corner as he went three-wide past Aucklanders Brad Mosen and Michael Kendall and then flew by Chris McCutcheon.

After hitting the lead on the 11th of the 30-lap feature, Pickens cleared away.

With five laps remaining the rain came and curtailed the meeting, but again Pickens had the crowd on their feet in appreciation of his amazing skills.

He had said he not only wanted to repeat his win of last year at the Robertson Holden Speedway, but that he intended to smash the lap record, something he achieved in the first race with a 15.42-second lap.

There were the usual spins from drivers, as well as Gavin Quinn parking himself on the wall, but Huntly's Brian Edwards provided the biggest moment when he barrel-rolled his midget down the front straight, before emerging from his battered car unscathed.

The Manawatu Superstock championship was just as impressive as the midgets, with Wayne Hemi, Peter Rees, Kev Smith, Wayne Norris, Andy McCabe, Graeme Barr, Kim Lace and Hawke's Bay's Joe Faram all showing plenty speed to challenge for the title.

Most eyes though were on the debut of Shane Penn's impressive new Hartley Nissan-powered Hampton tri-rail superstock.

Immediately on the pace in the first heat when he came from 22nd and last place on the grid to finish third, Penn appeared the driver to beat. However, an equally strong show of speed from Hemi, who finished second in the opening heat and won the second, as well as good drives by Lace, Rees and McCabe, made it difficult for Penn, especially after he had been spun.

And despite winning the last heat, Penn could only finish fourth overall behind Hemi – who took out, surprisingly, just his first Manawatu title – Rees and third placed McCabe.

Palmerston North's Derek Ramsay and Tony Hislop had their best result this season, taking out the Etech Best Pairs event with Wanganui's Mick Paul and Paul Blinkhorne.

Second home were Mike Zachan and Paul Humphries, along with another Wanganui combination John Hannon and Tony Hirini.

Stephen Buys won his first minisprint race with a faultless drive from pole in a big field, while Kihikihi national champion Mark Edwards won the first race after he and Chad Ace had cleared away from the 24-car field.

The stockcars provided the closest finish seen on the Oval, when Gary Davis flew up the inside of Jordan Dare and Bevan Shannon to taker the win, with the first three covered by just 0.08sec. Rees and Dare won the other races.

- © Fairfax NZ News