1st February 2003

Saturday 1st February,  After a 4 hour tow to Mount Maunganui we arrived at about 4.30pm to the Todd and Pollock Speedway (Baypark Speedway) where this was the big one for the Limited Saloons for 2003, the running of the Unofficial NZ Limited Saloon Champs.

We learnt on arriving, when we drove through the entry pit gate that there were 36 cars entered from Stratford Speedway, Waikaraka Park Speedway Auckland, Huntly Speedway, Baypark Speedway, and myself from Gisborne Speedway. We drew the Blue Group which had a lot of good cars, the likes of last years winner  48m Phil Towgood, 24m Paul Roia, 26a Brian Noble and Tiger Woods caddy Steve Williams just to name a few. The format of the nights racing was you drew your first heat then on 18 cars was were you drew race 2, then the highest points from both groups designates where you start in the last race which was run over 25 laps to find the Unofficial NZ Limited Saloon winner. 

Race 1, we drew grid 11 and outside me on grid 12 was 26a Brian Noble and up ahead were a lot of good cars. The track looked pretty good at the start but as the race continued it got slick. A few laps into the race I  started to get on the pace  and slipped up into 8th place passing 45m Paul Cressey and John McClymont 71m  on the outside, obviously this was the place to be. We passed another 3 cars putting me into 5th place where I finished, as I was going into the pits I noticed that my car sounded quite loud and not running on song, so we checked the leads on the dissy cap and the exhaust manifold but they seemed ok.  

Race 2, we started on grid 8. Before the race we changed the setup on the car for a slick track,  I knew to be up the front in the last final I had to make up a lot of ground. We started the race and I was on the case right away passing 2 cars down the start finish straight putting me into 6th place, by this time the outside line looked like it was quite slick so I decided to stay down low and coming through turns 3 and 4 I tucked under 21m and 15h Robin Greenland putting me into 3rd place. My car at this stage was sounding like a Massey Fergusson tractor but we kept on the pace, and with 2 laps to go 24m Paul Roia and 17m went passed me through turns 3 and 4 putting me back to 6th place and that's where we ended up at the finish. 

Race 3, Well this was the big one, 25 laps to find the Champ. Twenty six cars took to the track for the last race of the night and I drew grid 9. On grid 1 was 48m Phil Towgood (last years winner), on Grid 2 was 24m Paul Roia, Grid 3 was 97a Robin Thomas, and on Grid 4 was 14m Geoff Kaye, Grid 5 was 99m Steve Walling. This race was going to be an effort for me from grid 9 there were a lot of good cars up front. The race started and it was follow the leader for the first 4 laps then there was the first (one of 4 yellow lights). We did about 3 laps under the yellow and all the cars were running up high, the green light came on and 21m Steve Williams (who I found was right behind me) tried to get the sling shot coming off turn 4 but I kept my foot into it and bet him into turn 1, this was obviously going to be a tough race, no one was going to give an inch. Eight laps into the race and on came the second yellow light, a couple of cars spinning up through turns 3 and 4, so we did another 3 laps on yellow and onto the green and 21m Steve Williams was trying to do the inside pass again but I kept my foot into it and bet him again, this was going to be a race in itself. All the cars looked like driving down low so I decided to go up high to get further ahead but that wasn't to be it was way to slick so we came back down onto pole line. We were on about lap 15 of 25 and on came the yellow lights for the 3rd time, another 3 laps on the yellow and we were back racing and I bet Steve Williams into turn 1 again, by this time I thought he must be getting frustrated. The race was getting to be a one lane traffic, we were at about lap 22 when another caution light came on, so on the 3 lap of the yellows they let us go and all of a sudden  I got a big shunt in the rear and 21m Steve Williams took me out to the wall a bit and he shot down the inside along with another car putting me back to 11th place another 2 laps and 21m had a right front puncture putting him back in the field.

The race was over and I finished in 11th place a lot worse then last years 4th. Pual Roia 24m went on to beat Phil Towgood for 1st place and 3rd place went to 99m Steve Walling, overall a good meeting once again and if SNZ gave the Limited's their own New Zealand Champs we would have probably 60+cars.

The car finished with the rear bumper half gone and the fibreglass broken on the rear and one of my mufflers had a huge hole torn out of it. I will be on holiday on the Gold Coast for 16 days and the next meeting is the Gisborne Limited Saloon Champs on the 22nd February at Gisborne Pak n Save Speedway.

Good racing everybody,

Cheers Doug