Motor Sport
Two Southland Championships were on the line on Saturday night at The Rock FM Riverside Speedway with the vacant Streetstock title and Saloons which local driver Lloyd Phillips has had a mortgage on for the last three years.
A strong field of streetstocks were entered for the event with a number of Dunedin cars making the trip South to chase the silverware, reigning champion Arnie Tuhura wasn’t on hand to defend his title, meaning a new champ would be crowned.
After two heat races it was a three way battle with Mark Henderson just one point ahead of Andrew Watson and Dunedin’s Mark Hoatten a further four points back. Henderson started mid pack but by turn one he had moved up to third and picked off the leaders to be head of the pack, Watson meanwhile was buried back in fifth and got attacked by Graeme McKernan causing a spin that ultimately cost him any chance of claiming the championship. This spin put Watson well down the order allowing Hoatten to move up the order and slip up to second.
Henderson drove off to win the championship with ease, second was Hoatten and Watson third.
In Saloons Lloyd Phillips had won this championship three years running and despite now racing Super Saloons he decided to get back in his Saloon and attempt four in a row. Heat races were won by Cromwell drivers Craig Davies and Ivan Murdoch, while Phillips managed a race in heat two. Terry Soper of Dunedin was consistent with two seconds and a third placing putting both him and Phillips first equal at the conclusion of the event. A possible start line infringement was investigated, this would have handed the championship to Soper, but Phillips was found not to have done wrong and this led to a two car run off for first and second, with Murdoch having already claimed third.
The run off was off the hook, with both drivers running wheel to wheel, Phillips held advantage but Soper looked likely to take the lead before both cars made contact causing Soper to spin. The run off was restarted and Phillips once again took an early lead, Soper threw everything at Phillips but spun with a lap to run, handing the title to Phillips making it four championships in a row, and a very special moment with the passing of Phillips father Ray just a week earlier giving him plenty of incentive to take the emotional win, a very fitting moment for the entire Phillips family.
Production Saloons run a blind best pairs championship, Daniel Rolton and Tam Clements took victory in this.
The club only has a week to regroup with a big Sunday coming up, Super Saloons from around the South Island will converge on Invercargill to compete for the Southland Super Saloon Championship, the re-running of the Southland Modified Sprints is also featuring on the action packed programme, with a 2pm start.