Motor Sport
Open Wheel classes will run for championship glory as The Riverside Speedway kick off their first meeting of 2018.
The Southland Title will be on the line for Modified Sprints, a title vacant due to not being contested last season, and it would take a brave man to pick a winner with the mixed bag of results this season to date.
Youngster Luke Shearing won the Christmas Championship and an on track infringement cost him victory in the Brett Cooper Memorial in November, this would almost see him as favourite heading into this event. Shearing will be tested by Vaughan Marshall who has been achieving success around the South Island in recent months and also Mike Jackson who has collected a number of race wins throughout the early stages of the season.
Six Shooter will also run for the Southland Title and it would be hard to look past Raymond Phillips, fresh off the back of a successful campaign in Cromwell over the Christmas period. Teenager Jack Brown was also a trophy winner in Cromwell and has pushed Phillips hard in recent events, Brown could stake his claim to the Southland Title but will need to bring his “A” game this Saturday.
Duane Cracknell and Shanarrah Stronach are also more that capable of causing an upset in the Six Shooter class, and visiting drivers from Cromwell could also feature in this championship.
Saloons will be racing for best pairs honours, and large fields of support classes are expected, especially in Streetstocks where this will be the last hit out before the Cleanways 2003 Ltd New Zealand Streetstock Championship at Riverside the following weekend.
Race day details:
- Racing gets underway this Saturday at 4pm
By Daryl Shuttleworth
Photos: Corbyn Shuttleworth