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Aotea Electric Riverside Speedway is set to host its first meeting of 2024 this Saturday, but race fans are still talking about the Christmas Championship meeting which took place between Christmas and New Year.
The meeting, which was scheduled to be the fireworks meeting, was at risk when, just days before the event, the fireworks supplier pulled out.
This left the club with a headache leading into what would usually be the biggest meeting of the year, all the hard work had gone in, promotional money had been spent and the big drawcard wasn't going to happen.
The club decided to push on with the event and welcomed burnout cars and rally cars as entertainment, and they worked a treat as the club hosted its biggest crowd of the season, locals and holidaymakers enjoying a great day’s racing in the Southland sunshine, coming out in droves to support the club.
Winners across the various grades were Jaxyn Houtos, of Christchurch, in Youth Ministocks, Lachie Robertson, of Invercargill, in Youth Saloons, Casey McEwan, of Cromwell, in Stockcars, Harrison Brown, of Invercargill, in Six Shooters, Aaron Brookland, of Dunedin, in Production Saloons, Graham Williamson, of Invercargill, in Saloons and Jareb Verdoner, of Dunedin, in Streetstocks.
This Saturday the club will host Southland Champs for visiting Youth Ministocks which doubles as a round of the Pits Media Challenge, a good field of cars is expected to run for these titles.
The meeting also sees the popular Stockcar grade run their Southland Championship; the biff and barge nature of this grade should lead to an interesting championship with several travelling drivers from out of town rumoured to be entering.
Support classes see Youth Saloons, Production Saloons and Six Shooters lining up to battle it out.
Racing gets under way at 2pm with public gates opening at noon.
- By Daryl Shuttleworth