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Palmerston North kicks off National Midget Car Series.

Round 1 of the $130,00 2009-2010 Samsung National Midget Car Series roars into life November 21st at the Palmerston North Showgrounds. A full field of cars is expected to contest the 2nd annual Manawatu Midget Car Classic.

Defending race and NMCS champion Michael Pickens leads the field and will aiming to bring the house down once again after one of the great drives in last seasons race. Pickens stormed from the back of the field twice during that race and will be a firm favourite heading into this year’s event. He won't have things all his own way as current NZ number two Brad Mosen has a complete new car and motor package to challenge Pickens. A Hawk Chevy engine replaces his old Mopar power-plant and the Mosen team have high expectations.

Carl Worboys, last seasons runner up in the NMCS, will also be aiming to go one better this season. An early season change of chassis last year saw Carl run right up front and there is no doubt he will be at the pointy end of the field.

Lance Beale heads a line up from the HLR stable, which includes the up and coming Hayden Williams who has risen from the TQ ranks.

Jody Vincent of the Porsche series fame may also appear in the opener and will be one to keep an eye on. Former NZ Champion Matt Thompson hits the comeback trail and will be a major threat on the smooth and fast Palmerston North surface.

Former NZ Champion Shaun Insley changes to a Spike Chassis for the coming season and 5-time NZ champion Michael Kendall hops back into a Terminator chassis, which has bought him huge success in the past. Other notables to head to Palmerston North will be Bill Clarkson Jnr, Dave Gick, and Chris McCutcheon.

Stratford star Duane Hickman has signed on to the series and will be major threats after his big win in the opening night at Stratford Speedway.

A newcomer to the series is Gavin Quinn who will be piloting his Hawk powered Spike and Craig Steinbring also joins the NMCS ranks. And one to watch out for will be Brian Edwards, a minisprint star, who will assume the Wayne “Grengo” Green Breka for the NMCS rounds.

So a stellar field will be heading south to contest what will be another memorable night of Midget Car Racing. Palmerston North Showgrounds, November 21st 2009.

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Sprintcars Set To Star At Springs
3 Nov 2009

With the opening night of Western Springs Speedway’s 80th season fast approaching, Auckland’s spectacular Sprintcars are ready to do battle on the iconic quarter-mile.

A fantastic line-up of close to twenty of the spectacular 800 plus horsepower winged Sprintcars will grace the Western Springs clay for the majority of the 09/10 Ampro Tools Season, headed by returning National Champion Dean Brindle in the #1NZ Traffic Management J&J. Tauranga based Brindle is sure to be challenged at The Springs though by any number of Auckland stars.

Eight – times NZ Sprintcar Champ Alan Wakeling, former NZ Champ and defending Western Springs Track Champion Carl Wilson, another former NZ Champ Jamie McDonald, current 3NZ Greg Pickerill, and fast rising star Ryan O’Connor will make sure that Brindle will have to work hard for his wins, with Hans Boere, Daniel Eggleton, Raymond Griiffin, and Mark ‘Curly’ Browne certainly all featuring in the mix as well.

O’Connor has just spent six weeks in the US crewing for World of Outlaws star and regular NZ tourist Joey Saldana, and has come back to NZ with renewed confidence and knowledge gleamed from the trip with one of USA’s best. A rookie last season , O’Connor won his first ever Sprintcar feature at Western Springs towards the end of the 08/09 campaign, driving the Salter Motorsport/Yale Forklifts #8 Maxim. Profloors will sponsor the team for 09/10.

Carl Wilson (#56 Marley/Chesters J&J) has been racing in the ultra competitive Queensland Championship over the last six weeks in Australia, driving for a local car owner at Brisbane International Speedway, so already has more laps under his belt than his rivals, heading into the new NZ season.

Wakeling returns to action in the Koken Tools/Ampro #27 XXX chassis, and there aren’t too many that have more laps or more wins in Sprintcars at Western Springs than the ever popular ‘Wakeo’. Former International Series Champion Greg Pickerill also has many laps on the Western Springs clay and will also return to action in the Century Batteries #3NZ Maxim.

Jamie McDonald has one of the best presented teams in the sport, and after a disappointing couple of seasons affected by chassis destroying crashes, McDonald will want more wins to add to his tally at The Springs in the Makita Tools/Wynns #71 J&J machine.

Griffin (#11 Profreight/Salter Cartage Maxim) and Brown (#21 Kennys Bar & Grill/Hytorq Maxim) have both purchased new Maxim chassis’ over the winter, and looked good at practice last weekend along with Boere in the Future Cuisine #35 J&J, and Eggleton in the Vazey Trucks/Totalspan #78 Maxim.

Havard Daniels has purchased the ex Ron Salter #63 Maxim, and should be ready for opening night with his familiar #9 adorning the car, as will the returning Adam Childs in a former Daniels J&J racing as #23. Former NZ Modified Champ Allan Haigh will again race the #59 Spotlight Systems/Haigh Engineering Eagle out of Western Springs. Cromwells Jason Scott will also make some appearances in the #88T XXX, just like last season. Glenn Torpey has been one of the big improvers over the couple of seasons and will again race the familiar #4 Mitre 10 Mega Maxim.

New names to join the Auckland ranks this summer will be South Island Sprintcar Champ Karen Forsey in the stunning #48T KFR Maxim, along with Sprintcar Rookie Chris Long in a new J&J, running Woodstock Bourbon colours on the #72 machine.

Last but certainly not least, another one of the big improvers from the last couple of season’s, Jeremy Halpin will debut a new colour scheme on his #96 Eagle. Hydraulink and Porter Hire will appear on the car this season, but the biggest news for the team will be the appearance of the #0USA Maxim driven by California’s Jonathan Allard for the majority of the season at Western Springs, also running in Hydraulink and Porter Hire colours. Allard was spectacular here last season in his second visit Downunder to NZ, and won over many fans on the tour with his spectacular, no holds barred driving style. And finally, on the subject of fast Americans, also look out for Ricky Logan to also feature for the majority of the season again here in NZ, based out of Western Springs, in the Keith Simpson owned #10 Lucas Oils J&J.

All in all, a fantastic line-up of Sprintcar regulars at Western Springs for the new 09/10 season, maintaining the status of The Springs having the toughest week to week drivers lineup featured anywhere in NZ.

Meeting #1 for the 09/10 Ampro Tools Season at Western Springs Speedway is on Saturday night, November 7. Gates open at 5.30pm, with racing starting at 6.45pm.

Western Springs Speedway – Since 1929

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