Speedway series announced

Press, 21 September 1977, Page 40

Speedway series announced

PA Auckland Eight leading resident New Zealand speedway motorcyclists will contest a special speedway series next season, ending with the grand final in Auckland on December 26. The contest, to be known as the Chevette Grand National series, will begin with qualifying rounds before the eight qualifiers line up for the first round in Christchurch on November 26. The second round will be

1 held in Wellington on] December 3, the third in r Napier on December 10 and| - the fourth and penultimate i I round in Hamilton on De-! ,'cember 17. II The eight finalists will be .(the leading two qualifiers: i from Christchurch, Welling-' 1 ton, Napier and the Auc nd i provincial area. Mr George Tervit, direc-j s tor of Speedway Track Proi motions, Ltd, believes the r contest—the winner will receive a $5OOO car from the 5 sponsors—should be an ideal

event for such local men as John Goodall, of Auckland, and the Christchurch men, i Larry Ross and Graham I Stapleton. “It’s the biggest thing for local riders we have ever jhad,” said Mr Tervit, who 'also announced that the New Zealand world champion, jlvan Mauger, would be I arriving in January to make a New Zealand tour. Mauger, who is not eligible for the new series as he lives in Britain, will seek an automatic seeding to the intercontinental final in September of next year. This bid will be supported by the Speedway Promoters

Association of New Zealand, but if successful it would mean that Mr Tervit would

i be without his top drawcard , for the. Australasian final at . Western Springs on Febru--1 ary 18. It was in this same event r early in 1976 that Mauger r had to ride furiously on the: ) Springs track to qualify for! r the intercontinental event.] , He just made it in his last s heat. i Barry Briggs, a former New Zealand world cham- ; pion, is expected to appear at s the February 18 meeting. The - New Zealand qualifiers will - emerge from the national -finals in Wellington on February 11.