Last of season’s speedway races

Press, 6 March 1984, Page 25

Last of season’s speedway races

The final meeting of the season, raced yesterday afternoon at Lucas Batteries speedway, was spoiled by poor track conditions, partly brought about by the warm weather, and this made racing, especi,ally for the car classes, difficult.

Most of the action came in the running of the Canterbury Solo Championships, and a special match race between a former world speedway champion, Barry Briggs, and New Zealand Sprintcar titleholder, Roger Gleeson. The Canterbury championship was run along different lines this season with each rider having two qualifying races and from there two semi-finals and a final, the winner taking the provincial title.

Alan Mason, winner of the title for the last two seasons again looked like retaining the trophy easily, going through his two heats and semi-final unbeaten. Max Brown also won his two qualifying heats before being beaten by Mason in the first semi-final. Young Darren Hopewell, in his first season of racing, led both Mason and Brown from the gate before Mason got by on the Prison bend and then a lap later Brown passed Hopewell going down the pit straiglrt. The other semi-final was won by Graham Taylor from Alan Crosbie and Lance Begbie. Alan Fisher was a surprise non-qualifier for the final but easily won the consolation. Mason reared at the start, in the final and found himself in fifth place, behind Begbie, Crosbie, Brown and Taylor. As Brown hit the front, early on

the second lap Mason was quickly making up lost ground and was in third place with half the race completed. Mason then claimed second place, passing Begbie on the inside coming out of the Town bend and then tried to close on Brown who had opened up a substantial lead. With Brown having the race sewn up Mason’s bike slowed on the last bend and allowed Begbie and Taylor through. It was Brown’s first win in the championships after having gone close on three previous occasions.

Barry Briggs easily won the special challenge series against Gleeson, winning the first two of the best of three races, after Gleeson twice spun his CRC machine. Gleeson seemed to have the first race won only to spin on the final lap. The poor track conditions again proved Gleeson’s undoing in the second run and twice the New Zealand champion spun, at this stage both competitors were about even.

The former New Zealand three-quarter midget champion retained the Dave Elie Memorial Trophy, raced over 15 laps. After several rivals spun on the opening laps Beach took the lead with three laps gone and increased his lead with each lap. Stuart Bufton was second with Ron Carwood third.

During the meeting some of the old machinery and competitors that have raced on the Christchurch Speedway Association track during the last 21 years again took to the track in several demonstrations.