NELSON TIGERS
SUPERSTOCK TEAM
welcome to the
Nelson Tigers Superstock Team
2009 - 2010 Season
2 March 2010
At a meeting tonight the Tigers team voted not to attend the Teams Nationals in Rotorua on 12 and 13 March 2010.
A multitude of reasons e.g. work commitments, travel arrangements and not having a full team available, has contributed to our decision.
The Tigers thank Rotorua for inviting them to attend and wish the Rotorua Club every success for the meeting.
A multitude of reasons e.g. work commitments, travel arrangements and not having a full team available, has contributed to our decision.
The Tigers thank Rotorua for inviting them to attend and wish the Rotorua Club every success for the meeting.
28 February 2010
"Congratulations Brendan Higgins - 1NZ"
Defending 3NZ Brendan Higgins is the new NZ Superstock Champ. Tied on points with Bevan Humphries at the end of the three Finals heats, Higgy won the run-off to secure 1NZ.
Congratulations also to Shane Harwood, Brett Nicholls and Craig Boote for qualifying for the Finals, and to defending 2NZ Dale Ewers who only just missed out qualifying after mechanical problems in his first heat resulted in a DNF.
Congratulations also to Shane Harwood, Brett Nicholls and Craig Boote for qualifying for the Finals, and to defending 2NZ Dale Ewers who only just missed out qualifying after mechanical problems in his first heat resulted in a DNF.
8 February 2010
Painting the town orange
By PETE MCNAE - The Nelson Mail
Painting the town orange
By PETE MCNAE - The Nelson Mail
Call it an omen or an idea whose time had come. This was the Chinese Year of the Tiger and that became the mantra and motivational message for the Nelson Tigers Superstock drivers at the 2010 ENZED Teams Champs in Palmerston North at the weekend.
And when the Nelson drivers parked their battered cars and ran a victory lap of Robertson Holden International Speedway at 11pm on Saturday, Chinese philosopher Confucius might have wanted to impart his own wisdom: "Never try to pass Brendan Higgins on the outside".
The veteran Superstock teams racer was in the form of his life as the Tigers won just the second teams champs title in their long history, a decade on from their breakthrough win in the 2000 season. They had come desperately close on other occasions, losing the final last summer to the Palmerston North Panthers as the home team stacked up their fourth title in a row.
After qualifying on top of the table on Friday, Nelson knew that any path to the trophy would have to take them through Palmerston North. In qualifying third, the Panthers created a semi-final matchup against Nelson that would have stood up as the final in any other year. The Tigers knew that to beat the most formidable line-up in teams racing, they couldn't just race with the Panthers, they had to "smash the P".
"We had to take it to them," Higgins said as he and his team-mates were swamped in a sea of orange-clad supporters after the meeting. "Running with them was never going to be good enough, we had to take cars out to turn the odds in our favour."
Those odds shifted somewhat in the warm-up laps when Tigers captain Dale Ewers had his car coast to a stop with a fuel pump failure. Reserve Blair Cunningham took his place on the grid as a distressed Ewers watched from the infield.
"It's never good to see your main guy in the middle, but Blair slotted in and we stuck to the plan," Higgins said.
That plan involved Shane Harwood pushing for the lead as the other three Tigers targeted the black and gold cars of the home team. Peter Rees took an early lead for the Panthers but his race ended when he tangled with Harwood in the grandstand straight and rolled his car. But Nelson lost Cunningham at the same time, a hit on Peter Bengston breaking a battery terminal and stopping his 86N Tank.
While Harwood was setting the pace, there was nothing in it until Higgins began his seek-and-destroy mission. He held up Shane Penn's car for Harwood to deliver a hammer blow, then ripped the steering out of Bengston's car with a full-speed impact. With Harwood scooting towards victory, Higgins and Daryl Peterson - Nelson's two survivors from the champion 2000 team - put the squeeze on Scott Miers' Tank, eventually tipping it over in turn two.
With Penn's car crippled, Harwood led a 165-0 sweep that ended the Panthers' formidable reign and set Nelson up for a place in the final. Their opponents were the Great Britain Lions, surprise conquerors of Waikato in the second semi-final. Although the British had made a fine impression in just their second season in Palmerston North, Panthers captain Miers had no doubt which team would win the final. "This one is going to Nelson," he told the capacity crowd of 15,000.
And so it proved, Ewers reclaiming his place in the starting line-up and leading Nelson to the title, three laps clear of the closest chaser, Tigers team-mate Peterson.
The old stagers were again in devastating blocking form, Higgins drilling UK champion Frankie Wainman as Peterson took out frontrunner Craig Finnikin before slotting in ahead of Ewers to clear the route home.
The race was done as a contest when Higgins had his path blocked by Tom Harris but drove his car up and over the front of the Englishman's car, powering out the other side as the Brit's car was towed off with a disabled engine.
"There's a heap of luck involved. Any one of those hits could have flattened tyres or broken something but the car just kept climbing over things," Higgins said.
"The plan tonight was to hit anything that moved, hit hard and don't give guys a chance to come back and punish us. It's a risk if it goes wrong but it paid off."
Ewers was just pleased to have been a part of the victory after the frustration of missing the semi-final.
"It won't sink in for a while. This has been such a strong motivating factor in my racing and something that hadn't worked out for me until now, so it is going to take a while to absorb," he said.
"I just couldn't believe it when the car died before the semi but the guys did the job and my car was fresh for the final."
Driving Ewers' second car, Peterson provided an ingredient missing in previous campaigns. While he left the king hits to Higgins, Peterson's teams racing nous showed as he set opponents up for the hit before changing roles to protect Nelson's runners. Harwood and Cunningham each played vital parts, Harwood taking the semi-final win before blocking in the final.
The younger duo will be crucial to the Tigers' defence next season. While Ewers is determined to return to Arena Manawatu, Peterson is ambivalent and Higgins is planning to step aside.
"The car needs to be sold," he said. "There's too much money involved and I've got a young family and can't go getting hurt so that's it for me, I think."
Ewers would love to have his lieutenants alongside him on February 4 and 5 next year.
"Hig and Fatty [Peterson] are absolute champions at this type of racing, not just in words but real champions," he said. "The whole group has a lot to be proud of.
"This time last year, I was apologising to the fans for the poor effort we gave in the final but there's a lot of very, very happy people in orange here tonight."
The Tigers beat Christchurch 185-10 and Rotorua 165-30 on Friday with one opposing car finishing each race. They trounced the Panthers 165-0 in their Saturday semi-final, while Wainman was the only British driver still mobile after the final.
The Nelson Tigers are sponsored by the Stables Restaurant and Bar, Bays Breweries, Discover New Zealand Motorhomes, Collision Centre (Richmond) and the Nelson Speedway Association.
And when the Nelson drivers parked their battered cars and ran a victory lap of Robertson Holden International Speedway at 11pm on Saturday, Chinese philosopher Confucius might have wanted to impart his own wisdom: "Never try to pass Brendan Higgins on the outside".
The veteran Superstock teams racer was in the form of his life as the Tigers won just the second teams champs title in their long history, a decade on from their breakthrough win in the 2000 season. They had come desperately close on other occasions, losing the final last summer to the Palmerston North Panthers as the home team stacked up their fourth title in a row.
After qualifying on top of the table on Friday, Nelson knew that any path to the trophy would have to take them through Palmerston North. In qualifying third, the Panthers created a semi-final matchup against Nelson that would have stood up as the final in any other year. The Tigers knew that to beat the most formidable line-up in teams racing, they couldn't just race with the Panthers, they had to "smash the P".
"We had to take it to them," Higgins said as he and his team-mates were swamped in a sea of orange-clad supporters after the meeting. "Running with them was never going to be good enough, we had to take cars out to turn the odds in our favour."
Those odds shifted somewhat in the warm-up laps when Tigers captain Dale Ewers had his car coast to a stop with a fuel pump failure. Reserve Blair Cunningham took his place on the grid as a distressed Ewers watched from the infield.
"It's never good to see your main guy in the middle, but Blair slotted in and we stuck to the plan," Higgins said.
That plan involved Shane Harwood pushing for the lead as the other three Tigers targeted the black and gold cars of the home team. Peter Rees took an early lead for the Panthers but his race ended when he tangled with Harwood in the grandstand straight and rolled his car. But Nelson lost Cunningham at the same time, a hit on Peter Bengston breaking a battery terminal and stopping his 86N Tank.
While Harwood was setting the pace, there was nothing in it until Higgins began his seek-and-destroy mission. He held up Shane Penn's car for Harwood to deliver a hammer blow, then ripped the steering out of Bengston's car with a full-speed impact. With Harwood scooting towards victory, Higgins and Daryl Peterson - Nelson's two survivors from the champion 2000 team - put the squeeze on Scott Miers' Tank, eventually tipping it over in turn two.
With Penn's car crippled, Harwood led a 165-0 sweep that ended the Panthers' formidable reign and set Nelson up for a place in the final. Their opponents were the Great Britain Lions, surprise conquerors of Waikato in the second semi-final. Although the British had made a fine impression in just their second season in Palmerston North, Panthers captain Miers had no doubt which team would win the final. "This one is going to Nelson," he told the capacity crowd of 15,000.
And so it proved, Ewers reclaiming his place in the starting line-up and leading Nelson to the title, three laps clear of the closest chaser, Tigers team-mate Peterson.
The old stagers were again in devastating blocking form, Higgins drilling UK champion Frankie Wainman as Peterson took out frontrunner Craig Finnikin before slotting in ahead of Ewers to clear the route home.
The race was done as a contest when Higgins had his path blocked by Tom Harris but drove his car up and over the front of the Englishman's car, powering out the other side as the Brit's car was towed off with a disabled engine.
"There's a heap of luck involved. Any one of those hits could have flattened tyres or broken something but the car just kept climbing over things," Higgins said.
"The plan tonight was to hit anything that moved, hit hard and don't give guys a chance to come back and punish us. It's a risk if it goes wrong but it paid off."
Ewers was just pleased to have been a part of the victory after the frustration of missing the semi-final.
"It won't sink in for a while. This has been such a strong motivating factor in my racing and something that hadn't worked out for me until now, so it is going to take a while to absorb," he said.
"I just couldn't believe it when the car died before the semi but the guys did the job and my car was fresh for the final."
Driving Ewers' second car, Peterson provided an ingredient missing in previous campaigns. While he left the king hits to Higgins, Peterson's teams racing nous showed as he set opponents up for the hit before changing roles to protect Nelson's runners. Harwood and Cunningham each played vital parts, Harwood taking the semi-final win before blocking in the final.
The younger duo will be crucial to the Tigers' defence next season. While Ewers is determined to return to Arena Manawatu, Peterson is ambivalent and Higgins is planning to step aside.
"The car needs to be sold," he said. "There's too much money involved and I've got a young family and can't go getting hurt so that's it for me, I think."
Ewers would love to have his lieutenants alongside him on February 4 and 5 next year.
"Hig and Fatty [Peterson] are absolute champions at this type of racing, not just in words but real champions," he said. "The whole group has a lot to be proud of.
"This time last year, I was apologising to the fans for the poor effort we gave in the final but there's a lot of very, very happy people in orange here tonight."
The Tigers beat Christchurch 185-10 and Rotorua 165-30 on Friday with one opposing car finishing each race. They trounced the Panthers 165-0 in their Saturday semi-final, while Wainman was the only British driver still mobile after the final.
The Nelson Tigers are sponsored by the Stables Restaurant and Bar, Bays Breweries, Discover New Zealand Motorhomes, Collision Centre (Richmond) and the Nelson Speedway Association.
6 February 2010
"TIGERS WIN PALMY SUPERSTOCK TEAMS CHAMPS"
The Nelson Tigers followed up an emphatic win over the Palmerston North Panthers in the Semi Finals to defeat the British Lions in the Final to take out the Palmerston North Superstock Teams Champs.
5 February 2010
Top Tigers to meet tough Panthers
By PETER McNAE - The Nelson Mail
Top Tigers to meet tough Panthers
By PETER McNAE - The Nelson Mail
The Nelson Tigers might just have been too good for their own good in Palmerston North last night.
In dominating qualifying at the 2010 ENZED Superstock Teams Champs, they not only alerted their rivals to their talent and form, but they earned a semi final matchup tonight against the standout team in the sport.
Second-ranked Nelson amassed 340 of a possible 370 points in their two races at Robertson Holden International Speedway, humiliating Canterbury and backing that up with a big win over a strong Rotorua team. Their reward, as top qualifiers, is to meet the Palmerston North Panthers in tonight's first semi final. The Panthers have won the last four titles on the trot and are the subject of a TV3 documentary which will screen in a fortnight from now. They slipped back to third place in qualifying after a contentious result in their first race saw them relegated to second behind a Waikato driver when it appeared Wayne Hemi had won the race for the Panthers. Needing to score heavily to advance in tier one tonight, Palmerston North swept Auckland, taking the first four placings.
Nelson had earlier done the same against Christchurch for a 185-10 victory, while they took first, second, fourth and fifth in the race against Rotorua's Rebels.
Second qualifiers, 25 points adrift of the Tigers, were the British Lions, consisting of Great Britain drivers competing in borrowed New Zealand Superstocks. After finishing third overall on debut last season, most fans thought the Lions would struggle without the element of surprise this time around but newcomer Craig Finnikin led them to victories over Auckland and the Manawatu Mustangs, a strong second lineup out of Palmerston North.
The UK team will take on Waikato in the second semi final tonight with the winner to meet the team that advances from the Tigers-Panthers matchup.
Nelson will be pleased with their night's work. They showed strong team work, good pace and an astute feel for the changing roles in a teams race.
The Christchurch contest was over early when Daryl Peterson's early hit took out Andrew Good and Dale Ewers targeted Malcolm Ngatai. A moment of hotheadedness saw Canterbury's Brad Rosewarne run on to the infield to take a swipe at Peterson and he was later excluded from the race and the meeting. With two cars down, the Canterbury Glen Eagles were in trouble and they lost a third car when Ewers put a hefty shot on Jason Smith in turn two, Smith requiring medical attention as a result.
Shane Harwood had an untroubled run at the front of the field, with Brendan Higgins crossing for second, Ewers third and Peterson in fourth. Ngatai was the only Canterbury driver to finish, Ewers gaining some measure of revenge for a hit earlier in the season when he collected Ngatai in turn four and rubbed him along the wall.
Rotorua, who had surprisingly lost their opening race to Stratford, loomed as a stronger opponent, but Nelson's teams racing experience shone through with Blair Cunningham initially taking the lead, then dropping back into a block role with Higgins and Peterson, allowing Ewers a run to the flag. Peterson had an especially effective race, targeting Rotorua's faster cars as Higgins and Cunningham picked off the stragglers. Ewers and Peterson took the quinella for the Tigers with Higgins fourth and Cunningham fifth.
Biggest crash of the evening came when Waikato's Karl Ross clipped the corner of a stationary car and rolled his Chev V8 twice in turn three, while Auckland's Trevor Mason also managed to turn turtle when he slid sideways into parked team-mate Darryl Hammond and flipped over.
The Nelson Tigers are supported by the Stables Restaurant and Bar, Bays Breweries, Discover New Zealand Motorhomes, Collision Centre (Richmond), and the Nelson Speedway Association.
In dominating qualifying at the 2010 ENZED Superstock Teams Champs, they not only alerted their rivals to their talent and form, but they earned a semi final matchup tonight against the standout team in the sport.
Second-ranked Nelson amassed 340 of a possible 370 points in their two races at Robertson Holden International Speedway, humiliating Canterbury and backing that up with a big win over a strong Rotorua team. Their reward, as top qualifiers, is to meet the Palmerston North Panthers in tonight's first semi final. The Panthers have won the last four titles on the trot and are the subject of a TV3 documentary which will screen in a fortnight from now. They slipped back to third place in qualifying after a contentious result in their first race saw them relegated to second behind a Waikato driver when it appeared Wayne Hemi had won the race for the Panthers. Needing to score heavily to advance in tier one tonight, Palmerston North swept Auckland, taking the first four placings.
Nelson had earlier done the same against Christchurch for a 185-10 victory, while they took first, second, fourth and fifth in the race against Rotorua's Rebels.
Second qualifiers, 25 points adrift of the Tigers, were the British Lions, consisting of Great Britain drivers competing in borrowed New Zealand Superstocks. After finishing third overall on debut last season, most fans thought the Lions would struggle without the element of surprise this time around but newcomer Craig Finnikin led them to victories over Auckland and the Manawatu Mustangs, a strong second lineup out of Palmerston North.
The UK team will take on Waikato in the second semi final tonight with the winner to meet the team that advances from the Tigers-Panthers matchup.
Nelson will be pleased with their night's work. They showed strong team work, good pace and an astute feel for the changing roles in a teams race.
The Christchurch contest was over early when Daryl Peterson's early hit took out Andrew Good and Dale Ewers targeted Malcolm Ngatai. A moment of hotheadedness saw Canterbury's Brad Rosewarne run on to the infield to take a swipe at Peterson and he was later excluded from the race and the meeting. With two cars down, the Canterbury Glen Eagles were in trouble and they lost a third car when Ewers put a hefty shot on Jason Smith in turn two, Smith requiring medical attention as a result.
Shane Harwood had an untroubled run at the front of the field, with Brendan Higgins crossing for second, Ewers third and Peterson in fourth. Ngatai was the only Canterbury driver to finish, Ewers gaining some measure of revenge for a hit earlier in the season when he collected Ngatai in turn four and rubbed him along the wall.
Rotorua, who had surprisingly lost their opening race to Stratford, loomed as a stronger opponent, but Nelson's teams racing experience shone through with Blair Cunningham initially taking the lead, then dropping back into a block role with Higgins and Peterson, allowing Ewers a run to the flag. Peterson had an especially effective race, targeting Rotorua's faster cars as Higgins and Cunningham picked off the stragglers. Ewers and Peterson took the quinella for the Tigers with Higgins fourth and Cunningham fifth.
Biggest crash of the evening came when Waikato's Karl Ross clipped the corner of a stationary car and rolled his Chev V8 twice in turn three, while Auckland's Trevor Mason also managed to turn turtle when he slid sideways into parked team-mate Darryl Hammond and flipped over.
The Nelson Tigers are supported by the Stables Restaurant and Bar, Bays Breweries, Discover New Zealand Motorhomes, Collision Centre (Richmond), and the Nelson Speedway Association.
Tigers v Glen Eagles
Finishing Order: 84n, 81n, 85n, 82n, 72c
Points: Tigers 185, Glen Eagles 10
Tigers v Rebels
Finishing Order: 85n, 82n, 16r, 81n, 19r
Points: Tigers 160, Rebels 35
Qualifying Points
Nelson Tigers: 345
British Lions: 315
Palmerston North Panthers: 270
Waikato Wanderers: 230
Hawkes Bay Hawkeyes: 215
Manawatu Mustangs: 205
Stratford Scrappers: 185
Christchurch Glen Eagles: 155
Rotorua Rebels: 100
Kihikihi Kings: 80
Auckland Allstars: 35
Finishing Order: 84n, 81n, 85n, 82n, 72c
Points: Tigers 185, Glen Eagles 10
Tigers v Rebels
Finishing Order: 85n, 82n, 16r, 81n, 19r
Points: Tigers 160, Rebels 35
Qualifying Points
Nelson Tigers: 345
British Lions: 315
Palmerston North Panthers: 270
Waikato Wanderers: 230
Hawkes Bay Hawkeyes: 215
Manawatu Mustangs: 205
Stratford Scrappers: 185
Christchurch Glen Eagles: 155
Rotorua Rebels: 100
Kihikihi Kings: 80
Auckland Allstars: 35
3 February 2010
The Tigers selectors have named their team to contest the Team Champs in Palmerston North on Friday 5 and 6 February as
81N Brendan Higgins
82N Daryl (Fatty) Peterson
84N Shane Harwood
85N Dale Ewers
86N Blair Cunningham
82N Daryl (Fatty) Peterson
84N Shane Harwood
85N Dale Ewers
86N Blair Cunningham
The Tigers meet The Glen Eagles in Race 2 of the programme, followed by the Rotorua Rebels in Race 7.
The Tigers would like to thank their sponsors, Stables Restaurant and Tavern, Discover NZ Motorhomes, Bays Brewery and Collision Centre Richmond, along with the Bluebridge and Palmerston North Motels for their support.
2010 being the Year of the Tiger the team is confident that it will do the business and bring the trophy back to Nelson.
The Tigers would like to thank their sponsors, Stables Restaurant and Tavern, Discover NZ Motorhomes, Bays Brewery and Collision Centre Richmond, along with the Bluebridge and Palmerston North Motels for their support.
2010 being the Year of the Tiger the team is confident that it will do the business and bring the trophy back to Nelson.
3 January 2010
The Tiger's claws were sharper
The Tiger's claws were sharper
The McCall Trophy has been at stake between Nelson's Tigers and the Canterbury Glen Eagles since 1974. It honours former racer, official and club patron Dave McCall.
The Tigers have raced three times this season, sweeping Canterbury at home and away and regaining the Challenge Cup from the Panthers in Palmerston North.
Their next outing is the national event over two days in Palmerston North on February 5-6. Crowds of 15,000-plus attend the meeting, which features 12 teams including one from Great Britain.
The Tigers have won the Palmerston North meeting once, in 2000, and were runnersup to the Panthers last season.
The Nelson team is supported by Collision Centre (Richmond), Discover New Zealand Motorhome Rentals, Bays Brewery, Stables Restaurant and Tavern, the Nelson Speedway Association and the McCall family.
Saturday's rain-shortened meeting prevented the announcement of the winner of the Tigers' 50-50 raffle. The winning ticket was orange diamond 66B.
If glass was allowed at the speedway, it would have been half-full.
On a night when weather, conflicting attractions and a somewhat shaky lead promotion could have rendered the first meeting of 2010 a flop, the team at the Tahuna Beach Holiday Park Speedway managed to put on a successful show on Saturday.
The meeting was bookended by showers, which saw a late start and an early finish. In between times, the Nelson Tigers remained unbeaten in superstock teams racing this season, the stockcar class welcomed a couple of new arrivals and sidecars drew their biggest field of the summer, so far.
The teams race for the McCall Trophy was a lopsided affair, Canterbury's Glen Eagles scrambling to bring together a team of four cars, losing one of them on lap one. Andrew Good spent 12 laps trying to get his car mobile, eventually getting his race underway as Brendan Higgins sewed up the trophy for Nelson. Good was credited with a lap time of 3min 49.77sec, possibly the slowest ever in 40-plus seasons at the speedway.
With the Eagles limping, Nelson took the chance to work on their various roles, Daryl Peterson blocking, Higgins and Shane Harwood running for the flag and Blair Cunningham switching between the two.
Cunningham's steady growth was a positive for the Tigers. After a couple of seasons on the fringes, the young Tank commander put in quick early laps, before returning to the race plan to target Brad Rosewarne and Jason Smith, making for an easy night in front for Nelson's run cars.
Higgins and Harwood were the only two cars on the lead lap, Shane Anderton flying the red and black flag for third ahead of Peterson and Cunningham.
1ST - 81n Brendan Higgins
2ND - 84n Shane Harwood
3RD - 73c Shane Anderton
4TH - 82n Daryl Peterson
5TH - 86n Blair Cunningham
In the night's only open superstock race, three of the Canterbury cars made it onto the grid but couldn't crack the top six as Harwood powered home ahead of Craig Boote and Peterson.
The Tigers have raced three times this season, sweeping Canterbury at home and away and regaining the Challenge Cup from the Panthers in Palmerston North.
Their next outing is the national event over two days in Palmerston North on February 5-6. Crowds of 15,000-plus attend the meeting, which features 12 teams including one from Great Britain.
The Tigers have won the Palmerston North meeting once, in 2000, and were runnersup to the Panthers last season.
The Nelson team is supported by Collision Centre (Richmond), Discover New Zealand Motorhome Rentals, Bays Brewery, Stables Restaurant and Tavern, the Nelson Speedway Association and the McCall family.
Saturday's rain-shortened meeting prevented the announcement of the winner of the Tigers' 50-50 raffle. The winning ticket was orange diamond 66B.
If glass was allowed at the speedway, it would have been half-full.
On a night when weather, conflicting attractions and a somewhat shaky lead promotion could have rendered the first meeting of 2010 a flop, the team at the Tahuna Beach Holiday Park Speedway managed to put on a successful show on Saturday.
The meeting was bookended by showers, which saw a late start and an early finish. In between times, the Nelson Tigers remained unbeaten in superstock teams racing this season, the stockcar class welcomed a couple of new arrivals and sidecars drew their biggest field of the summer, so far.
The teams race for the McCall Trophy was a lopsided affair, Canterbury's Glen Eagles scrambling to bring together a team of four cars, losing one of them on lap one. Andrew Good spent 12 laps trying to get his car mobile, eventually getting his race underway as Brendan Higgins sewed up the trophy for Nelson. Good was credited with a lap time of 3min 49.77sec, possibly the slowest ever in 40-plus seasons at the speedway.
With the Eagles limping, Nelson took the chance to work on their various roles, Daryl Peterson blocking, Higgins and Shane Harwood running for the flag and Blair Cunningham switching between the two.
Cunningham's steady growth was a positive for the Tigers. After a couple of seasons on the fringes, the young Tank commander put in quick early laps, before returning to the race plan to target Brad Rosewarne and Jason Smith, making for an easy night in front for Nelson's run cars.
Higgins and Harwood were the only two cars on the lead lap, Shane Anderton flying the red and black flag for third ahead of Peterson and Cunningham.
1ST - 81n Brendan Higgins
2ND - 84n Shane Harwood
3RD - 73c Shane Anderton
4TH - 82n Daryl Peterson
5TH - 86n Blair Cunningham
In the night's only open superstock race, three of the Canterbury cars made it onto the grid but couldn't crack the top six as Harwood powered home ahead of Craig Boote and Peterson.
1 January 2010
Whose claws will be sharper?
Whose claws will be sharper?
The Nelson round of the annual McCall Trophy superstock team racing series will be contested between the Nelson Tigers and Glen Eagles from Canterbury tomorrow (SATURDAY).
The Tigers won the Canterbury round of this year's trophy defence at Woodford Glen on November 22.
The Glen Eagles will tow to Nelson's Tahuna Beach Holiday Park Speedway tomorrow, their aim to wrest the trophy from the Tigers claws while the Nelson drivers will be concentrating on making this their third win for the season and keeping the trophy in town for the winter.
The McCall Trophy has been contested since 1974 on a yearly home and away basis and the rivalry between the two teams is no different today than it was then. Since the early 90’s both teams have used defence of the McCall Trophy as a build up to the annual NZ Teams Championship held in Palmerston North in February.
The Tigers team is
Brendan Higgins
Shane Harwood
Daryl Peterson
Ian Clayworth
Blair Cunningham
while the Glen Eagles will line up with Jason Smith
Shane Anderton
Andrew Good
Aaron Penberth
Murray Greig .
There is a wealth of experience in both teams and no shortage of the “will” to win.
The teams race will be early in the race programme and is decided by first past the post.
The Nelson Tigers are sponsored and supported by the Nelson Speedway Association, the McCall Family, Stables Restaurant and Tavern, Bays Brewery, Discover NZ Motorhome Rentals and Collision Centre Richmond.
Other events on the card include the stockcar “hit to pass” and supporting classes will be midgets, production saloons, sidecars and super saloons. Gates open at 6pm with racing commencing at 7pm at the speedway on Lansdowne Rd in Richmond.
The Tigers cars and team will be on display at the Stables in Richmond from 2pm – 4 pm on Saturday.
The Tigers won the Canterbury round of this year's trophy defence at Woodford Glen on November 22.
The Glen Eagles will tow to Nelson's Tahuna Beach Holiday Park Speedway tomorrow, their aim to wrest the trophy from the Tigers claws while the Nelson drivers will be concentrating on making this their third win for the season and keeping the trophy in town for the winter.
The McCall Trophy has been contested since 1974 on a yearly home and away basis and the rivalry between the two teams is no different today than it was then. Since the early 90’s both teams have used defence of the McCall Trophy as a build up to the annual NZ Teams Championship held in Palmerston North in February.
The Tigers team is
Shane Harwood
Daryl Peterson
Ian Clayworth
Blair Cunningham
while the Glen Eagles will line up with
Shane Anderton
Andrew Good
Aaron Penberth
Murray Greig
There is a wealth of experience in both teams and no shortage of the “will” to win.
The teams race will be early in the race programme and is decided by first past the post.
The Nelson Tigers are sponsored and supported by the Nelson Speedway Association, the McCall Family, Stables Restaurant and Tavern, Bays Brewery, Discover NZ Motorhome Rentals and Collision Centre Richmond.
Other events on the card include the stockcar “hit to pass” and supporting classes will be midgets, production saloons, sidecars and super saloons. Gates open at 6pm with racing commencing at 7pm at the speedway on Lansdowne Rd in Richmond.
The Tigers cars and team will be on display at the Stables in Richmond from 2pm – 4 pm on Saturday.
7 December 2009
Tigers defeat Panthers
by Pete McNae
Tigers defeat Panthers
by Pete McNae
A few years back, there was a T-shirt slogan which read "I support the All Blacks. And any other team playing Australia."
The theme has now shifted across to speedway racing where a "Smash the P" campaign has gained national traction -- everywhere except Palmerston North, home of the all-conquering Panthers.
Basically, superstock teams fans around the country will support any team that has a shot at tipping over the Panthers, who have been nigh on unbeatable in recent seasons. Until Saturday, that is.
Nelson's Top of the South Tigers travelled north to Arena Manawatu seeking to wrest back the Challenge Cup, a trophy which rested comfortably in Nelson in its early days, before being won -- and defended -- by the Panthers in the past two seasons.
With Daryl Peterson unavailable through work commitments, Blair Cunningham was called in to join Ian Clayworth, Brendan Higgins, Shane Harwood and captain Dale Ewers in the Nelson lineup.
The Panthers were without injured drivers Scott Miers and Peter Bengston, while Shane Penn's new car wasn't risked in the teams race.
Nelson lost the toss and pole position, team management opting to alter the standard roles with Ewers going to the rear of the grid, while Cunningham was placed on the front row.
Team manager Sandra Birdling said the intention was to have one driver (Ewers) running for the flag, while the other three were cast as blockers.
On the green flag, Higgins targeted Peter Rees, with Harwood administering crippling damage to the Panthers' dangerman's car. Although Andy McCabe and Wayne Hemi held an early edge for the home team, McCabe's car suffered differential failure, leaving the Panthers with two mobile cars plus the limping Rees superstock.
Ewers took over the lead and when Higgins caught Hemi and lifted his car off the track and Cunningham rolled the Wayne Norris machine, the race was as good as over.
Officials deemed Cunningham's attack on Norris took place with two wheels on the infield, disqualifying him, and Higgins stayed wedged under Hemi to prevent the Palmerston North car resuming the race, but Nelson's Ewers and Harwood finished the job and claimed first and second places.
"Rees only got about four laps in the end, his car was pretty much disabled and Shane just ran shotgun for Dale to make sure Rees couldn't make any kind of move on him," Birdling said.
Rees was classified as the only remaining finisher, in third place, meaning the Tigers reclaimed the Challenge Cup.``We didn't get to bring it home -- Pete Rees forgot to bring it to the track,'' Birdling said.
She said Cunningham's promotion to the top rank was a success while the Tigers looked far more unified than the untested Panthers lineup.
"It went as closely to plan as you could imagine," Birdling said.
"We had a late team meeting, gave everybody very specific roles and they raced brilliantly as a team."
"They were fairly pleased with themselves at the end, with very good reason."
The Tigers, who are backed this season by the Stables Restaurant and Tavern, Bays Brewery, the Collision Centre (Richmond), Discover New Zealand Motorhomes and the Nelson Speedway Association, are now two-from-two this season, having earlier beaten the Woodford Glen Eagles in Christchurch in round one of the McCall Trophy. Round two will be at Nelson's Tahuna Beach Holiday Park Speedway on January 2, while the national superstock teams championships are in Palmerston North on February 5-6.
Meanwhile, the Richmond Wood and Coal Tasman Thunder had a flash new trophy made up for their stockcar teams races against the Canterbury Crushers last week, but had to leave it in Christchurch on Saturday.
After claiming round one at home, the Thunder were outclassed by a strengthened Crushers team, the final points differential over the two rounds seeing the Martin and Dumelow Cup head south by 15 points.
Team manager Wayne Martin said losing captain Andrew Quy when his car suffered an electrical fault was a blow the Thunder couldn't survive.
"With a group of very young guys, we needed Andrew leading us and when his car expired, it was a setback we couldn't come back from," he said.
Despite that, first timer Ben Keys impressed, while Adam Hall continues to emerge as a willing teams racer.
"We tried a couple of tactical changes, putting guys in different roles to create some versatility and that didn't completely work -- you live and learn," Martin said.
The Thunder, who race with the support of Richmond Wood and Coal, Footie Signs, Bay Rent-A-Car and Contour Roofing, will represent Nelson at the national stockcar teams championship meeting in Wellington after Christmas.
Nelson's next speedway meeting features the South Island stockcar championship, scheduled over two days on December 18-19, depending on final numbers.
The theme has now shifted across to speedway racing where a "Smash the P" campaign has gained national traction -- everywhere except Palmerston North, home of the all-conquering Panthers.
Basically, superstock teams fans around the country will support any team that has a shot at tipping over the Panthers, who have been nigh on unbeatable in recent seasons. Until Saturday, that is.
Nelson's Top of the South Tigers travelled north to Arena Manawatu seeking to wrest back the Challenge Cup, a trophy which rested comfortably in Nelson in its early days, before being won -- and defended -- by the Panthers in the past two seasons.
With Daryl Peterson unavailable through work commitments, Blair Cunningham was called in to join Ian Clayworth, Brendan Higgins, Shane Harwood and captain Dale Ewers in the Nelson lineup.
The Panthers were without injured drivers Scott Miers and Peter Bengston, while Shane Penn's new car wasn't risked in the teams race.
Nelson lost the toss and pole position, team management opting to alter the standard roles with Ewers going to the rear of the grid, while Cunningham was placed on the front row.
Team manager Sandra Birdling said the intention was to have one driver (Ewers) running for the flag, while the other three were cast as blockers.
On the green flag, Higgins targeted Peter Rees, with Harwood administering crippling damage to the Panthers' dangerman's car. Although Andy McCabe and Wayne Hemi held an early edge for the home team, McCabe's car suffered differential failure, leaving the Panthers with two mobile cars plus the limping Rees superstock.
Ewers took over the lead and when Higgins caught Hemi and lifted his car off the track and Cunningham rolled the Wayne Norris machine, the race was as good as over.
Officials deemed Cunningham's attack on Norris took place with two wheels on the infield, disqualifying him, and Higgins stayed wedged under Hemi to prevent the Palmerston North car resuming the race, but Nelson's Ewers and Harwood finished the job and claimed first and second places.
"Rees only got about four laps in the end, his car was pretty much disabled and Shane just ran shotgun for Dale to make sure Rees couldn't make any kind of move on him," Birdling said.
Rees was classified as the only remaining finisher, in third place, meaning the Tigers reclaimed the Challenge Cup.``We didn't get to bring it home -- Pete Rees forgot to bring it to the track,'' Birdling said.
She said Cunningham's promotion to the top rank was a success while the Tigers looked far more unified than the untested Panthers lineup.
"It went as closely to plan as you could imagine," Birdling said.
"We had a late team meeting, gave everybody very specific roles and they raced brilliantly as a team."
"They were fairly pleased with themselves at the end, with very good reason."
The Tigers, who are backed this season by the Stables Restaurant and Tavern, Bays Brewery, the Collision Centre (Richmond), Discover New Zealand Motorhomes and the Nelson Speedway Association, are now two-from-two this season, having earlier beaten the Woodford Glen Eagles in Christchurch in round one of the McCall Trophy. Round two will be at Nelson's Tahuna Beach Holiday Park Speedway on January 2, while the national superstock teams championships are in Palmerston North on February 5-6.
Meanwhile, the Richmond Wood and Coal Tasman Thunder had a flash new trophy made up for their stockcar teams races against the Canterbury Crushers last week, but had to leave it in Christchurch on Saturday.
After claiming round one at home, the Thunder were outclassed by a strengthened Crushers team, the final points differential over the two rounds seeing the Martin and Dumelow Cup head south by 15 points.
Team manager Wayne Martin said losing captain Andrew Quy when his car suffered an electrical fault was a blow the Thunder couldn't survive.
"With a group of very young guys, we needed Andrew leading us and when his car expired, it was a setback we couldn't come back from," he said.
Despite that, first timer Ben Keys impressed, while Adam Hall continues to emerge as a willing teams racer.
"We tried a couple of tactical changes, putting guys in different roles to create some versatility and that didn't completely work -- you live and learn," Martin said.
The Thunder, who race with the support of Richmond Wood and Coal, Footie Signs, Bay Rent-A-Car and Contour Roofing, will represent Nelson at the national stockcar teams championship meeting in Wellington after Christmas.
Nelson's next speedway meeting features the South Island stockcar championship, scheduled over two days on December 18-19, depending on final numbers.
1 December 2009
Nelson Tigers vs Palmerston North Panthers
Nelson Tigers vs Palmerston North Panthers
The annual Challenge Cup teams race between the Nelson Tigers and Palmerston North Panthers will be held on Saturday 5 December 2009 at the Robertston Holden Speedway.
The Panthers are the current holders of the Challenge Cup.
Tigers named to compete for the Challenge Cup are;
The Panthers are the current holders of the Challenge Cup.
Tigers named to compete for the Challenge Cup are;
- 81N Brendan Higgins
- 83N Ian Clayworth
- 84N Shane Harwood
- 85N Dale Ewers
- 86N Blair Cunningham
23 November 2009
Tigers take some taming
By PETE MCNAE - The Nelson Mail
Tigers take some taming
By PETE MCNAE - The Nelson Mail
The Canterbury Glen Eagles are still trying to work out what hit them in the first superstock teams race of the season, the opening round of the McCall Trophy at Kaiapoi's Woodford Glen Speedway on Saturday.
Here's a hint ... what hit them was the Top of the South Tigers; captain Dale Ewers, Brendan Higgins, Shane Harwood and Daryl Peterson.
Nelson caught a fortunate break in the warmup laps when national champion Malcolm Ngatai's Toyota V8 suffered a fuel pump failure. That saw reserve Aaron Rowlands called in while the Tigers left fifth driver Ian Clayworth on the infield.
Shane Harwood started off pole position, Canterbury copping another setback when Jason Smith come out on the wrong end of a death-or-glory swipe at Ewers in the first lap. In trying to take out Nelson's captain, Smith only managed to half-spin the 85N car before he drove himself hard into the wall. The race was stopped to remove an injured Smith from the track.
Harwood was also targeted, allowing Higgins through to a lead he never surrendered.
There was a contentious moment mid-race when Peterson planted Brad Rosewarne's car up the wall, officials bringing on the red lights to stop the race after deeming the two were parked in a dangerous position. When Peterson moved his car away to allow Rosewarne's car to be removed, the Canterbury man managed to get off the wall and take his place in the race.
However, Higgins said the superior blocking by his team-mates meant he could cruise to the victory.
"I didn't have to do a thing. I hit two cars in the whole race, the rest of the time the guys got one in front of me and one behind and I just kept circulating round."
Higgins' engine had broken a fanbelt early in the race and he was eyeing the temperature gauge throughout, but the reduction of the home team to just two mobile cars meant he was able to ease off the pace to keep the heat in check.
"When they stopped for Rosewarne, I turned the car off straight away. If I'd had to push hard the whole race, I probably would have had to pull out or seize the motor."
Higgins was first home, three-quarters of a lap clear of Rowlands, the only other driver to complete the full 12 laps. Harwood was third for Nelson.
In later cash races, Higgins and Harwood featured frequently in the top three with Higgins winning one race, despite being unhappy with his car's handling. "The motor has got plenty of go," he said. "I just have to get the handling sorted."
Here's a hint ... what hit them was the Top of the South Tigers; captain Dale Ewers, Brendan Higgins, Shane Harwood and Daryl Peterson.
Nelson caught a fortunate break in the warmup laps when national champion Malcolm Ngatai's Toyota V8 suffered a fuel pump failure. That saw reserve Aaron Rowlands called in while the Tigers left fifth driver Ian Clayworth on the infield.
Shane Harwood started off pole position, Canterbury copping another setback when Jason Smith come out on the wrong end of a death-or-glory swipe at Ewers in the first lap. In trying to take out Nelson's captain, Smith only managed to half-spin the 85N car before he drove himself hard into the wall. The race was stopped to remove an injured Smith from the track.
Harwood was also targeted, allowing Higgins through to a lead he never surrendered.
There was a contentious moment mid-race when Peterson planted Brad Rosewarne's car up the wall, officials bringing on the red lights to stop the race after deeming the two were parked in a dangerous position. When Peterson moved his car away to allow Rosewarne's car to be removed, the Canterbury man managed to get off the wall and take his place in the race.
However, Higgins said the superior blocking by his team-mates meant he could cruise to the victory.
"I didn't have to do a thing. I hit two cars in the whole race, the rest of the time the guys got one in front of me and one behind and I just kept circulating round."
Higgins' engine had broken a fanbelt early in the race and he was eyeing the temperature gauge throughout, but the reduction of the home team to just two mobile cars meant he was able to ease off the pace to keep the heat in check.
"When they stopped for Rosewarne, I turned the car off straight away. If I'd had to push hard the whole race, I probably would have had to pull out or seize the motor."
Higgins was first home, three-quarters of a lap clear of Rowlands, the only other driver to complete the full 12 laps. Harwood was third for Nelson.
In later cash races, Higgins and Harwood featured frequently in the top three with Higgins winning one race, despite being unhappy with his car's handling. "The motor has got plenty of go," he said. "I just have to get the handling sorted."
7 November 2009
Tigers team named for McCall Trophy
Tigers team named for McCall Trophy
The Nelson Tigers team to contest the McCall Trophy against the Glen Eagles in Christchurch on 21 November has been named as Dale Ewers, Brendan Higgins, Daryl Peterson, Shane Harwood and Blair Cunningham.
Blair’s 46N tank sustained some major damage in a collision with Ian Clayworth during the Superstock Pairs event at the Nelson Speedway tonight and in the event that the tank cannot be repaired in time, Ian Clayworth will move into the team.
The Tigers are looking forward to their first outing of the 2009/10 season and bringing the McCall Trophy back to Tiger town.
Blair’s 46N tank sustained some major damage in a collision with Ian Clayworth during the Superstock Pairs event at the Nelson Speedway tonight and in the event that the tank cannot be repaired in time, Ian Clayworth will move into the team.
The Tigers are looking forward to their first outing of the 2009/10 season and bringing the McCall Trophy back to Tiger town.
5 October 2009
The Tigers announce new sponsor
The Tigers announce new sponsor
The Nelson Tigers have signed a sponsorship agreement with Collision Centre Richmond for the 2009/10 season. Collision Centre replaces sponsor Thomason Paint and Panel who have ceased business.
Collision Centre Richmond sited at 3 McPherson Street in Richmond, Nelson is a locally owned business and the Tigers welcome Landon Dawson and Elissa Piesse and their staff as part of their sponsorship team. Collision Centre will paint and prepare the Tigers bodies before signwriting for the 2009/10 season.
"It's great to sign up a sponsorship agreement with a local company that will maintain the Nelson Tigers presentation standards and we look forward to working with Collision Centre" says Manager Sandra Birdling.
Collision Centre Richmond sited at 3 McPherson Street in Richmond, Nelson is a locally owned business and the Tigers welcome Landon Dawson and Elissa Piesse and their staff as part of their sponsorship team. Collision Centre will paint and prepare the Tigers bodies before signwriting for the 2009/10 season.
"It's great to sign up a sponsorship agreement with a local company that will maintain the Nelson Tigers presentation standards and we look forward to working with Collision Centre" says Manager Sandra Birdling.
8 August 2009
Members of the Nelson Superstock class turned out on Tuesday 4 August 2009 for their first team meeting of the 2009/10 season. Those Superstock drivers who have indicated their willingness to participate in the Tigers Team for the 2009/10 season are:
The Stables and Bays Brewery along with Discover NZ Motorhomes and Nelson Speedway Association are all on board again and negotiations are presently underway for more sponsors to join the Team.
The Tigers racing programme for 2009/10 is:
- Dale Ewers
- Brendan Higgins
- Shane Harwood
- Mike Delany
- Blair Cunningham
- Daryl Peterson
- Ricky Boulton
- Ian Clayworth
The Stables and Bays Brewery along with Discover NZ Motorhomes and Nelson Speedway Association are all on board again and negotiations are presently underway for more sponsors to join the Team.
The Tigers racing programme for 2009/10 is:
- 21 November 2009 - McCall Trophy - Woodford Glen Christchurch
- 5 December 2009 - Challenge Cup - Robertson Holden International Speedway Palmerston North
- 2 January 2010 - McCall Trophy - Nelson Speedway
- 5 & 6 February 2010 - Team Championship Robertson Holden International Speedway Palmerston North
- 11 & 12 March 2010 - Teams Nationals - Waikaraka Park Auckland
Nelson Tigers Sponsors
 Bays Brewery www.baybrewery.co.nz |  The Stables Bar & Restaurant |  The Collision Centre www.collisioncentre.co.nz |
 Discover NZ Motorhome Rentals Freephone 0800 696 686 www.newzealandcampervanhire.co.nz |
| Copyright © Nelson Tigers Superstock Team |
