Nelson driver Campbell McManaway keeps his V8 saloon in Christchurch, but finally got to race in it at the Milestone Homes Top of the South Speedway on Saturday.
That class isn’t a feature at the Appleby circuit, but when the Brian FM South Island Saloon Series came to town, Campbell hoped his local knowledge would pay off against more than 20 other competitors.
And the 62-year-old was right. He was the overall leader half-way through the six-meeting series which started with a washout in Dunedin and took in Cromwell, Ashburton and then Greymouth on Friday night.
“There was a lot of driving on and off the track and it was great to bring the series here in front of the home crowd,” says Campbell, who used to compete in super stocks and then super saloons until contracting Guillain-Barre Syndrome which affects muscle movement and sensation.
“After six months I was able to drive most of the time, but I had trouble getting into the race car,” explains Campbell. The honours were shared over the saloon races on Saturday with 2022/23 champion Ryan Marsden, from Christchurch, and Gisborne’s Rodney McIndoe emerging as Campbell’s main challengers.
Rodney, who took out the South Island Saloon Championship in Christchurch earlier this year, won the feature 20-lap event ahead of Campbell to set up a thrilling final round in Blenheim on Sunday.
Rodney went on to clinch the series from Ryan, with Campbell finishing third overall.
There was another Nelson connection of sorts in the saloon series with Glen Paris returning home to race for the first time after leaving the region 50 years ago as a five or six-year-old.
“My uncle Len had a stock car in Nelson, and I remember we used to clean it for him,” says Glen, who is based in Edgecumbe in the Eastern Bay of Plenty, and drives three hours to compete in Gisborne.
“Rodney twisted my arm to get me to come down. So, my wife Anthea, and Neil and Linda Colclough, friends from when I used to live and race Ford Escorts on Waiheke Island, all decided let’s just do it.”
Some running repairs, with help from Rodney, saw the house painter make the start line at Appleby but he endured a tough night on the track.
There were plenty of other highlights on an action-packed third meeting of the season.
Blake Hearne dashed through on the inside of Brett Nicholls to grab his first Superstocks win of the season in just his second year in the class.
And another Blake, Stilwell, proved uncatchable in the Quarter Midgets Club Champs.
It was a family affair in the Streetstocks with Ryan Musgrove and his son Andre cleaning up.
Ryan won the first two races and looked on track for three in a row until being forced to retire in the third. So up stepped Andre to take it out.
