When two Aucklanders get invited to Cromwell to put on a show at the Central Motor Speedway, you know they are going to relish the opportunity.
Top New Zealand sprint car drivers Jamie McDonald (25) and Allan Wakeling (47) were impressed with the southern dirt oval last weekend.
Last year's national champion, McDonald was making his debut on the ‘‘egg-shaped circuit''.
‘‘The track is amazing,'' he said.
It was different to any other he had raced on.
‘‘That sweeper is just unreal.''
He and Wakeling, an eight-times New Zealand sprint car champion, were brought down as feature drivers in the eight War of the Wings races over Saturday night and Sunday night. Despite more than 20 years' racing experience, Wakeling still found the slick Cromwell track was ‘‘a leveller''.
Driving the 600kg, 800hp cars supplied by Danny Mason, of Christchurch, and Queenstown's Jason Scott, the two drivers prefer this genre of racer to any other.
‘‘The power-to-weight [ratio] is better than a Formula One car,'' McDonald said.
The two-night Easter Extravaganza speedway event was the Central club's championship decider for super saloons and A grades. A full programme of racing meant adult and youth ministocks, street stocks and productions also took to the track.
To finish off the weekend, 14 vehicles took part in a crowdpleasing demolition derby.
Results of War of the Wings: Saturday, Kevin Freeman (Nelson); Sunday, Steve Duff (Christchurch); A-Grades, Aven Erskine (Cromwell); Super Saloons, Ray Stewart (Dunedin, contracted to Cromwell); Productions, Danny Knight (Cromwell); Streetstocks, Paul Simon (Dunedin); Adult Ministocks, Tony Feisst (Cromwell); Youth Ministocks, Cory McQuillin.
