Kaikoura Stock Car Club
Queens Birthday Weekend 2008
The Northern Zone Championships are held every Queens Birthday Weekend at the Kaikoura Stock Car Club. After Casey won the Ladies Races in both 2007 & 2008 she was keen to have another go. A Mitsubishi Galant was kindly loaned to her (thanks heaps Nick) and she drove really well to vend off a couple of challenges then win the event after an exciting last corner dash to the chequered flag. It would appear she has somewhat of a stranglehold on this event which is awesome since its the only meeting she races at each year. Well Done Yet Again Casey
Woodford Glen Speedway 21st March 2009 Raced or should I say drove the 851 Corvette again tonight. The engine performed a lot better than the previous outing (well for the first race anyhow). Starting from the rear I just cruised while familiarising myself with the handling/power etc. I didn't set the the car up very well either as the track was drier than expected. However I finished the race okay albeit spinning after the finish line just to embarass the family (download video clip for explaination cars_vid.mp4).
Another gremlin developed with the car for the second race and after only one lap the engine cut out. In the pits we tracked this to a fuel pump drive issue which couldn't be fixed on the night so I also missed the 25 lap feature. Shame really cos I was looking forward to having a go at finishing such a long race.
Juggling the horsepower and handling characteristics on a slick track surface certainly keeps ya busy in the drivers seat but with more track time I'm sure my confidence would improve immensely.
Thank you again to the entire team at BRT for your assistance with getting me on track and thanks heaps to the fans who chose to offer words of support.
Yours in Racing ... Roger Nees (Flash)
Woodford Glen Speedway 7th March 2009 Its been a while since we've been on track but the opportunity to drive a Corvette Super Saloon from the Boulton Racing Team saw us back at Woodford Glen tonight. Getting to grips with an unfamiliar car doesn't happen immediately so the the results were crap but then again I didn't want to trash the car either. The cars performance was hindered due to a bad engine missfire but the team managed to improve this as the night progressed by changing the magneto. Thanks heaps to Lynda, Bruce & Josh of BRT and to my pit-crew for the night Djared, Dwayne and Pam. I look forward to the opportunity again in the near future.
Yours in Racing ... Roger Nees (Flash)
Kaikoura Stock Car Club Queens Birthday Weekend 2008 Casey was eager for the opportunity to defend her Northern Zone Ladies Race Title.
She arranged for the use of Jo Giles' car but ensuing engine problems meant another car was needed moments prior to the race.
Tony Aitken kindly offered his 22c Mitsubishi and Casey jumped at the chance.
This championship is over two heats and Casey again managed to win both of them.
Awesome job and Well Done Casey !!!
King of the Coast, Greymouth 29th March 2008 It was great to get back behind the wheel this weekend but the track conditions definately took the gloss off. After a persistent overnight downpour the track required a huge effort including hiring a couple of helicopters to get things dry enough to attempt some sort of racing. For the first heat I started from grid 5 and the track was still so pluggy that the race was a rolling start. I was pleased to pass a couple of cars early on in the race and tried to settle into a rhythm on the one lane track but in the dying laps 18n Shane Harwood managed to get by relegating me back to 4th. Heat 2 was back to a standing start and I was right off the back. The track was still proving to be a handful for me to get to grips with but I was more than happy when the crew told me I had advanced enough through the field to finish 5th in the race. I started the final heat from grid 2 and for some reason I muffed the drag of the line which meant I was struggling through turn one and then I found myself sideways enough for 15c Andrew Good to turn me round. This meant a whole heap of contact from the following pack and I think the car spun again and then stalling. I realised the moment I got going again that the right front tyre was flat but the car still handled reasonably when I got things right but once off the racing line it was hard to control in the pluggy conditions. I was spun a couple more times (obviously for payback on passes I'd made earlier in the meeting) but still managed to complete the race although probably in last place. However it was a good achievement as finishing three heats was the main goal and later in the evening I was even more pleased to hear that I'd achieved 5th overall which was quite a surprise considering the final heat. If I hadn't of duffed that third heat things could have gotten a whole heap better.
A huge thanks goes to Mark & Casey Osborne, Simon, Kim & Casey N for all the help in the muddy conditions. Thanks Heaps!
Yours in Racing ... Roger Nees (Flash)
If this video doesn't load try downloading the WMV version here.
Woodford Glen Speedway Wayne Wilding Memorial 26th December 2007 What an awesome race. I say race instead of meeting as I only managed the one race. The Wayne Wilding Memorial is competed for on the first race only of the annual remembrance championships. It was 3 years earlier on this day that Wayne passed away and for me to now be competing in Superstocks and having the opportunity to race in this event is very thought provoking.
Malcolm Ngatai also debuted his new car (another one of our Honda Jazz superstock bodies) at this meeting so for two Jazz's to be racing on their debut was a great achievement. It gets better though as we even started the race side by side on the grid.
I managed to get the jump on Malcolm and on lap three took the lead with both 15c Andrew Good & 89c Jason Smith chasing me. At this stage Malcolm appeared to have been held up somewhat but that was soon to change. The race was halted for red light incidents on several occasions and each time I appeared to lose ground (possibly I am stopping too quickly) but we led from that third lap until the last corner of the race. Malcolm had forged his way through to be directly on my bumper for the last lap restart and then chased me down into the final corner. We entered that corner far too quickly and Malcolm (I presume) knowing he had to pass me for the win just managed to tap the rear of 8c launching the right rear into the concrete between turns 3 & 4. The impact violently spun the car another 180 degrees to end up parked nose first into the wall.
I guess at this stage is where my inexperience of superstock racing showed significantly as maybe I should have driven the low line into that corner to make Malcolm attempt an outside move but with the adrenalin finally coursing through my veins after many years of boring A Grade Saloon racing who knows what may have worked. I was struggling the whole race with that end of the race track and only got it right twice (I think) so to be in such a competitive position as such a rookie is mind blowing.
The impact of the incident has resulted with a couple of internal issues (for me NOT the car) and a short break from racing is to result but I definately look forward to returning to the track in 8c Superstock and with more experience it will be interesting to see what can be achieved in the future.
Congratulations to Malcolm on winning the Wayne Wilding Memorial. That was a great tussle and one I will remember for a long time. I'm sure Wayne would have been proud!
Thanks to Mark and all the team at Osborne Racing for supplying me such a wickedly fast car. And sorry I can't be out helping you prepare for the South Island Champs on the 29th. Good Luck!!!
Thanks also to Brendon for an awesome job on the video clip.
Yours in Superstock Crashing ... Roger Nees (Flash)
Steve Williams Charity Golf Tournament November 2007 Now I know this isn't exactly speedway either, but I was lucky enough to be invited to join fellow racing.org.nz member Dennis Bolt in a golf team sponsored by Riverlands Golf. We took part in the Steve Williams Charity Golf Tournament held at Clearwater and yes the water definately claimed a few golf balls throughout the day. This event raised funds towards Steve's foundation which supports both junior golf and junior speedway in NZ. To receive a couple of tips from Tiger Wood's caddy and be in the company of such a professional was great. He has been capitalising on a break from work commitments to race his saloon cars locally and it was awesome to chat with him away from the busy environment of speedway. Thanks for the time Steve.
Yours in Golfing ... Roger Nees (Flash)
Indy Cars Aussie October 2007 We took a trip over to the Gold Coast to check out the Indy Car & V8 Supercar rounds at Surfer Paradise. We met up with Natasha Rodgers while there and we had to try out various other events. Including theme park rides and I even had a race session at V8 SuperSchool.
Yours in Holidaying ! ... Flash
Kaikoura Stock Car Club Queens Birthday Weekend 2007 Casey was the driver representing Nees Racing at Kaikoura this year. Jo Giles kindly loaned her Mitsubishi Production Saloon for Casey to use in the "Ladies Championship". Although Casey was quite nervous before the first heat she surely didn't show it on the track as she led the race from start to finish. She was absolutely "rapt" with the effort especially after her victory lap with the checkered flag. Not only did she take out the first heat but she repeated the win in the final. It's really great to see the next generation of drivers coming through and it makes us all here at Nees Racing proud to see Casey with her first ever red sash.
Well Done Casey !!!
Woodford Glen Speedway 16th March 2007 Jo Giles ... If the name sounds familiar you may be a watcher of CTV. Her programme is called "Shopping with Jo" and she is now to run for Mayor of Christchurch as well. Add to that her interest in speedway where she races a Mitsubishi Production Saloon and anyone can see that Jo is one busy lady. Well we decided to make her even busier tonight by putting her in the driving seat of our Honda Prelude.
Starting each race from the back Jo immediately showed her intentions by giving 51c Jason Campbell a hurry up nudge when he got too sideways in the front straight. It wasn't long before she had the better of him and then set off after her next victim.
Jo got better and quicker with each race and was grinning from ear to ear by the end of the evening. She kept Jane Honda in one bit and I look forward to the day when she advances through the ranks at Woodford Glen as she sure isn't afraid to give the blokes a hurry up.
That was the last race meeting with Jane ... yes after racing her for 6 years since her return from the north island she will be heading back down south. Jane Honda was originally built in Invercargill and I am sure that returning to the south will see her continue to do well. It will be a shame to see her go as the team did extremely well with the car over many years of racing. Jane provided me with two Canterbury Saloon Championship Titles and many other championship wins and placings. The workshop is lined with trophies, plaques and ribbons which I would expect places this car into a unique category of being one of the most winningest speedway cars throughout New Zealand. And in fact we had just advanced into 3rd place overall for the clubs season points at Woodford Glen and we were also leading the Saloon Feature points by a considerable margin at the time of her sale too. It just goes to show how reliable this car is, even when racing in such a competitive environment as we now have at the Glen.
Since I drove the 16c Superstock a lot of people have been asking me when I'm buying it. Well we have managed to negotiate with Mark Osborne's team and I will assist them with sponsorship and promotion next season in return for a handful of meetings in the drivers seat. This should prove to be a win-win situation for both Osborne Racing & Nees Racing so I 'm definately looking forward to next season already and this one hasn't even finished yet so ... "Watch this Space"
Yours in Racing ... Roger Nees (Flash)
Woodford Glen Speedway 10th March 2007 Horsepower ... now thats something I'm not overly familiar with, but tonight I had plenty on tap. No we hadn't fitted Jane with a hair-dryer ... instead Mark Osborne kindly handed over his 16c Superstock to me for the evening. I turned up to the track and his crew had already prepared the car and had it scrutineered "awesome."
I was looking forward to quietly starting off the back of the field in each race as this was my Woodford Glen Superstock Debut. Well that idea was soon thrown out the window when at drivers briefing I discovered we were racing "The Battle of the Stocks Prologue" as build up to next weeks main event. I drew 79c Rodney Hern as my team-mate and was immediately informed I was to start in the first race shoot-out and from pole position. Not only that but I have been waiting all season for a wet greasy track which Jane Honda just loves ... well I finally got my wish but this time I was driving a mega-horsepower V8 rear wheel drive ... DOH! We had to decide which of us were doing each of the shoot-outs as only one of the pairing was elligible. Rodney decided it was me for this one and although it wasn't great, I still managed to hold onto 4th placing in the greasy conditions. I probably looked a bit tentative too but there was plenty more racing to come.
Now to the heats ... The first heat with around 22 cars on the grid and I started from around 6th from memory. Those standing starts are a buzz and I managed a first corner punch-out which had us exiting turn two in 3rd place. It wasn't long though before lapped traffic came into play and a tangle in turn 3 resulted in a stalled car. The race carried on while I frantically tried to refire the engine and I think I lost a couple of laps but still managed to finish and gather some points. I also started to get my head round the handling characteristics of the car.
The second heat was far better starting towards the rear but I found some confidence creeping in and had a relatively trouble free run and even chased 81c Blaine Blythe for a while. The result was only 8th but Rodney was also finishing well and upon our return to the pits not only were the crew rapt with my vast improvement but we also found out we had accumulated enough points to actually be at the top of the leader board.
This put us in the reasonable position of starting side by side at the rear of the field knowing that we just had to pass as many cars as possible and ensure we didn't DNF. Well things just got better and better as I managed to punch through again and just kept picking cars off one by one. I really started to get to grips with the car despite nearly being involved with the rollover of Blaines car by 19c Malcolm Ngatai. I nearly managed a podium finish in this race but was more than happy with the 4th and I'm still grinning from ear to ear from the memory of an enjoyable fast paced race.
This only left the final double-points shoot-out and this time it was Rodneys turn. As we were still leading the points he now started from pole and although he spun himself in turn 2 he managed to re-group and finish the race. After the dust settled and the points were tallied we discovered we had won the evening by 2 points. I doubt there are many people who can claim a victory in their very first night of Superstock racing so we were all very pleased with the effort.
I would like to thank Mark for the use of his car, the crew for looking after myself and the car so well, Rodney for leading the way for me to be in a position to win and also all the other drivers for not smashing me to bits in my Superstock Debut. An awesome night which I will remember forever. Cheers Guys.
Yours in Superstock Racing ... Roger Nees (Flash)
Woodford Glen Speedway 3rd February 2007 A Grade teams racing was the event tonight and I became a traitor by racing for the Dunedin team. They arrived with only six cars instead of the seven they used in the first round of the event before xmas so I offered to race for them. I was rapt to be taken up on the offer and managed to finish all three heats for them. The series was taken by Christchurch overall but Dunedin actually won tonights round which was great to be a part of. There was also three races for "saloons" which we took part in as well. Six races all together was a torrid affair but Jane Honda held up well with only a puncture slowing proceedings after contact with a super saloon. Its also great to finally get on top of the engine misfire we had been experiencing. Tonight we also trialed a new in-car video camera system we have purchased and the 3rd heat is available for download here. Our next meeting isn't till 17th Feb so see ya's then.
Yours in Racing ... Roger Nees (Flash)
Woodford Glen Speedway 27th January 2007 A heck of a lot of work has been done on Jane Honda over the last two weeks. Mid-season servicing saw plenty of parts either renewed, replaced, serviced, or overhauled within a tight time frame to make sure we didn't miss any racing. Tonight we had four races and completed all of them relatively incident free but the intermittent engine misfire gremlin however is still with us and proving to be very elusive. This cost us several places on track but we still managed a good points haul to help consolidate our current place within the seasons rankings. Lets hope I can find this engine misfire before our canterbury champs which are approaching fast. Our next meeting is back at the Glen again and we also have a new supply of drink bottles to give away from our sponsor Gary Clarke Plastics so ... see ya's there!
Yours in Racing ... Roger Nees (Flash)
Woodford Glen Speedway's HOOPLA! 12th January 2007 Supporting the Superstock programme again tonight this time back at our home track for the Hoopla! However we chased an engine misfire issue throughout the evening which resulted in mediocre placings. 4th in one race was the best we could achieve. The elusive problem seemed to cure itself later in the night so I'm sure we haven't seen the end of this gremlin. I will of course pull apart, alter and replace several parts before our next meeting in my search to cure the problem. However there's usually someone else with more work to do and this time it's 73c Mark Grocott who rolled in spectacular fashion creating himeslf and his crew plenty of work to get the car mobile again. (see pic) We now take a well earned rest for a fortnight then return to the Glen so till then .... Cheers!
Yours in Racing ... Roger Nees (Flash)
Island Park Motor Speedway 5th - 7th January 2007 The NZ Superstock Championships were the drawcard and we were rapt to be able to support the race programme. We had 7 races over the weekend and I started to wonder what we had let ourselves in for ... in only the first race Jane Honda suffered major suspension and steering damage after a large hit to the left front wheel, however she did finish the race midfield. I'm glad we loaded the van up with heaps of spare parts as we were gonna need them at that rate.
We made a hurried job of the repairs in the short time we had and were pleased to get Jane back into fairly good shape. We pressed on and finished every race for the whole weekend with little more problems and actually achieved three 2nd placings.
Shannon took a small video clip with her new cell phone for us too ... check here.
The organisation of the event was faultless so congratulations must go to all those involved. Thanks also to all the fans for the awesome support while we were in Dunedin.
Yours in Racing ... Roger Nees (Flash)
Woodford Glen Speedway 26th December 2006 She's taken a bit of sorting over the last week but Jane Honda is running reliably again and although the track was very dry, a 3rd place from heat 1 was a most pleasing result. A video clip of this heat can be downloaded here. Tonights meeting was the annual Remembrance Champs and I reworded the song "Drivers in Heaven" which my brother Paul sang especially for the occasion. It can be downloaded here.
Thanks to sponsor Stu Turner of "The Crossing Bar & Cafe" for joining us tonight and lending a hand to the Pit Crew. We have a lot of racing happening over the next few weeks so to take an undamaged, clean car home tonight was a bonus. Thanks also to the kids who continue to yell and offer support for us as we are most definately the under-dogs nowadays. We still have plenty of post card giveaways so see us in the pits after any meeting.
Happy Holidays from NEES Racing
Cheers ... Roger Nees (Flash)
Oxford Speedway 10th December 2006 I've always wanted to have a go in a superstock and when I got a call from Mark Osborne during the week offering me his 3nz car at Oxford Speedway for the day, I couldn't refuse. I'm not sure if Pam thought it was a great idea but it was also a good opportunity to get her back into the drivers seat of the Honda after a couple of years away. I think we both did relatively well in the unfamiliar environments. Firstly I was very impressed with how well the superstock handled considering it weighs twice as much as Jane Honda. Neil Frew was the first to introduce me to the "contact" of superstocks running me into the infield but within a couple of laps I was pleased to be able to return the favour and spin him in turn two. Now then ... I never drive any of my race cars showing any sort of mechanical sympathy, which if Mark had known, he probably wouldn't have offered me his car in the first place. So not surprisingly it wasn't long before I broke the car by spitting the driveshaft out. I did however get in a few laps before breaking it and "hell" I wish we had some of that raw horsepower for Jane. Thanks again to Mark and his team ...
Racing a V8 Superstock at 9000 rpm ... What a Buzz !!!
Yours in "Superstock" Racing ... Roger Nees (Flash)
I think Pam's "smile on the dial" suggested it was good for her to get into the drivers seat again...
Woodford Glen Speedway 2nd December 2006 Rod-ends! ... when they let go can cause a lot of problems as was the situation tonight. The right front wheel tried to disappear under the car at the worst possible time (entering turn 3). This meant a lot of work for the team getting the bent and battered pieces back together to resemble some type of suspension & steering mechanism? Great job done though as we never missed a race and finished all three races for the night albeit at the back due to repairs not being 100%. Now theres plenty of work to be done as I will need to replace all the bent bits and get things re-aligned before boxing day. See you all then and have a great xmas . Cheers ... Roger
Yours in Racing ... Roger Nees (Flash)
Woodford Glen Speedway 11th November 2006 I knew the good run we've been enjoying was due to change. Tonight I made a decision to run the high line in the slippery conditions of the first race. This meant that there was no room for error and sure enough I made a mistake in the first lap (as did many others). I misread the track heading into turn 3 and there was just no traction. I did my best to lessen the impact by sliding sideways into the wall rather than head on but the resulting damage to the right hand rims meant we couldn't complete the race which was our first DNF for the season. A 3rd place in the second race was a great improvement but in the third race heavy contact with another car resulted in yet more rim & steering damage. We did however finish the race and were also able to complete makeshift repairs to be able to enter the saloon feature. The car was far from 100% but perserverance resulted with a win among the few A Grade Saloons that started. Very pleasing to complete the evening well after the shakey start but now we have plenty of repair work in the short week we have before our Canterbury Championships on the 18th Nov. I have a feeling there will be quite a few cars appear from the woodwork so it will no doubt be "full on" ... till then ...
Yours in Racing ... Roger Nees (Flash)
Woodford Glen Speedway 4th November 2006 Although we are way down on horsepower against our rivals we fared relatively well tonight. Two 3rd places and 2nd in class in the feature was most pleasing especially in front of such a huge crowd. Our main sponsor Butler Auto Mart sponsored the Fireworks Extravaganza and what a huge crowd! Thats gotta be the biggest crowd I've seen at the Glen in the 24 years I've been racin'. I must make mention too of the "cheering & screaming fan club" I had in front of the grandstand who egged me on during the caution laps of the feature ... thanks heaps for all the support. It was pleasing to have a trouble free run at this event when many cars (particularly in the saloon feature) ended up damaged and littering the infield. I sure hope we can keep the momentum going as we have our Canterbury Champs coming up on the 18th Nov but I suspect there will be quite a few more fast cars merge from the woodwork for that meeting. Meantime I also look forward to the Modified & Superstock champs on the 11th Nov to see how some of the other racing.org.nz members go. See ya's there !!!
Yours in Racing ... Roger Nees (Flash)
Woodford Glen Speedway 21st October 2006 Its definately proving to be a struggle with such fast cars in the class but I guess we just need to persevere till handicapping is introduced to try and even up the field. We did however make it to the saloon feature and took home an undamaged car for the night which has to be good. Our next meeting is the Fireworks Extravaganza on 4th November ... see ya's there !!!
Yours in Racing ... Roger Nees (Flash)
Woodford Glen Speedway 14th October 2006 Not a bad start to the season with us taking 4th place trophy and prizes home from the "Moller & Young" Trophy Challenge meeting. The V8's are definately getting faster but with the evening progressively getting quite cool and a good watering of the track before our last heat we managed to keep Jane Honda at the sharp end till just before the finish line when 28c Steve Petersen pipped us for the win. A 30meg quicktime video of the race can be viewed here. It was a great result for us which would be great if we could carry on but I imagine the class will on get more competitive as the season progresses. Our next meeting is 21st October so hope to see you all there!!!
Yours in Racing ... Roger Nees (Flash)
Kaikoura Stock Car Club
Queens Birthday Weekend 2006 Yippee ... finally broken the curse that has been haunting my trips to Kaikoura for the past few seasons. Jane Honda ran well for the weekend and rewarded us with 2nd place in the championship, only 1 point behind Mark Grocott's corvette. Basil Jone's had a weekend he will wish to forget after melting engine internals in his corvette from the outset. He did however manage to finish a race later in the day, but he had to use our Honda to achieve it. Photo evidence above.
With the championship decided entirely on the saturday, the following day became a bit of a fun "free for all" with many drivers swapping cars. I drove Mark's corvette and it proved to be a bit of a handful for me to get round the track (just as Basil's was the year before) but still great to experience some raw V8 horsepower. Thanks again Mark.
Both Ben Abernethy & Michael Read had a drive of Jane Honda and both showed real good speed too. My highlight was driving the mitsubishi production saloon of Michael's. This brought back memories of the cars I used to build for Pam and I felt comfortable enough to give it my best. Starting at the rear of the field and carving through the pack felt real good especially while easily passing the likes of Pam's old rivals, Darryl Martin & Kirkie along the way. I think I may have to build another production saloon (for Pam of course) just so I can have the odd entertaining drive too.
Yours in Racing ... Roger Nees (Flash)
