RONNIE MOORE 80TH CELEBRATIONS

English rider Ashley Birks took out the Ronnie Moore 80th Birthday Celebration meeting at Mag and Turbo Ruapuna Speedway in Friday evening, with Richie Worrall (UK) second, current New Zealand champion, Jason Bunyan third and local rider, Kody Tocher in fourth place. Birks quickly showed a liking to the wide open spaces of the Ruapuna track and set the fastest time of the meeting of 71.58 seconds when winning the opening heat. The twenty-three year old dropped his only points when being excluded for touching the tapes in his third heat, with the ruling later over turned on appeal. In the Final Birks quickly took the lead form Worrall who only lost during the heats was at the hands of Birks, with Bunyan content to cruise home for third ahead of Kody Tocher. Dale Finch, who recently finished as runner-up in the New Zealand title, looked set to make the final when needing to only finish in third place in his fifth and final heat race but crashed heavily when leading damaging his bike so he could not line up in the Final. The two Invercargill teams dominated the sidecar team racing both finishing well clear of their Canterbury and Nelson rivals. Jason Harpur and passenger Mark George took out the Final were the top points scorers clashed who lead home follow southerners Scott Ayton/Dylan Carnie with locals Aaron Ray/Karl Foster in team place. Ray and Foster kept the flag flying for the Canterbury side claiming two wins and a second during the heats, with team mate Bevan Nuttridge/Nick Watson thrilling the crowd with some daring riding but were let down but some bike issues.

Results (Competitors from Christchurch unless stated)

Solos Provision Painting Ronnie Moores 80th Birthday Celebration Ht 1. Ashley Birks (UK) 1, Grant Tregonning 2, Craig Blackett 3. Ht 2. Jason Bunyan (UK) 1, Kody Tocher 2, Daniel Millar 3. Ht 3. Ryan Terry Daly (Auck) 1, Bradley Andrews (Auck) 2, Conner Spriggs (Inv) 3. Ht 4. Richie Worrall (UK) 1, Dale Finch 2, Hayden Simms (Inv) 3. Ht 5. Worrall 1, Tregonning 2, Andrews 3. Ht 6. Finch 1, Blackett 2, Glen Sole 3.

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7. 8. 9. 10. 11. 12. 13. 14. 15. 16. 17. 18. 19. 20.

Binks 1, Terry- Daly 2, Tocher 3. Bunyan 1, Jack McCrae (Inv) 2. Sean Mason (Auck) 1, Terry-Daly 2. Simms 1, Spriggs 2. Bunyan 1, Finch 2. Worrall 1, Tocher 2, Josh ODocherty 3. Finch 1, Tocher 2, Spriggs 3. Worrall 1. Terry-Daly 2. Birks 1. Mason 1, Andrews 2, McCluskey-Young 3. Bunyan 1. Tocher 1, Andrews 2. Birks 1, Worrall 2, Spriggs 3. McCluskey-Young 1.

Qualiflying Points: Worrall 14 points, Bunyan 12, Birks 12, Finch 10, Tocher 10, Terry-Daly 9, Andrews 7, Mason 6, Spriggs 5, Tregonning 4, Simms 4, McCluskey Young 4, Blackett 3, McCrae 2, Millar 1, Sole (res) 1, ODocherty (res) 1, Peleti Woods 0 Salute To Ronnie Final Birks 1, Worrall 2, Bunyan 3. B Grade Ht 1. Glen Sole 1, Pete Stenning 2, Bradley Stockton 3. Sidecars Ht 1. Jason Hurpur/Mark George (Inv) 1, Aaron Ray/Karl Foster 2, Luke Thwaites/Neville/Chalmers (Inv) 3. Ht 2. Lionel Green/ Shane Breech 1, Mike DeGray/Red Auton (Nelson) 2, Craig McMaster/James Dawson (Inv) 3. Ht 3. Ray/Foster 1, James Douglas/Ricky Pubben (Inv) 2, Erwin Tree/Bret Pubben (Inv) 3. Ht 4. Scott Ayton/Dylan Carnie (Inv) 1, DeGray/Auton 2, Jason Harpur/Mark George (Inv) 3. Ht 5. Ayton/Carnie 1, Bevan Nuttridge/Nick Watson 2, Green/Breech 3. Ht 6. Ray/Foster 1, Thwaites/Chalmers 2, Douglas/Pubben 3. Ht 7. Harpur/George 1, Douglas/Pubben 2, Tree/Pubben 3. Ht 8. Douglas/Pubben 1, Nuttridge/Watson 2. Ht 9. Ray/Foster 1, Douglas/Pubben 2, Josh Heenan/Harley Biddle (Inv) 3. Ht 10. Ayton/Carnie 1, Harpur/George 2, Tree/Pubben 3. Ht 11. McMaster/Dawson 1, Thwaites/Chalmers 2. Teams Points: Oreti 1 74 points, Oreti 2 71, Canterbury 49, Nelson 29. Final Harpur/George 1, Ayton/Carnie 2, Ray/Foster 3.