Welcome to Modifiedsprints.co.nz This site has been put into place as a means of promoting the Modified Sprint class that runs exclusively out of the South Island of New Zealand. Join the Modifiedsprints.co.nz mailing list to keep up to date with all the latest news regarding the class, and its drivers via email......Join mailinglist

25/01/12 - Novel Way To Win..... Amberley based driver Tim George found a novel way to claim the feature race at Holland Collision Centre Ruapuna Speedway on Saturday night. Once again it was a smaller than hoped for field that would take the flag and George would make the most of it by quickly blasting into the lead making a great pass around the outside of Josh Walls going through the town bend.

A few seconds later and a rather big chink in the armour of George's 25c machine would be revealed as the car all but seemingly stalled going through the prison bend, breifly allowing Walls to claim the lead.  Read more....

25/01/12 - George's Win Features In Modifiesdsprint Moment Segment..... Tim George's feature winning antics feature in the latest Modifiedsprint Moment segment...

Hows that for style?...and a win too! Tim George's victory celebration?

12/01/12 - Racing Tribute!..... Modifiedsprints set to re-ignite midgetcar drivers legacy.....

Darryl Harris (pictured) will be a hot contender to take honours in the Brett Cooper Memorial.

He was one of Southlands hard chargers and a stuanch supporter of all things speedway. Brett Cooper was a genuine competitor and his midget was commonly seen around the South Island tracks. Widely regarded for his dedication to racing and often tagged as an underdog, Cooper had numorous supporters across the country and managed relative success with his often under-powered Honda powered machine. Highlights would have been qualifying for the New Zealand title as well as a well-deserved second place in the South Island Midgetcar championship in the 1999/2000 season, this was followed by a trio of third placings in the following seasons.

Sadly Cooper was taken from speedway while on a fishing excursion several years back leaving a huge gap in the Southern open-wheeler scene. A Brett Cooper Memorial trophy was installed in his honour for the midgets to contest, however with Coopers passing also came the slow demise of the midgetcar ranks in the deep south to the point where the memorial trophy has sat stagnant on the Invercargill Clubs' shelf for the past few years.

With the modifiedsprints introduction to Riverside Speedway and the sub-sequent growth of the class, it was decided to re-ignite the Brett Cooper name and pay tribute to a man who was not just a racer, but a "mate" and an inspiration to many of the Riverside Speedway club.

Saturday, February 18, modifiedsprints from Invercargill and Christchurch will take to the Riverside speedway to pay tribute to Brett Cooper - the racer, the man and the "mate".

The modifiedsprint class is priveledged to be able to bring Brett's name back to speedway circles - and race for the 2012 Brett Cooper Memorial Trophy.

5/01/12 - Ruapuna Rounds Out Busy Few Days..... Holland Collision Centre Ruapuna Speedway wrapped up a busy few days for the modifiedsprint class on Monday night. Following on the heels of two nights of racing for the class at Central Motor Speedway in Cromwell, the modifiedsprints took to the Christchurch track in support of the South Island T.Q. championship. Read more....

5/01/12 - Harris Hits The Airwaves!..... As previously mentioned Darryl Harris was interviewed on "Thepits radio show" a week or so back. For those who may have missed the show the interview can be listened to "on demand" at Thepits website. The Pits Souther Speedway

22/12/11 - Busy Busy Busy!..... It's that time of the year again....everyones running round full tilt trying to fit in everything before the Christmas break! For the modifiedsprints there isnt going to be much of a break as three meetings are up for grabs around the New Year...first up on December 30 is Central Motor Speedway at Cromwell, quickly followed by another shot at the Otago Oval on January 1. Then it's a super quick haul up the island to Christchurch for a meeting at Holland Collision Centre Ruapuna Speedway on January 2. relevent info on these meetings can be found on the track's websites: Cromwell Speedway and Ruapuna Speedway.

I'll quickly take the chance to wish all competitors, crews and supporters a very Merry Christmas and hope you all stay safe heading into the New Year!

22/12/11 - Another "moment"..... Modifiedsprint Moment number three hits the site. Jason Stark and Bill Nelson feature in this clip from the Canterbury championship meeting at Holland Collision Centre Ruapuna Speedway back on December 10.

Spin, Crunch! and Tumble - Modifiedsprint Moment 3 has it all.

22/12/11 - Missed The Astle Interview?..... Thepits Southern Speedway recently had an interview with modifiedsprint pilot Nathan Astle on their weekly speedway show. For those who may have missed the show the interview can be listened to "on demand" at Thepits website. The Pits Souther Speedway

22/12/11 - Harris Gets The Treatment..... Christchurch modifiedsprint ace Darryl Harris got Thepits Southern Speedway Show treatment last night - unfortunately www.modifiedsprints.co.nz missed the boat on both promoting and listening to the interview on the night - hopefully just like the Astle interview - Darryl's nervous foray into the radio waves will be immortalised in the "on demand" section of Thepits in coming weeks.

17/12/11 - Better Late Than Never..... It's taken longer than expected, but finally a review from last weekends canterbury Championship meeting at Holland Cillision Centre Ruapuna Speedway has made it's way to the site. Read more....

13/12/11 - Astle On The Airwaves..... Thepits Southern Speedway internet show is very quickly gaining popularity with it's weekly online show that covers everything speedway. Tonight the show has Christchurch modifiedsprint pilot Nathan Astle on the schedule to talk about his time in the class so far (and maybe a little on that win over the Aussies) To listen in simply head over to Thepits Southern Speedway and click on "streaming"

13/12/11 - Harris Claims Title..... Darryl Harris (31c) fended of the challenges of a hungry pack at Hollands Collision Centre Ruapuna Speedway on Saturday night to claim the Canterbury Championship. It was tight battle heading into the final round with Harris holding a slim lead rookie driver Josh Walls (17c). Walls challenge would fall short early in the final heat as an early race incident saw him fall to the rear of the field before battling back to gain enough points to retain second overall. Keeping things tight, and only a single point behind Walls was the duo of Nathan Astle (9c) and Tim George (25c) who ended the night tied for third place. A full meeting run-down and modifiedsprint moments will be added in the next few days.

9/12/11 - One Message - Bad News!..... One small text message has made big changes to the Canterbury Champs meeting on Saturday night. We were expecting to be joined by a contingient of drivers from Invercargill, however that wont be the case. Those who were intending to travel have had their plans thwarted by mechanical gremlins picked up at Riverside Speedways meeting last weekend. All involved drivers were hoping to repair the respective damage before this weekend, but issues have stopped that from happening. Unfortunately the Canterbury Champs will now only be a local darby - but that shouldn't stop it being a rip-roaring battle to see who will stand tall above the others as Canterbury champ for the 2011/12 season!

8/12/11 - Southern Attack On Canty Champs!..... This Saturday night December 10, Ruapuna speedway will be running the Canterbury Champs for all classes. Fields are expected to be boosted by out of town drivers hoping to steal away the silverware......and the modifiedsprints will be no exception! A handful of drivers from the deep south will be winging their way up from Invercargill with the intention of stealing the locals thunder and claiming the Canterbury Championship title. It wont be an easy task, as the local drivers have been on the pace and will have hometrack advantage. However we shouldnt rule out the Southern contingient, competiton has been hotly contested at Riverside Speedway too! So who will be crowned the Canterbury Champion? Get trackside on Saturday night to find out...It's "The Fastest Show In Town" only at Hollands Collision Centre Ruapuna Speedway. Racing starts at 7.00pm, further details can be found at www.ruapunaspeedway.co.nz

8/12/11 - Ballet On Dirt!..... The second instalment of Modifiedsprint Moments makes it to the site, this time it's Invercargill's Shaun Harris as he has a moment at Dunedin's Beachlands Speedway on November 26.

Shaun Harris - his take on "Swan Lake....on dirt"

6/12/11 - Bell-Ringer To Start The Season!..... Modifiedsprint Moments are back, and we start in bell-ringing style with Mark Simpsons brutal attack on Dunedin's wall on November 26......Mark learned the hard way that the wall is pretty solid.....take a look!

One question was asked....."Did I even start the race?"

3/12/11 - Shared Results At Invercargill..... Listening to the live stream from Invercargill's Riverside Speedway the on-track action was hot as the Modifiedsprints took to the track for the Xmas Trophy Challenge. Wins were shared between the trio of Craig Phillips, Shaun Harris and Glen Finlay, with Finlay making a spectacular pass in the final race to move past Shaun Harris in the final race of the night to claim victory.

Results: Race 1- 1st: Craig Phillips (17i), 2nd: Shaun Harris (24i), 3rd: Glen Finlay (33i)

Race 2 - 1st: Shaun Harris (24i), 2nd: Craig Phillips (17i), 3rd: Glen Finlay (33i)

Race 3 - 1st: Glen Finlay (33i), 2nd: Shaun Harris (24i), 3rd: Craig Phillips (17i)

30/11/11 - First The Wall - Then The Clock!..... It wasnt quite the outcome the modifiedsprints would have wanted when they visited Dunedin's Beachlands Speedway. A smaller than originally anticipated turn out of seven cars made the trip to the blustery beach-side track. The drivers were greeted by a smooth and exceptionally drivey track as they were allowed to take in a few warm-up laps, with most returning to the pits with grins from ear-to-ear in anticipation of some super-quick racing. Read more....

30/11/11 - Buy Senna, Support Modifiedsprints..... It may not be directly related to the modifiedsprint or speedway scene, but everyone knows of Ayrton Senna. Coming soon to DVD, Blu-Ray and Triple Play is "Senna" the movie of one of the most recognised Formula One drivers in history. Following the rise and tragic fall of the Brazilian hero this documentary goes behind the scenes to show what made the iconic driver tick. Order it now using the banner above and a percentage from the sales will go to support the modifiedsprint class.

22/11/11 - Listen Up And Listen In..... If you cant make it to Dunedins' Beachlands Speedway on Saturday night for the running of the "Wings On The Beach" title you can still find out whats happening on the night by listening to the "Live Streaming" of the meeting being supplied by the guys over at The Pits Southern Speedway website. Go to http://thepits.racing.org.nz/ and click on the "streaming" button on the navigation bar. Or if you are at the track tune in to the commentary with your radio on 107.5FM.

20/11/11 - Double Stacking!..... Next Saturday night, November 26 has the modifiedsprint class double-billing at two tracks. A reasonable field of cars is expected to show at Dunedin's Beachlands Speedway, as the class makes a long awaited return to the southern speedway to contest the Wings On The Beach title. Meanwhile the class will also have a representation running at Ellesmere Raceway for their popular twilight meeting which starts at 4.00pm. 

20/11/11 - Harris Takes Out Feature!..... Darryl Harris showed the others how to use the high-line in last nights feature race at Holland Collision Centre Ruapuna Speedway. Coming from the rear of the pack Harris placed the 31c machine well up the track to gain the extra grip available and rapidly moved to the front of the pack and then eased out a good margin. It wasnt all easy though as rookie racer Josh Walls found a good line and began to reel in the Harris machine, eventually forcing Harris to get defensive and drop back into the traditional low-line for the last few laps.

Earlier in the night Nathan Astle (9c) took out the opening race with a great show of speed and tidy lines, and Darryl Harris also claimed the second heat.

20/11/11 - Opening Night Happened, Or Did It!..... A rain delayed opening night took place last Sunday afternoon, as of yet modifiedsprints.co.nz has not recieved any results from that meeting with the exception of knowing that Leeston based driver Anthony Dawson took out the feature on his return to the class after a season away.

12/11/11 - It Must Be Speedway Season! ..... It's been an on-going joke for a few seasons now that the weather will pack up when it's time for the speedway season to begin, and today it proved to be so. By now the cars should have been on the track and kicking the 2011/12 season into action - however constant rain over the last 24 hours led to tonights Ruapuna opener being postponed until 1pm Sunday afternoon.

8/11/11 - Season About To Rev-Up..... Invercargill is already underway for the 2011/12 season, and this Saturday Ruapuna will fire into action with opening night. The meeting is touting visiters from around the South Island across the classes and the Modifiedsprints are no exception with racers heading up from Invercargill's Riverside Speedway to take on the local boys...So get trackside for "The Fastest Show In Town!" from 7.00pm Saturday night only at "Holland Collision Centre Ruapuna Speedway" Hasketts Road, Templeton.

8/11/11 - Small Wings Set For Dunedin..... Saturday November 26 will be a big day in New Zealand as the country goes to the polls to decide who will govern the country - BUT more important than that will be the return of the modifiedsprint class to the speedway track in Dunedin! It's been a long time since the class put in some laps at Beachlands, thats not through lack of trying though, the last attempt for the class to run there was thwarted by the weather. Here's hoping that this attempt will be far more successful as a good field come together to contest the innaugeral "Wings At The Beach" title.

Final Call - Any drivers still wishing to enter this title will need to register their interest by Saturday November 12 - email here

8/11/11 - Calendar Update..... The season calendar has been tidied up and now includes dates for the Christchurch Modifiedsprint Club Championship as well.

31/10/11 - Almost Ready.....With the Ruapuna season about to kick off, the Christchurch Speedway Association have sent out a bulletin to remind competitors of a few processes that need to be completed before the season gets underway on Saturday November 12.

+ Greensheeting: SNZ have stated that there is to be no greensheeting at the track or it's premises. If your car still needs to be greensheeted, contact your class scrutineer to organise a time.

+ Scrutineering At All Meetings: This will now take place between 3pm and 5pm at the track on raceday. If you are going to be late due to work commitments, please advise the C.S.A.

+ Gear Checking: SNZ will be checking helmets etc and singing licences from 4pm to 5.15pm at each meeting.

+ Drivers Briefing: This will now take place at 5.30pm sharp! SNZ has made it compulsory for all competitors to attend. Drivers failing to do so will be stood down for the night and the club will be powerless to do anything to help you out in this situation.

And finally, for anyone wishing to have one last run before the season starts, the 1/4 midget club are holding a training session on Sunday November 6, between 10am and 2pm. All financial club members are welcome to use the track on this day. There will be an ambulance onsite. The costing to each competitor who wishes to have a run is $30.

17/10/11 - Dunedin On The Cards.....As mentioned a while back the modifiedsprints have the chance to run at another southern track in 2011/12. The class has been invited to run at Beachlands Dunedin Speedway on Saturday November 26. For this event to take place we will need to put together a field of at least eight cars. This is a call out for those drivers who would like to run at this meeting to register their interest.... email here to register, modifiedsprints.co.nz will update any progress on this meeting as it comes to hand.

10/10/11 - Season Calendar.....It's looking like a busy season ahead for the modifiedsprints, the 2011/12 season calendar has been posted. It should be noted however that dates and/or events are subject to change.

29/09/11 - Ruapuna - Practice 1.....Screaming up on us like a modifiedsprint chasing the Clay Cup Title, the first stage of Ruapuna's 2011/12 season takes it's first step this Saturday afternoon (October 1) with the first practice session. Vehicle checking is open between 12-2pm and track-time available after that between 2-4pm. Spectators are welcomed with entry being via the pit entry - get along for your first glimpse of open-wheelers for 2011/12.

29/09/11 - Will A Number Change His Fortune? .....Rookie driver Nigel Jackson, better known as Wall-E after his escapades at Westport where he turned the then 7c car into the appropriately tagged "L" has decided that a number change could also change his fortunes. Jackson will now run under number 19 (or will that be 61) from the beginning of the current season. Jackson did show glimpses of form at this years Arnesen Trophy event before finding the wall (and making a lot of excuses afterwards) The Flying Rakaian could be one to watch this season as he gets to grips with the class.

Can a number change stop this from happening? Nigel Jackson thinks so.....

29/09/11 - Another One For The South.....News through from Invercargill has another car in preparation for the coming season. Lee O'Keefe has sold the older Breka chassis that was obtained a season or two back and as you read this the car is under-going an extensive overhaul in readyness for the coming season. Lee still has the 18i ART chassis machine for sale - check the classifieds for details.

29/09/11 - The U.S. Beckons.....Continuing on with the previous news from Lee O'Keefe, it seems that the southern flyer will be sitting out the earlier part of the season. O'Keefe has had some dates confirmed to head to America to take part in some ASA racing. We wish Lee well with this experience and look forward to hopefully bringing you some reports on Lee's results.

27/08/11 - 2011/12 Approaches.....The first stage of preparation for the 2011/12 Ruapuna season takes place next Saturday September 3, when drivers are urged to attend the track's Sign On between 2pm and 4pm.

Drivers are also urged to attend a working bee earlier in the day starting at 9am, there are numorous tasks around the club that will need to be completed before the season gets underway - so if you can help out in some way it would be much appreciated by the C.S.A.

20/08/11 - Modifiedsprints At Another Southern Track In 2011/12?.....Continuing on with the 'slow and steady' appraoch of expanding the modifiedsprints exposure, things are looking positive for the coming 2011/12 season with the class gaining an invite to run at the Dunedin's Beachlands Speedway.

It wont be the first time that the modifiedsprints get to tear up the dirt at the Southern based track. But it has been a long time between visits, with the last visit back in 2000/01 when Reon Taylor raced his way to National glory taking out the coveted 1NZ! Times have changed since then - the class is no longer recognised as national, and quite possibly to the benefit of a visit to Beachlands speedway the class now has cars both north and south of the track.

With negotiations underway new Beachlands promoter, Matt Stewart is excited by the prospect of having the modifiedsprints hurtle round the Dunedin oval. "I have watched this class in Cromwell, I'm very inpressed and we would love to have them at our track." says Stewart. "The class will be something different and the crowd will be exicted by the fact that there's something new to see, we would be keen to see the class as much as possible!" Stewart continues on.

Christchurch Modifiedsprint Club President, Chris Mackenzie views this as another positive for the regional class. "With the class having cars both north and south of Dunedin, meeting 'half way' should make for a fair turn-out, it's another step as we slowly progress forward with one of the most under-rated classes in the country" "We simply need to finalise dates and get the deal sealed, we too are excited with yet another option to race at." 

1/08/11 - Astle Takes The Award.....Nathan Astle (9c) was awarded with the Modifiedsprint Competitor Of The Year award at Saturday nights Spanz New Zealand Speedway awards held in Wellington. Astle, who has just completed his first season of speedway competition edged out the other two nominee's Darryl Harris (31c) and Lee O'Keefe (18i) to claim the innaugeral presentation of the award.

Also in the winners circle was local speedway historian and Ruapuna commentator - AJ Batt, who deservedly claimed the award for Best Track Announcer. Modifiedsprints.co.nz wishes to congratulate these winners as well as all the nominee's for their achievements. 

25/07/11 - Christchurch Modifiedsprint Club - General Meeting.....The Christchurch Modifiedsprint Club has called for a general meeting to discuss the coming season at Ruapuna. A multitude of topics are on the agenda for discussion and all interested parties are invited to attend to have their say on any of these issues. Those present can also put forward any ideas they may have when the "open table" section of the meeting takes place. The meeting is set down for this Saturday July 30 at Hang-up Entertainment, 72 Mowbray Street, Waltham starting at 4.00pm.

25/07/11 - News From The South.....Shaun Harris has sent through a few tidbits of information from the Invercargill scene. The class is working hard on finalising racedates for the coming season at Riverside Speedway, with the two main title events being tentatively scheduled so as not to clash with Ruapuna meetings. Bradley May has sold the 75i machine to a new driver, unfortunately Shaun couldnt recall the drivers name but did go on to say that he cant wait to hit the track. Finally and possibly the most exciting news to come out of the Southern region is the progress of Kevin Cunningham who is in the process of converting a midget into a modifiedsprint for the coming season. Cunningham raced saloons a few seasons back and is looking forward to getting on track this season. If Cunninghams conversion is succesful, this could possibly be a viable option for other racers interested in joining the class to follow.

25/07/11 - And Finally!.....modifiedsprints.co.nz has been made aware that the site could be out of action for a while in the next few days as a tecnical issue with the site gets resolved. I guess if you're reading this the story is irrelevent.....but in the past when the site has gone down, we have been contacted via email as to what the issue is. This time we have some warning of the impending down-time.

19/07/11 - SPANZ New Zealand Speedway Awards.....Once again modifiedsprints.co.nz fell short of making the cut of finalists for the SPANZ New Zealand Speedway Awards for 2010/11. We were more than aware that being a little regional class going up against the public might of nationally covered classes (as portrayed on the finalists sites) would be a challenge. Even so, just being nominated two years in a row can be taken as a huge success that our work on this site is getting some recognition.

It's not all over for the modifiedsprints representation at the SPANZ awards though - there's still an award to be claimed in the form of "The Modifiedsprint Competitor Of The Year" Modifiedsprints.co.nz wishes the three nominees, Lee O'Keefe, Nathan Astle and Darryl Harris all the best for the awards, as we await the results.

7/07/11 - Speedway - It's The Pits!.....If you are involved with Speedway in the southern region of the South Island you are probably more than aware of "The Pits - Southern Speedway" website. Put into place a few seasons back by passionate speedway follower and popular commentator Jason Gutteridge, "The Pits" brings you news on all forms of speedway in the Otago region.

A recent addition to the site has been the inclusion of a message board to discuss the goings on in the deep south. With the Modifiedsprints being part of the southern scene - modifiedsprints.co.nz has signed up and releases some relevent information on the class from time to time.....and now we invite you - supporters of racing in the south to become part of "The Pits" scene. The site can be found here: "The Pits - Southern Speedway" We currently have a poll going to find out what you supporters of the modifiedsprints would like to see implemented for the coming season.

7/07/11 - Hoping Not To Clash!.....With the countdown to the 2011/12 season underway, work is currently underway to format calendars between Ruapuna and Riverside not to clash any modifiedsprint "title" meetings during the season. Of most importance are the Clay Cup (Ruapuna), Canterbury Champs (Ruapuna), Southland Champs (Invercargill) and the first running of the Brett Cooper Memorial (Invercargill) for the modifiedsprint class.

As is always the case trying to balance calendars between tracks is a hard act, with clubs having to cater for so many classes they cant always programme a season calendar that doesnt clash somewhere. However the modifiedsprint guys are hopeful of being able to sort out these meetings allowing for drivers from both regions to travel and compete in trophy events. 

30/06/11 - Modifiedsprints Feature In Nominations.....For the second year running www.modifiedsprints .co.nz has been nominated in the category of "Best Website Of The Year" in the annual SPANZ awards. Last year the team here was happy just to be nominated even though site dipped out in the final cut from some fifteen odd sites down to ten. This year is a different matter as there are four websites competing for the title... Also featuring this year for the first time is the inclusion of "Competitor Of The Year - Regional Class - Modifiedsprints" Three nominees have been submitted for this award, Daryl Harris, Lee O'Keefe and Nathan Astle.

Voting is open now and is set to close at 10pm, Monday July 4. Be sure to have your say as to who will feature at the awards ceremony....voting can be done by visiting here....SPANZ AWARDS

12/06/11 - Photo Of the Moment.....

Gettin Sideways! - Rookie driver Nigel Jackson throws the 7c around at Westport

9/06/11 - Concrete + Sump = Bung!.....It was supposed to be two days of hard fought competition, unfortunately it all fell apart on day one. Overnight rain at Sunset Speedway - Westport, left the club with a pluggy mud-bog that had to be turned into some form of racetrack for the two day meeting. Day one did get underway although somewhat delayed as a track was formed. Through no fault of anyone the track would eventually claim enough casualties to sideline the modifiedsprints for day two, which ironicly would turn out sunny. Read more.....

31/05/11 - One Last Fling.....The modifiedsprints get their last outing at a SNZ track for the 2010/11 season this weekend. Westport's Sunset Speedway will once again host the annual Arnesen Trophy and Best In The West titles over the Queens Birthday weekend. The Arnesen Trophy will be contested for the fourth time since being installed at the west coast track back in 2008. That year saw Jason Stark come home the victor in trying conditions, since then the only other driver to have his name on the trophy has been Tom Lumsden. Unfortunately Lumsden wont be on track this year to defend his title as his car is still in transit from the successful visit to Australia, and Stark has recently sold the 71c Henchcraft leaving him without a drive at this stage. So it's looking like a new name will be etched onto the Arnesen Trophy this weekend...who will it be? 

31/05/11 - On The Radio.....For those of you who (like me) missed the Lesley Murdoch interview with 2Aus Tom Lumsden that was broadcast on NewstalkZB a while back, we are lucky enough to have the audio available for you to listen to.

A big thanks must go to Lesley Murdoch for making this audio clip available to us. Lesley hosts the regional "All Sports Breakfast" radio show on NewstalkZB in Christchurch, be sure to listen in on 1098AM or 100.1FM 

29/05/11 - Social - A Small Blast!...... A smaller than expected turn out were on hand at "The Loons" for the third Christchurch Modifiedsprint Club social/prize-giving. that didnt how-ever detract from a night that was enjoyed by all.

From the opening moment, the audience was humoured and captivated by the nights MC - Daryl Cribb. The opening feature of the night was to be a "sing a-long" of "The Cribb's" - Ode To The Loser. However technical issues with the extremely high-tech karaoke system (black vivid marker on paper - being flipped by two volunteers) prevented the audience from helping out. The Cribb's deliverence however was enough to keep the show rolling along with a few ad-lib one liners thrown in!

From there, it was into the formalities with the awards ceremonies and speeches. A few fun awards were presented, before heading into the more serious awards, with a high-light being Brendan Daly's "Cowboy Of The Year" award - where he was presented with a pink cowboy hat for his "rodeo ride" at Ruapuna's last meeting of the season (see video below 29/4/11) Rounding out the fun awards section was the calling up of Darryl Harris - who seemed a little concerned about what was about to happen - MC - Daryl Cribb launched in building up to a major "fun award" only to announce Darryl Harris as the Christchurch Modifiedsprint Clubs Champion for 2011. Kieran Harris was then called up and quizzed about "the ol' man"stealing the trophy away from both him and Nathan Astle on the last night of the season. Final results for the club championship were: 1st: Darryl Harris and 2nd= Kieran Harris and Nathan Astle.

Trophy Haul - Darryl Harris collected the "Club Championship" trophy (right) and keepsake (left) and was called upon to collect the "Presidents Choice Cup" on behalf of Invercargill's Shaun Harris.

Breaking from the formalities breifly, Class Rep Ben Crowe was called to the stage to give a Class Reps speech, and Wayne Lumsden was offered a chance to give a perspective of the recent successful trip to Australia. Back to formalities for the final award of the night "The Presidents Choice Cup" - this cup is presented to the driver who has done the most to promote the class over the course of the season, and this years recipient was Invercargill's Shaun Harris. Unfortunately Shaun couldnt be present, So Darryl Harris accepted the cup on his behalf.

With the main formalities out of the way - it was time for the star entertainer of the night to show his wares - The Cribb introduced the larger than life dare-devil - Ali Blubber, who delighted the crowd with his trademark sword swallowing, fire eating and nail in the face antics, along with on-going gags and jokes.

Ali Blubber entertained with death defying acts of fire and sword swallowing, along with some off-the-cuff humour

With that out of the way, it was time to wrap up the ceremonies, but first would come a chance for soemone to take away the "Mega Spot Prize" this was decided by the often used "heads or tails" game - aptly renamed to "helmets and er, after some deliberation seats" Andre Goldsmith would come away the eventual winner after quite a few rounds. From there it was into the final wrap-up with a round of thank-you's. Ben Crowe was thanked for being class rep, Graeme price was thanked for being scrutineer for the season. Andre Goldsmith (Hang-Up Entertainment) was then called to the stage and presented with a plaque of appreciation for his continued support of this website, as was Daryl Cribb for his support by allowing us to use "The Loons" as a location for ther last three years.

The night closed off with a provided supper and drinks from the bar....and just to keep things very Canterbury at the moment we were treated to a 3.6mag aftershock to round out the night!

23/05/11 - It's Your Shout!...... The Christchurch Modifiedsprint Club wishes to welcome a new supporter of the club on board. Your Shout - Linwood is your one stop shop for all your home-brew, distilling, wine-making and cheese-making equipment.

Business owner Paul Manson has kindly donated a couple of spot prizes for this weekends Christchurch Modifiedsprint Club's social event. Your Shout - Linwood offers a wide range of products along with extensive advice whether just starting out or a long time brewer. Your Shout - Linwood is in an easy to find location at 239a Linwood Ave (near the Eastgate Mall) To find out more about homebrewing, check out the website here or click the link in the page header (top left of the page) or simply drop in for a chat.

23/05/11 - Social All Go!...... The Christchurch Modifiedsprint Club's popular prize-giving/social is all go again this year. Once again to be held at "The Loons" in Lyttelton on Saturday May 28th, the evening will offer the usual awards ceremonies along with entertianment, supper and of course a few spot prizes along the way. Tickets to this event are just $20 a head and can be ordered by emailing here, or can be purchased at the door on the night (R.O.A.R) Tickets are limited - so get in quick for whats sure to be a great night.

23/05/11 - Lumsdens Race For Glory!...... Modifiedsprints.co.nz was recently supplied with footage of the feature event of the 2011 Lightningsprint Australian Title. Watch as Tom Lumsden puts it to the Aussies in their own backyard...

Aussie Title feature (footage courtesy Sean Barnett)

  19/05/11 - Ellesmere This Sunday...... Ellesmere Raceway has a meeting on this weekend and a handful of Modifiedsprints are expected to take the chance to get some laps at the country track. The Feature event for the meeting will be the running of the "Selwyn Burt TQ Classic" Be sure to get trackside for an action packed day of racing. Racing gets underway at 1.00pm.

15/05/11 - Lumsden Strikes Success In Aussie!...... Tom Lumsden had probably the biggest success of his speedway career, when he placed second in the Australian Lightning Sprint Title last night at Sydney's Tyrepower Speedway. Lumsden showed good pace and consistant form in the heat races placing 2nd and 3rd in his two heats mixing it with the best Aussie has to offer in the class.

As reported in earlier posts, Lumsden had shipped his 42c Modifiedsprint over to Australia for some off-season racing and the team thought that the standard specifications of our modifiedsprints would be down on power compared to the "race prepared" cars over there. Obviously this wasnt the case as Lumsden was more than competitve with the Yamaha R1 with his trademark aggressive style paying dividends on the open Sydney track.

From the outside it does seem that the motorcycle/chain-drive combination came to the fore last night as Lumsden chased eventual winner Tony Brearley (14x) to the line in the 25 lap winner takes all feature. Both drivers managed to blast past race leader Scott Lewin (50n) on the final lap to make a motorcycle/chain-drive 1-2 on the podium. Former visitor to Ruapuna, DJ Raw placed in fourth ahead of the other kiwi Shaun Cooke who battled through the pack after an early spin and light roll-over sent him to the rear of the field.

Modifiedsprints.co.nz congratulates Tom and the team on a great result.

Fast Fern - Tom Lumsden's 42nz (2 Aus) modifiedsprint (Photo: Dom Stevens)

11/05/11 - Aussie Vs NZ Gold Cup Feature...... Modifiedsprints.co.nz has been given the go ahead to post footage of last Saturday's Gold Cup feature race where the Kiwi's were on the case and running hot, before Lumsden retired and Cooke got pipped towards the tail of the event. News filtering through from across the ditch is that both Lumsden and Cooke will be back this weekend to compete in the Australian title chase. 

Aussie Gold Cup feature (footage courtesy Sean Barnett)

11/05/11 - Ellesmere This Sunday...... Reminder to drivers that Ellesmere raceway will be holding the Selwyn Burt T.Q. Classic meeting this coming Sunday May 15. Racing will kick off at 1.00pm with scrutineering starting at 11.00am. As usual Ellesmere is a great place to experiment with setups and lines while getting in some off-season laps....  

11/05/11 - Wings And Chains Follow-up...... Drivers should have by now recieved the latest initiative put into place by the Christchurch Modifiedsprint Club - "Wings and Chains" The official newletter of the club was sent to all drivers who have registered their postal details with the club over the past season. If you are a driver and have not yet registered your postal details, please do so as soon as possible so we can forward you an issue. While on the subject of "Wings and Chains" feedback by means of the quick survey that was inserted into the newsletter has been almost non-existant, this is how the Club can guage what drivers would like to see in the future - This is a request from the Club to send this survey in!

11/05/11 - Prize-Giving Coming Up...... Details of this years prize-giving will be hitting the site soon. Keep checking back for the latest on the popular social event.

7/05/11 - Lumsden Finally Hits Sydney...... Modifiedsprint Hotshoe Tom Lumsden finally hit the track tonight as the Aussie Vs NZ Gold Cup meeting got underway at Sydney's Tyrepower Speedway. Thrown in at the deep end, Lumsden began the first outing from the rear of the field alongside mini-sprint ace Shaun Cooke, neither driver managed to show too much as they came to grips with the new location. By the time the second heat rolled out the pair were slotted further up the grid, Lumsden starting third and Cooke ninth. Cooke was the mover as he weaved forward into fifth while Lumsden drove aggressively, challenging for second spot without success on a few occasions and having to settle for a well earned third.

Cooke's third outing would see him run from the pack and claim a victory, while the format being used ment that Lumsden wouldnt see the track alongside his kiwi compatriot.

Lumsdens third outing would have him slated back down the pack on grid 7, while at the front was a name well versed here in Christchurch Australian - DJ Raw. Raw would lead the race from the green until a last lap incident halted the race.  With the red-light incident came the conclusion of the race and Raw was awarded the win while Lumsden again struggled to move forward in the 42nz modifiedsprint.

Down to the final event of the night for the lightningsprints - the Gold Cup Feature to be raced over 25 laps. Cooke and Lumsden got off to good starts slotting into 2nd and 3rd respectively chasing down the Aussie driver Drew Keith. The laps were ticking down quickly and with a mere 10 laps to go Lumsdens challenge would come to a halt as a mechanical issue would force the retirement out of the race, with reports of smoke coming from the engine compartment....not the kind of finish that the Lumsden camp would have hoped for. Meanwhile fellow kiwi, Cooke would begin to struggle with the pace and would eventually get passed by DJ Raw with a couple of laps remaining. Keith would continue on to win in record time, ahead of Raw and Cook managing to hold on to the third spot.

Modifiedsprints.co.nz will endeavour to get a fuller report of the extent of damage to the 42c machine, hopefully this wont thwart the attempt on the Aussie title to be held next weekend..... 

3/05/11 - Ruapuna Speedway AGM - Be There...... Ruapuna Speedway will be holding its AGM on Wednesday May 4 starting at 7.30pm. It is important that all drivers attend if possible to have your say on the future of Ruapuna. the meeting will be held in the Ruapuna Speedway clubrooms, Hasketts Road, Templeton.

1/05/11 - Aussie Vs NZ Rain Steals The Show! ...... We are often annoyed when a long trip is made to spectate or compete and the weather sets in causing postponement or cancellation of the meeting - so spare a thought for the Kiwi contingient who travelled to Sydney over the weekend only to have the weather gods do their thing! Nathan Astle, Tom Lumsden and north island mini-sprint driver Shaun Cooke were geared up to compete against the Aussies in the much talked about Aussie Vs New Zealand Gold Cup meeting set to run last night. However the meeting was postponed due to constant rain that made the track un-raceable. The meeting has been re-scheduled for May 7, but at this stage it is unsure if the Kiwi guys will return to take part in the event.

29/04/11 - Over In A Flash! ...... This years visit to Cromwell's Central Motor Speedway was seemingly over in a flash. Although there was a huge programme on the cards and seemingly endless waits between heats once the modifiedsprints hit the track the laps flew by and the three races were completed on no time at all.

A decent sized field of 12 cars fronted at the Central Otago track to compete on day two of the annual Easter meeting - the format simple, marble draw fro heat 1, reverse grid for heat 2 and highest points off the front for the run to the flag in the Feature. Read more.....

29/04/11 - Modifiedsprint Moments Catch-up ...... It's been a while since a "Modifiedsprint Moment" has graced the website. Over the next while we will be re-viewing our footage to see if we can bring you a few more of these popular video snippets. Right now how-ever, we will get the ball rolling with Brendan Daly's "Modifiedsprint Moment" from the last meeting held at Equus Ruapuna Speedway on April 9.

Modifiedsprint Moment number 5: Daly's Bronco Ride.

22/04/11 - Breaking News!...... The profile of the modifiedsprint class continues to grow with the announcement that the class will be included in the 2011 ProParts New Zealand Speedway Awards. The newly established award for "Competitor Of The Year, Regional Class, Modifiedsprints" came about after Christchurch Modifiedsprint Club president and keen promoter of modifiedsprints, Chris Mackenzie forwarded a case to have an award included in the nationally recognised speedway awards ceremony. Confirmation of the awards inclusion was recieved this morning from SPANZ representative, Lesley Williams.

"This continues the Christchurch Modifiedsprint Clubs stance to keep moving the class forward" states Mackenzie, "To be honest I did have to do a little 'follow-up' on the initial proposal. But I'm totally stoked with the outcome not only on a personal achievement level, but more-so for the club and class as well"

This will be the first time that the modifiedsprints have been recognised at the National speedway awards, and now comes the next step, getting nominations in.....details on the nomination process can be found on the SPANZ site here

20/04/11 - Screamin Round The Otago Oval ...... This Sunday will see a reasonable field of modifiedsprints take to the Central Otago oval at Cromwell. Cromwell is a track that features regularly in drivers favourites list....the long sweeping turns 3-4 soon tighten into the challenging turns 1-2 making for some exciting laps. At this stage around 10 cars will get the modifiedsprint scream going as they blast around the track chasing after the "Easter Championship" title that is up for grabs. Racing is set to get underway at 3pm, so make sure you get there early to get a good viewing position.

16/04/11 - Two Champions Found...... It had been a long time between race meetings At Equus Ruapuna Speedway, and it would be fitting that two Championships would be decided ont he final meeting of the 2010/11 season. It had never been the intention to run a round of the Chrsitchurch Modifiedsprint Club championship over the top of any other title meeting. With the season thrown into  dis-array on Febraury 22 the club was left with no other option but to clash the two titles into one night.

The club title would be decided after the running of the first race of the night. The results would turn an already fiercely contested five round seasonlong battle into a result even closer than first anticipated when the format was concieved, with a lot of drivers ending the series tied on points with their rival competitors.  Read more.....

16/04/11 - Next Stop Cromwell...... The modifiedsprints are set to fire some more shots in Central Otago on Sunday April 24. A number of cars will make the trek to Cromwell's Central Motor Speedway to take part in the annual Easter Champs meeting, this time however the class will only be present on one day due to the NZ Streetstock GP being held over the course of the weekend.

2/04/11 - 2010/11 Ruapuna Season Finale......Ruapuna Speedway has announced details of the season finale for the current season. Saturday April 9 will see the curtain fall for the 2010/11 season. Highlighting the meeting will be the delayed running of the South Island Midget Championship.

For the modifiedsprints it will be a end of season double-header, with the final round of the closely contested Christchurch Modifiedsprint Club Championship being run, along with the 2011 Canterbury Champs. It is hoped that numbers will be boosted by some Invercargill drivers making the haul up to compete.

One Round to go - who will claim the Christchurch modifiedsprint Club Championship?

2/04/11 - 2010/11 One Ends - Another Starts......With the end of Ruapuna's 2010/11 season comes the start of the 2011 Ellesmere Raceway season.The first meeting of the current season is set down for Sunday April 10, starting at 1.00pm. Drivers are reminded that under new CTRA rules all cars need to be green-sheeted to compete at Ellesmere and cars willneed to pass through scrutineering on the day between 10.00am and mid-day.

2/04/11 - Duo Ready For Aussie Assault...... Two modifiedsprint drivers are preparing to take up the challenge across the ditch. Tom Lumsden and Nathan Astle have their sights set on stealing one of Australias most prized Lightning Sprint titles away in true trans-tasman style. The Christchurch based Duo will head to Sydney Speedway to compete in the highly sought after Gold Cup Title, they will be joined by north island based mini-sprint driver Shaun Cooke.

Astle will travel to Australia and be placed behind the wheel of a loaned "lighning sprint" as he takes up the challenge.

Lumsden on the other-hand is determined to see how our modifiedsprint cars fare against the Australian lightning sprints, and after some communication with NSW Ligtning sprint president, Adam Raw he has been given the ok to freight his car across the Tasman to compete for a number of meetings in April culminating in the Aussie title a few weeks after the Gold Cup.

The Christchurch Modifiedsprint Club wishes these two well on their racing trip, and sends out a big thanks to all those who have helped to get this trip organised, we will keep an eye on results when the Kiwi's hit the Aussie tracks!  

11/03/11 - Christchurch Quake - Stops A Nation......The last update on this site was due to be published on Tuesday, February 22, in fact I was actually working on an update when without warning chaos erupted in Christchurch. A devastating magnitude 6.3 ripped through the Christchurch region bringing down many buildings and turning peoples lives upside-down for the second time in six months (mag 7.1 earthquake in September) and tragicly this time lives were lost.

For many the destruction was hard to comprehend, and in some cases residents were left un-aware of the full scale of the event for days with power and communication services down. There was no doubting that this event was going to be more devastating than the events that had unfolded in September. This was a work day, and around lunch-time - there were going to be casualties and even worse fatalities this time around. From my location in Worcester Street the outcome was obvious...as I left my driveway to help local residents I looked left to see open sky where once the Christchurch Cathederal spire would usually stand, to the right was a totally demolished shopping complex, where sadly lives were lost. Everywhere were stunned people, no-one really knowing what to make of what had happened.

As time went by community spirit jumped into gear with total strangers asking and comforting other strangers - this has to be the redeeming side of such a tragedy. All the while aftershocks continued to rattle through the area further fraying already shattered nerves.

Even now, some three weeks after the event many people are still edgey.This event will stay in the minds of many for a long time to come, Christchurch will become to totally different place to live as the long process to rebuild the city begins. The story continues to unfold on a day by day basis as new names are added to the list of those killed in the earthquake.....the final toll is not yet known!

On behalf of the Christchurch Modifiedsprint Club, I wish to forward our thoughts to those effected in anyway by this earthquake. We all feel helpless that we cannot offer a quick solution to the situations that people find themselves in, but our thoughts and best wishes are with you. We will all need to stand together and form a strong bond to pull through this and move on. I wish to offer my heartfelt condolences to those who have lost loved ones, family or friends in this dark event.

As far as speedway goes, it really is quite trivial at the moment, there are far more pressing issues at hand, in light of this Ruapuna Speedway has currently put it's season on hold while Christchurch gets back on it's feet. Updates on future meetings will be made public when the timing is right, to keep up to date on this check out here or visit the Ruapuna site here.....

Now after some delay, I give you the race review I was working on at 12.51pm, Tuesday February 2011, a day that Christchurch was rocked to its very core. From Invercargill's Riverside Speedway I give you a wrap up of the Southland Modifiedsprint Championship meeting held on February 19th.

22/02/11 - Finally...A Break For Harris!......Shaun Harris put behind a trying season to storm his way to victory in the second running of the Southland Modifiedsprint Championship. Thwarted by engine woes for quite some time it seems that the gremlins have finally been sorted as the 24i machine came out on top of the nine car field at Riverside Speedway.....Read more.....

Shaun Harris (24i) claimed the Southland Modifiedsprint Championship

15/02/11 - Southern Silverware Heading North?......This Saturday (19 February) at Invercargills Riverside Speedway the dirt will fly in anger as the Modifiedsprints will again take to the track to compete for the second running of the Southland Modifiedsprint Title.

Car numbers will be boosted by a contingient of visiting drivers from Christchurch, each hoping to grab the silverware away from the vastly improving "Southland Squad" and bring the title north. Although theres not as many as initially hoped for heading to the southern-most speedway in the country, the drivers that are making the trek are of high quality and plenty of action is expected.

With provincial pride as stake this will be a hard fought title and one worth watching if you're in the Southern region over the weekend. Get along to Riverside Speedway (Invercargill) to see the outcome, racing is set to start at 5.00pm

7/02/11 - Harris 2 - Stark 1...... Kieran Harris broke the season-long tradition of different feature winners on Friday night as he became the first multiple winner of the season.

Saturday night would see yet another new name added to the ever expanding list of winners as Jason Stark stormed away from the pack to claim his first Ruapuna feature event. Stark who was piloting the 41c machine of Andre Goldsmith made the most of his front row grid to quickly jump into the lead and drive an almost faultless race to the checkered flag.  Read more.....

7/02/11 - Down To The Wire For Championship...... The Christchurch Modifiedsprint Club Championship is going down to the wire! With only one round remaining in the five round series things are getting tight at the top of the table. Kieran Harris still holds the prime spot, however his lead has been cut down to two points as Nathan Astle took honours in the round last night to move into Second spot a single point clear of Darryl Harris. Rookie driver Brendan Daly continues to hold down the fourth spot, while Alastair Ford and Tim George sit within striking range. Set down for March 19, the final round of the series should be a hard fought battle...who will reign supreme at the end of it all?

1/02/11 - Modifiedsprint Moments Keep Rolling...... Yet another installment gets added to the popular video segment of the website. This time its a "Modifiedsprint Moment" featuring Kieran Harris (22c) and Linsay Bailey (42c) at the recent Ruapuna meeting.

Modifiedsprint Moment number 4: Harris Vs Bailey.

1/02/11 - Another Double Header ...... Another double header is on the cards this Friday and Saturday night at Equus Ruapuna Speedway. The Christchurch track plays host to the New Zealand T.Q.Midget Grand Prix (Friday) and the ever popular T.Q Masters event (Saturday) Once again the modifiedsprints will be on hand as a support class on the two nights, with the Saturday being another round of the Christchurch Modifiedsprint Club Championship. For further details on the meeting, check out www.Ruapunaspeedway.co.nz  

1/02/11 - Who's Turn This Week?...... Something can be said about the competitiveness within the modifiedsprint class this season. With five meetings under the belt at Ruapuna the class has produced five different Feature Winners. Nathan Astle (9c), Kieran Harris (22c), Tom Lumsden (42c), Darryl Harris (31c), and Alastair Ford (8c) have all tasted feature winning success. Can this continue, or will someone break the trend and claim a second feature win.....Get yourself track-side this weekend to see what happens.

30/01/11 - From The Committee...... A recent Christchuch Modifiedsprint Committee meeting was held to discuss a number of issues that have been put on the table in recent times.

First on the agenda was to follow up on class rep Ben Crowe, Ben had shown some intention to stand down at the end of the season, however after some discussion about this it seems that Ben wishes to continue on and strive to get things running smoother where possible. Thank you Ben for putting in the time that you do, I'm sure a lot are unaware of your input.

Next was a discussion in regards to Committee meetings and if minutes from meetings should be posted on this site. As you can see we have taken the first step by posting this little update, however we are aware that there are some issues/decisions that shouldnt be made available to the general public until such time that they are formalised. The option of a "club members" page with password protection was discussed and will be looked into.

Club funds soon hit the table and were discussed for some time. Intention to hold a fund raising event was tabled and got good support from the committee, this will be looked into in the near future. The issue of "Club Fee's" not being paid was raised and discussed, as a result it was decided to post a request on here about membership fees for the Christchurch Modifiedsprint Club to be paid. These fee's allow the club to continue the work they are doing to progress the class further, and is also used to supply the class with winners sashes, trophies, and of course the popular end of season function/prize-giving.

Class/Club sponsorship was also tabled, the Christchurch Modifiedsprint Club would welcome any sponsorship for the remainder of this season and/or long term as well. The Club is more than open to any form of sponsorship and would be more than willing to discuss possiblities with any interested parties.

You may have heard about the possible North Vs South challenge (see story below) this was discussed for some time at the meeting.

Finally, the committee decided that although formal driver/committee meetings havent really worked in the past (not many drivers turn up) an invitation should be extended to drivers for them to be able to attend committee meetings. Infromation on future meetings will be posted on this site and interested parties will be welcome to attend these meetings.

If you require further information on any of these notes, please contact a committee member, or alternatively send an email to modifiedsprints.co.nz. We will endeavour to replay as soon as possible.

30/01/11 - North Vs South?...... There's been a fair bit of chatter about a possible "North vs South" challenge doing the rounds lately. Most will be well aware that Modifiedsprints are a South Island only class, so how will this work......? The idea is to have a challenge between the South Island Modifiedsprints and the North Island Mini-sprints, with each class hosting a round in their respective island. There seems to be a fair amount of interest from both sides, however that little stretch of water between the islands seems to be the factor holding back the challenge at this stage. The discussion is sure to continue....keep checking back for any updates on this challenge.

25/01/11 - FastFord To Feature Win...... Alastair Ford tamed a tricky track and claimed his first feature win since joining the class at the beginning of the season. Heavy overnight rain at Equus Ruapuna Speedway had put the second night of the "Sprintcar Summer Slam" in jeopardy, and only through the determined work of the sprintcar drivers did the meeting go ahead. Needless to say the track surface was a bumpy challenge for the modifiedsprint drivers on hand and laptimes were significantly slower than normal. Leaving his T.Q. at home for the night Linsay Bailey jumped at the chance to compete in Tom Lumsdens 42c machine and progressively built up speed throughout the night, eventually claiming second behind Ford in the feature after a battle with Kieran Harris ended with the two competitors colliding in the Town bend. Harris was later excluded from the results and Darryl Harris awarded with third. Results.....

Alastair Ford raced the IBT sponsored Henchcraft to his first Feature win

25/01/11 - Change At The Top...... Kieran Harris raced into the top spot of the Christchurch Modifiedsprint Club Championship and now has his sights set on retaining the title that he claimed last season. However with two rounds remaining in the championship chase and 40 points up for grabs theres still a lot of racing to be done before the final positions can be decided.

18/01/11 - Double Header This Weekend...... the festive season is over and its back to their spiritual home-track for two nights of open-wheel action at Equus Ruapuna Speedway. This Friday and Saturday night the big guns of speedway, the sprintcars will do battle for firstly the "Salute To Goodie" trophy and then contest the prestigious "Gold Cup"

The modifiedsprints will be on hand as a support class over the two nights and on Saturday night will be contesting the third round of the Christchurch Modifiedsprint Club Championship. Nathan Astle holds the top spot by a single point and has a bunch of competitors knocking on his tail tank ready to grasp valuable points.

Can Nathan Astle hold the lead? Will one of the Harris duo take the lead.......or will someone else blast their way towards the top of the points? Be there to find out - Equus Ruapuna Speedway, Hasketts Road, Templeton - this Friday and Saturday night. Racing starts at 7.00pm. Further details at www.ruapunaspeedway.co.nz  

  5/01/11 - Impressive O'Keefe At Cromwell...... Invercargill based Lee O'Keefe had an impressive run over both days of the two day Xmas/New Years meeting at Cromwell's Central Motor Speedway. Piloting the ex Brett Robinson ART chassis O'Keefe showed that he was more than able to foot it with some of the best that Christchurch has to offer. Read more.....

5/01/11 - Cromwell Delivers Modifiedsprint Moments...... Cromwell's Central Motor Speedway delivered a few "Modifiedsprint Moments" over the course of the two day meeting, unfortunately we missed the roll-over of Danny Lang on the second day, but we did capture Tom Lumsdens "bunny bounce" on day one and Jason Starks "wall of death performance on day two" Take a look at them here......

Tom Lumsden has a Moment At Cromwell

Not to be outdone Jason Stark hogs the Camera at the next meeting

29/12/10 - Three In A Row For Lumsden...... Tom Lumsden continued his dominance as he took out his third successive Modifiedsprint Clay Cup title on Saturday night. It wasnt all plain sailing however as he had to overcome a myriad of obstacles before being able to hold the trophy once again. Controversy in heat one threatened his opening heat win, an altercation with the town bend wall saw the 42c machine flip over after a puncture sent him spearing into the concrete in heat two and finally the Ruapuna track was subjected to a sprinkling of rain just to keep things interesting. If anyhting you could say things came right at the right time, as the winner takes all feature for the ATV Accessories New Zealand Modifiedsprint Clay Cup was the only race without issue for Lumsden.

Chasing home Lumsden to claim second spot was the hard charging Kieran Harris, who although was putting in some quick laps just seemed to have no answer for the flying Lumsden. Invercargill's Lee O'Keefe put in a stellar performance on his first visit to Ruapuna to claim the third spot and given more laps in the car should quickly become a major threat within the class.

The night wasnt without incident for other drivers either with a few competitors making spectacular exits from the event. James Doyle and Bill Nelson were first to go tangling in the town bend early in the night sending both cars into a series of rollovers. Not to be outdone Tim George would likewise exit the ATV Accessories New Zealand Modifiedsprint Clay cup with a violent rollover exiting turn two later in the night.

Bill Nelson and James Doyle exit the ATV Accessories New Zealand Clay Cup

29/12/10 - Next Stop Cromwell...... There's no rest for the modifiedsprint class, after a hectic clay cup event that saw several cars sustain damage, the guys pack up and head South to Cromwell's Central Motor Speedway for two days of full on racing. At least ten cars are expected to be on hand for the December 30 and January 1 events. So if you're in the Cromwell area, get on down to the track to see the guys in action, and feel free to come on by and talk with the drivers and look over the cars when possible.  

24/12/10 - Clay Cup Gets A Name!...... ATV Accessories New Zealand was the winner of the naming rights raffle for the Clay Cup event to be held at Ruapuna on December 27. ATV Accessories New Zealand are at the forefront of promoting ATV riding at all levels and supply a wide range of performance ATV and ATV related products to anyone wanting trhe best for their ATV. Whether you're a competitive racer, or just someone out to have a bit of fun ATV Accessories will have something for your quad!

ATV Accessories New Zealand can be contacted via phone: 021 2884 386, or by visiting their website at: http://www.atvaccessories.co.nz

The raffle was drawn by former modifiedsprint competitor Chris Parker, with Christchurch Modifiedsprint Club Committee members Darryl Harris, and Chris Mackenzie alongside to verify the winner.

The Christchurch Modifiedsprint Club wishes to acknowledge the following companies who supported the raffle, We encourage you to use their services whenever possible.

22/12/10 - The Challenge Has Been Set...... This years Modifiedsprint Clay Cup set to run on December 27 at Equus Ruapuna Speedway has been given an extra spark! The local contingient will need to be on their game as the Southland Squad have threatened to take the trophy South to Invercargill. Three drivers will be making the haul up to compete in the highly saught after trophy, leading the charge will be Lee O'Keefe who has shown great from in the recently aquired ex Brett Robinson ART machine. Having seat time on his side will be Shaun Harris, who is the classes longest competitor from the deep south and has footed it with the local opposition on a few occasions. The third driver Craig Philips is somewhat of an unknown and could very well be a spanner in the works of the Christchurch contingient.

After a hasty deal Aussie Invader, DJ Raw returns to Ruapuna and has also thrown down the challenge. The 28yr old NSW based driver showed plenty of potential in his last fleeting visit claiming a mid pack finish and two second spots in a relatively unknown car. It will be somehwat of a learning curve again for the aussie as the car he previously ran is unavailable for this meeting. This time he will find himself behind the wheel of Andre Goldsmith's 41c Henchcraft for this attempt on taking the Clay Cup title across the Tasman.

Will the local guys be able to handle this two-pronged attack? Be at Equus Ruapuna Speedway on December 27 to find out......

22/12/10 - New Dance For Modifiedsprints...... The format for this years Clay Cup event gets a shake-up as a number of new innovations are introduced to the class for the first time. Starting off the night will be a parade of the drivers, allowing the spectators to see what the usually hiden drivers look like (really is that a good thing?) From there the battle will begin with three heats of full speed action allowing drivers to gain points towards grids for the feature, then a curve-ball gets thrown, as the top six points scorers get to compete in a "pole shuffle" to find the final starting grids. This will be the first pole shuffle for the class since Ruapuna first introduced the concept to New Zealand a number of seasons ago. It's long been something that many of the drivers have wanted to have a go at - there's just never been an oppertunity to do one in the past. With the 'qualifying' out of the way, it's then down to business - the winner takes all Modifiedsprint Clay Cup Feature Event. With $500 on the cards for the winner, along with the chance to get their name on the trophy its sure to be a highly contested race well worth watching!

18/12/10 - Feature Footage Finally Makes It...... A technical hitch kept coverage of last Saturday nights Feature race from making it to the site at the time of the meeting review. Modifiedsprints.co.nz is glad to announce that the footage has finally made it to the site....it can be viewed here

18/12/10 - The Clay Cup - With Your Name On It...... It's that time of the year again, no not Christmas (well ok yes it is) but the third running of the Modifiedsprint Clay Cup is fast approaching, and as in previous years the Christchurch Modifiedsprint Club will again be raffling off the naming rights to this event. This year looks to be bigger than ever with cars set to visit from Invercargill, and the possible return of Aussie hotshot DJ Raw (under negotiation). Tickets are available now and are $50 and limited to a maximum of only 25 tickets (or whatever sells) Up for grabs in this raffle is the following: Naming rights to the event, A family pass to see the action, Company exposure on this website, advertising at the track and company branding on the trophies. for further details email here Raffle ticket

18/12/10 - Aussie Contender In Doubt...... Australian racer DJ Raw's return to Christchurch to contend the Modifiedsprint Clay Cup event on December 27th is in doubt. On departure DJ, Adam Raw and crew cheif Warwick Singleton were keen to return to have a tilt at the silverware on offer after their relatively successful first visit to Ruapuna, however the cost of 'peak-time' flights might have put halt to the young gun making a second appearance on this side of the Tasman.

14/12/10 - Night Of Firsts...... It was a night of firsts on Saturday night at Equus Ruapuna Speedway. Visiting driver DJ Raw became the first Australian to race in the modifiedsprint class and on a local base rookie driver James Doyle drove a stellar race to claim his first race victory since joining the class. Read more.....

Pondering changes - DJ Raw (right) and crew cheif Warwick Singleton contemplate making changes

9/12/10 - Raw Rearing To Go...... The tickets are booked, the bags are packed and Australian Lightning sprint ace DJ Raw is rearing to go! Saturday night will see the 28 year old make his first race appearance outside of Australia as he gets behind the wheel of the Wayne Lumsden owned modifiedsprint at Equus Ruapuna Speedway.