Grant Tregoning continued his winning way and run up to the NZ Solo Championship at the end of next month, by going through unbeaten to win the South Island Solo title at Oreti Speedway last weekend. The Christchurch based rider has been in impressive form since returning from his English season. He is due to return to have a crack at the professional scene this year in the Premier division. Apart from one mishap where Tregoning was caught out by the Oreti surface at his previous meeting, Tregoning has won every race he has had since his return. Second home only one point behind was the current Under 21 NZ Champion Dale Finch. Finch beat Tregoning to the first turn but the experience companied with a very strong bike saw Tregoning power around the outside to take the lead. Finch is probably the most determined rider in the sport at the moment. He chased hard all the way to the flag to finish behind Tregoning in the heat they met each other. This youngster from the Moore Park track expresses some fighting qualities; he is a natural racer at heart and is sure to cause some damage to the points totals of fellow competitors in the future. Third home was another Christchurch rider from Moore Park, Andrew Aldridge. A single point is all that separated the first three positions and it was Aldridge’s best meeting to date. He beat everybody out of the gate into the first turn through all his heats. Tregoning powered around him while being the first heat up on a watered track did not help his cause when he faced Finch who was forced wide but found the dirt and drive.
It was a good meeting in some excellent weather and a good contingent of local Oreti park young riders, many who were juniors last year, have some potential for the future.

Oreti’s Fraser Gillespie and David Uitentuis won the sidecar class from Jason Harpur and Mark George with Aiden Thwaites and Bruce McLean in third. The commentators decided Gillespie needed some practice from the outside grid as the Aussies shut him well and truly out in the GP Final at the last meeting. The club president claimed he was herding the Aussies like sheep!!!

Gillespie was relegated for a uncontrolled start early in the day but then took command of the next heat from grid four and went on to take the win overall. He will need to be on his game for the NZ Sidecar Championship at his home track on the 12th and 13th of February as the Aussie Darrin Treloar has entered amongst some other 30 odd hopefuls.