SPEEDWAY: Stockcar drivers deliver ... for cash | Hawkes Bay Sport | Surfing, Rugby, Soccer, Football, Cricket in Hawkes Bay

There's your cue, Hawke's Bay Speedway Club officials ... put up the cash and the drivers will deliver.

With $200 rollover money up for grabs the stockcar drivers turned on the heat at Saturday night's Bedpost Fireworks Spectacular meeting at ZM Meeanee Speedway. There was a definite increase in the number of hits compared with opening night a fortnight ago and while no one captured the prizemoney the 5000 fans appreciated it wasn't through a lack of trying.

 Meeanee Maulers Regan O'Brien and Mike McLachlan were particularly keen. After one of his stockcar races O'Brien went in to the superstock class to increase his chances of taking home some cash and put a huge hit on the car driven by Bay clubmate Craig Owen.

Andrew Powell again enhanced his chances of Maulers selection this summer with two wins, including one in the feature, and a second placing. Jemma Palmer, who is in her first season in the class after graduating from the ministock ranks, collected the driver of the night award after some memorable drives which included a second placing.

Features of the superstock class in addition to O'Brien's appearance were former Gisborne driver Joe Faram, who is now Bay-based, driving a new HRP machine which has a hot rod appearance and Brent Larsen racing in Shane Penn's old Silver Bullet.

Faram thrilled the crowd when he passed Larsen to win the feature.

Streetstock action saw Gisborne visitor Ben Donaldson capture the Pam Gibson Memorial Trophy by one point from Hawke's Bay's Darren Melling and third placegetter Ewan Powell.

In one of the best streetstock features in recent seasons Powell had a titanic battle with veteran Ian Mudgway.

When Powell's challenge was eventually halted because of a flat tyre Mudgway recorded his first win in 25 years of racing.

Bay-based 11-time Auckland solobike champion Nathan Murray won two of his three heats in his first outing of the season. He was too fast at the start of his second heat, rode through the start tapes and wrapped them around his front wheel.

For the second consecutive meeting the large Bay ministock contingent allowed a visitor, Gisborne's Daniel Corrin, to take the feature race. Bay's best this season, Alice Bayley and Luke Kwok, won their heats.

The Bay crew of Dave Black and Peter Steigenberger won all three sidecar heats and regularly produced 18-second laps - the fastest time recorded across all classes.

Saloon action saw Bay's Steve Flynn produce a polished rehearsal for the November 21 first round in the North Island Super Saloon Series with his feature win on a night when the track was more friendly to the less powerful saloon car drivers. Promising youngster Steve Martin did well to win the earlier heats.