South Island Modified & Canterbury Ministock Championships
Saturday 7th January 2012
 Keegan is King of the South by Mat Kermeen The pressure of favouritism was no problem for the cool headed Luke Keegan at AmPro Tools Woodford Glen Speedway on Saturday night, as he dominated the field to become the new South Island Modified Champion. Keegan, in a class of his own turned on a fantastic display of Modified driving that was reminiscent of the way his father Greg, dominated throughout his career. In the absence of Glen Leech, Keegan is dominating the South Island Modified scene and his stocks are continuing to rise in what’s becoming a breakthrough season, winning his first South Island Championship, defending his Canterbury title and picking up the West Coast Championship. The Boulton Racing Team car is one of the most competitive in the country and with Keegan growing in confidence, the team, which includes father and mentor Greg, will have every chance when they travel to Wellington to contest the New Zealand Modified Championships on January 21 and 22. Saturday’s format consisted of two heats where the drivers accumulated points which would determine their grid position for the Blakely Construction 25 lap final. Highest points would start from pole position with the lowest to start from the rear of the field. Nigel Nevin and Steve Thompson had withdrawn from the championship while Brent Allen was present but suffered problems with his car and didn’t turn a lap, meaning 11 cars contested the championship. Keegan signalled his intentions in heat one, finding the front and powering away from the opposition. Maurice Hedley showed good speed taking second ahead of Dan Rae while Iain Whyte and Craig Pottinger rounded out the top five. Championship contender Brandon Parkinson was one spot back, finishing a disappointing sixth. David Thompson rolled out of contention as he tipped over onto his side, ending his night. Keegan was brilliant in heat two, climbing right through the field after starting from the rear however an indiscretion saw him relegated from first place back to third. Keegan’s misfortune was Rae’s gain, promoted from second Rae claimed the win ahead of the promising Shaun Ashton who has the speed but still needs more track time before he becomes a real force. Headley had produced another solid drive for forth while Andrew Naven and Paul Richards battled on for fifth and sixth respectively. Parkinson, Pottinger, Whyte and Phillip Allen all failed to finish, meaning they had plenty of work to do if they were to feature in the final. mf Starting from the front row Keegan was unstoppable in the final, quickly building a formidable lead that he would never relinquish, he was aided by the fact that the race ran from start to finish without any incidents or cautions. Rae was solid in second but was never able to threaten Keegan’s lead while Brandon Parkinson had his best race of the night climbing up to third. Headley and Pottinger rounded out the top five, and while both had looked good at times during the night, fourth and fifth was a fair reflection of their efforts. Such was his dominance, Keegan picked his way back through the field and it was only Rae and Parkinson who avoided going a lap down. The Canterbury Ministock title was also contested and it took a runoff to decide the winner after Tony Newman and Darren Kerr were tied on 91 points. Newman prevailed in the four lap decider to become the new Canterbury Ministock Champion. Rob Roper finished a distant third on 77 points. |
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| Race 01 - Canterbury Decorators Productions Race 02 - All Cars Auto Dismantlers A Grade Saloons Race 03 - Federal Print Ministocks Heat 1 Race 04 - Kaiapoi Alignment & Tyres Modifieds Heat 1 Race 05 - Kiwi Autospares Superstocks and Stockcars Race 06 - Rangiora Exhaust Centre SuperSaloons Race 07 - Smith Hire Production Saloons Race 08 - Mr Whippy A Grade Saloons Race 09 - Silvester V8 Performance Ministocks Heat 2 Race 10 - Trenchless Services Modifieds Heat 2 Race 11 Smith Dealers Super Stocks and Stockcars Race 12 - Supa Karts Super Saloons Race 13 - Brown & Smye Painting Contractors Production Saloons Race 14 - L & J Cartage A Grade Saloons Race 15 - Chch Glass Ministocks Heat 3 Race 16 - Blakely Construction Ltd Modifieds 25 lap Final Race 18 - Peter Diver Plumbing Super Saloons Race 19 - Ministocks Run off for 1st Overall Results |
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