The third race meeting of the 2025-26 season at Baypark Speedway is bringing a rotation of classes and variety of action to the high-speed clay oval at Mount Maunganui.

In Saturday night’s Bays of Thunder event both the Stock Cars and F2 Midgets make their first race appearance of the season, with strong fields in both classes.

The Stock Car field will be a capacity 32 entries for the first hit-out of the season, with drivers travelling from Gisborne, Auckland, Rotorua, Kihikihi, Hawke’s Bay and Whanganui to challenge the Baypark regulars.

A capacity field of Stock Cars will make their first appearance of the season at Baypark Speedway this Saturday night. Photo / Stuart Whitaker, The Write Angle

There were 20 F2 Midgets entered, including James Earl and Dion Kendall – the winner and runner-up in last season’s unofficial Aotearoa NZ F2 title event raced at Baypark.

With no Midget Car racing on the programme, Tauranga’s Luke McClymont took the chance to sample the F2 category in a BSL Racing entry.

Baypark’s refreshed track surface produced fast lap times and received praise from drivers this season while delivering top-quality Sprint Car competition in the first two meetings.

The winged warrior action continued last weekend with a new feature winner assured because early-season pace-setter Daniel Thomas of Hamilton was absent while he prepared for a South Island campaign in early December.

The early-season podium finishers were HLR Racing teammates Ryan O’Connor and Hayden Williams, along with Rodney Wood and Keaton Dahm in a closely matched Sprint Car line-up.

California racer Jonathan Allard was looking for improved fortunes to convert the pace he had shown at both meetings into feature race success.

There was another full grid of Youth Mini Stocks making their second outing of the season, with visiting drivers from Hawke’s Bay, Gisborne, Auckland, Rotorua, Huntly and Kihikihi joining the action.

Racing started at 6.30pm.