By Baypark Speedway

Baypark Speedway is gearing up for a full-throttle night of racing on Saturday as the Bay Super Bowl delivers dirt-track action at the fourth meeting of the summer season.

Four classes feature on the programme, headed by the big-horsepower super saloons, which assembled a 23-strong entry for the Prestige Pools South Pacific Championship.

The annual event is Baypark’s longest-running title with a history dating back to the original venue, which closed in 1995.

It was a championship-quality field of super saloons, including former New Zealand champions Steve Flynn, of Napier, along with brothers Chris and Steve Cowling and Brent Emerson of Tauranga.

The Cowling Motorsport squad had been the early-season force, starting the season in winning form with Chris Cowling taking his new car to multiple wins before taking a break last weekend as the team debuted Steve’s new car in winning style at the opening of the upgraded Waikaraka Park track in Auckland.

Superstocks have delivered plenty of early-season action at Baypark Speedway. Photo / Stuart Whitaker, The Write Angle

With an influx of new cars and drivers, the super saloons had been a rejuvenated class in recent years, headlined by last season’s hugely successful New Zealand title at Baypark.

Contenders, including Baypark’s Damian Orr, Manawatū racer Peter Bengston and Hawke’s Bay drivers Jason Long and Thomas Stanaway, progressed from superstocks while Baypark’s Trent Amrein moved up from the saloon car class.

Young racers Jeremy Browne and George Crawford stepped up to big-displacement V8 horsepower from the junior ranks of 1200cc youth mini stocks.

Along with Chris Cowling, former winners of the South Pacific title entered this weekend included Brent Emerson, Grant Flynn, Bruce Beaumont, Martin Halcrow and 2023-24 winner Bodie Abrahamson.

Super saloon heat races decided the grid positions for the 25-lap final.

Sprint cars were back in action with a 16-car grid expected, including the return of former national champion Michael Pickens following a California midget car campaign.

For the third appearance of superstocks this season, the format got a shake-up with a Double Trouble Pairs contest attracting a 16-car field.

The Formula 2 midgets again delivered competitive non-wing, open-wheel action with a full 20-car line-up.

Early-season feature race winner Troy Jeffries returned against a field that included James Earl, Dion Kendall and Brynn Jackson, while midget car front-runner Luke McClymont made another F2 appearance and teenager Campbell Hayes impressed after a promising debut in senior racing a fortnight ago.

The December 6 race meeting will be the last action until after Christmas, when the Mount Maunganui venue hosts the Bay Superstars and Bay 51 Midget Car events on December 27 and 30, with a line-up headlined by newly crowned United States Auto Club national champion Cannon McIntosh.

Racing starts at 6.30pm.