Coons Dominates Triple Crown Opener

Jerry Coons Jr (3)

Speedway fans were treated to a great nights racing in the opening round of the Triple Crown Midget cars series at Holland Collision Centre Ruapuna Speedway on Friday evening when American superstar, Jerry Coons Junior went toe to toe with New Zealand ace Michael Pickens in the 35 lap Feature. After a great battle between these two for the duration of the race which Coons won, holding out the current New Zealand champion by less that a second. Auckland drivers Shane O’Conner and Scott Buckley finished in third and fourth place respectively.

Coons showed his world class standing when he shattered the 10 lap record by over three seconds when he won the opening heat
from local David Kerr and Huntly’s Alvin Cobb. Coons had to settle for third place in his next heat behind Pickens, who had won his opening heat, and Nelson’s Nevil Basalaj. Basalaj held the lead until lap five when Pickens made an outside pass with Coons losing ground after spinning his car on the same turn but skillfully managed to keep the car running without losing a place.

Other heat winners were Kerr and Stratford Duane Hickman with Phillippa Melrose impressing on her first meeting back, to just miss out on the top 10 pole shuffle and then take out the Semi Main.

In the Pole Shuffle O’Conner moved up five grid spots before losing out to Kerr who was then defeated by Coons who claimed the grid choice on the front row of the Feature with a breathtaking outside passing movement on Pickens on the Town bend.

Pickens got the jump on his rival to lead the Feature into the first turn from Coons, Kerr and Hickman. The leading two cars were locked together for the next six laps with the yellows coming on when Cobb spun. Coons tried the outside pass on the restart but Pickens saw off the challenge with the top two then slowly pulling away from the chasing pack with a great developing between Kerr, Basalaj, O’Conner and Buckley for the third place.

The lead changed on lap sixteen when Pickens was baulked by a slower car in lapped traffic and Coons dived to the inside coming out of the Town bend to hit fresh air. A tangle on the Prison bend three laps later saw the race under caution again. On the restart Coons and Pickens raced side by side for several laps with Coons just managing to hold the Kiwi at bay before opening a small lead. Pickens mounted one final challenge over the closing five laps closing right up on bumper of the American but could not find a passing line. The third place swapped six times before O’Conner re-passed Buckley with ten laps remaining with O’Conner holding on the podium shot by less than half a second at the chequered flag.

Lance Begbie and Jeremy Webb were the pick of the TQ drivers with Begbie winning the first two races with Webb winning the final two races, however Begbie’s night came to an abrupt he when he rolled his car heavily in the feature. The veteran racer emerged from his badly damaged car unscathed. In the Modified class Luke Keegan starred with a win and two seconds with a relegation costing him a Feature win. Clint Warwood and Paul Auton were unbeaten on their sidecar with three different winners in the Streetstock class.

See round 2 results here