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Welcome to the 2021 New Year Teams Bash! I hope everyone had a good Christmas, it's time to look forward to 2021 and to kick us off in style we have the first NZ Teams meeting of the season, grab a cup of tea and a left over mince pie for this one and enjoy. Booking Notes: If there are TWO extra teams looking to book in then let me know as we can run with 10 teams, however we can't run with nine teams as it doesn't work. If anyone has a driver drop out, please message me as I have some back-ups if you can't find someone yourself MEETING PREVIEW Hello and welcome to the first team event of the season, the warmup to the ENZED Teams Champs in Feb... Its the New Year Teams Bash 2021! A quick overview, we will begin with a round robin of heats with each team racing each other once - the top 4 drivers in each race will score points 10, 5, 3, 1. The top 4 points scoring teams after the heats are complete will enter the semi-finals. The winner from each semi will make up New Year Teams Bash Final. We finish the night with an all car Teams Revenge Race. Full details will be released in a Meeting Info post closer to the date. Last year it was the Nelson Tigers that took the inaugural New Year Teams Bash title with a last bender in a thrilling 15 lap final against the Rotorua Rebels. The Nelson Tigers then went on to win the ENZED Teams Champs in February over suprise new team Christchurch Glen Eagles who did a great job coming in 2nd place. SIX time champions Rebels failed to make the final for the first time ever in the nine years the teams championship has existed. 2021 will be the first time we stage the event with EIGHT teams, and the second running of the New Years Teams Bash. Here is the run down of each team competing... Stratford Scrappers - Aidan Grindey, Owen Strong, Ollie Armstrong, Tom Brighton We begin with our youngest line up on the grid, the Scrappers. With Owen Strong and Ollie Armstrong the only drivers to complete a race so far this year and with a combined average score of a measly 83 between the two it looks to be a challenging prospect from the off. Aidan has turned up to race, however has more fun blowing up his engines than actually competing. Team owner Owen Strong admitted the target is "Just have fun, we know it’ll take a miracle to get very far looking at the other teams" and says Aidan Grindey is the standout one to watch. Predictions: Tigers or Panthers to win Manawatu Mustangs - Scott "Skint" Kinton, Callum Thornton, Harvey Wells, Stockrod Up next the Mustangs, previous NZ Champion (1nz) Scott Kinton lines up alongside three newbies in NZs so are certainly an unknown. In an interview ThorntonThorton sounded extremely confident as he explained "Thornton 68 is the man to beat" and his aims are to "smash up that HGR geezer". A mix of confidence, unknown talent and an experienced driver could bring up a surprise package to the event! Predictions: Christchurch Glen Eagles to win Great British Lions - Nobby, Eavesy, Winter, Tom Armstrong The next team see's an interesting prospect. All four very sensible drivers who can all easily fall into the "glass bumpers" category makes you question how they will fare in all out NZ team racing, however with all drivers racing the season so far and all producing some very respectable results you can't count them out. In contrast to my thoughts Nobby suggested that all of his team members "aren't shy to use the front bumper!" so it remains to see if the dark side of these drivers will show up on the 7th. When asked about tactics Nobby pondered - "Tactics.... If in doubt go flat out!!! In truth, no tactics as of yet, think we plan to have a few practice sessions together, see who's got the speed and then we can figure out what we should do." We wish them all the best of luck and their teamwork could see them as some serious underdogs, if they can put there tactics into place. Predictions: Hawkes Bay Hawkeyes or Nelson Tigers to win Hawkes Bay Hawkeyes - Wim Peeters, Stijneman, Stannie, Badeend The first all dutch team is our last brand new team for 2021. All drivers are always consistanly quick and also use the bumper very often (wheather they use it well is another question...). You can never count the Dutch out in NZ teams it's as simple as that. Stijneman said "For us its the first time as a team so we hope to do well and our aim is to get to the final four but it will be hard as we are not that experienced but hopefully we have some luck" "You should definitely look out for Wim Peeters 124 as he is a 2 times world champions in the real formula 2 so he knows what it takes to win big races and with his experience and hard driving style he can help us. And keep an eye open towards me (Stijneman) as i am known for my hard driving style beside that stannie and badeend will be the perfect players to complete our team" Predictions: "If we dont win i think the nelson tigers will win they know how to do it and have 4 experienced drivers. We hope to do better then the rebels as they are our fellow dutch competitors we would like to beat them so maybe that could lead to a rivalry" Rotorua Rebels - Frans, Marten, Kloosterman, Tsjalle Up next, SIX time consecutive ENZED Team Champions from 2013 to 2018, the Rebels. Last year they struggled with Durk in the ENZED Team championship so Kloosterman returns to the squad after featuring in last years Teams Bash after team captain Tsjalle dropped Durk to the bench. The Rebels did manage to finish 2nd place in 2020's New Year Teams Bash after losing first on the last bend so they will be looking to take the win this time out. When asked for comment, the Rebels declined. Palmerston North Panthers - Braderzzz, EllisR, Niall, Burnsy Two changes to the team from the ENZED Team Champs as Jake Cameron gets swaped for Niall, and Burnsy returns to the team in place of Ash. A stubborn Team captain Bradley Cooper said "our aim is to beat everyone and win". Predictions: Panthers, if not Tigers as they have some very quick drivers Christchurch Glen Eagles - HGR, Tomdavison, Tosh, Barker Next up is our runners up in last years ENZED Team Championships, the Christchurch Glen Eagles. They have signed Barker to their roster for the New Years Teams Bash in place of Skint who was forced to leave through a contract termination. The Eagles gave the Tigers a scare last year so have got what it takes to go all the way yet again. Described as "The Perfect Mix", with speed (HGR), clever bumperwork (Tomdavison), crasher (Barker) and experience (Tosh) they will be looking to go one better and knock the Tigers off the top step. Team captain, Harry Graham, has high hopes as they are 'Aiming to win' however they 'would be happy to make the Final'. When asked who is their danger man, Harry was certain it was 'Barker, he's a loose cannon and god knows what will happen'. Graham kept it plain and simple about their tactics as they plan to 'Beat the other teams'. To finish off, Harry answered with a not-so-serious quote about who he thinks will win if they fail to do so, 'The Tigers because I like their stripes'. Predictions: Tigers to win Nelson Tigers - TomD, Kane, Fake Wardy, Crashley England Last but not least our final team. Your current reigning New Year Teams Bash and ENZED Team Champions of the World... the Nelson Tigers! Speed, tactics and bumperwork are all top notch so they will take some beating but this is NZs teams, and with the strongest line-up of teams ever there is no certain winners. Can the Nelson Tigers be the first team to defend the New Year Teams Bash title? Kane Morgan explained "We'll be high on confidence from the past 2 years of success, if we don't make the Final, it'll be a loss for us." When asked about who we should be looking out for, he failed to provide a single answer... "All of us, we're all capable of doing something special when it needs to be done, whether if that's for the lead or stopping someone." In the final question about what team would win, Kane seemed extremely concerned about the team in blue "It would have to be the Rebels, they can pull anything off at any point, they aren't 6 time Team Champions for no reason" Predictions: Tigers or Rebels to win Thanks to everyone so far for entering the teams nice and early and remember if TWO more teams want to book in we can accommodate you and run with 10 teams. Unfortunely it must be two more teams and not one more team as we can't run with nine... If you have a team ready please message me. See you on the 7th!

The 2020 UKDirt Saloon Stockcar Championship of the World comes from Mildenhall this Wednesday! *World Championship and Last Chance Drivers must book on the website BEFORE 7pm! Any late bookings will ONLY be added to the normal meeting that follows* *The Last Chance race will be called at 8.20pm, we will not be waiting* 166 drivers battled it out over 23 qualifying meetings, 8 points scoring major championships and 5 designated World Ranking events to form the first 24 cars on the grid, 4 further drivers will be taken from the Last Chance Qualifier to make a 29 car spectacular! Who will be the new World Champion, or can #712 Erinn Mailer be the 2nd driver to succesfully defend the Saloon title? Last time the World Final was held at Mildenhall it was won by #653 Ryan Simpson who starts from outside row 1 on the grid, can his experiance of winning at this track prove the key factor? Meeting Format: Last Chance Qualifier - 16 laps, 24 cars World Championship Final - 25 laps, 29 cars 4 Heats per Driver - 16 laps A and B Finals (Top 28 from the night to meeting final) - 20 laps Allcomers - 12 laps World Final: The world final will be a 25 lap race. The Grid will be formed in World Ranking Points order. Where a driver can't make the World, everyone will be moved up 1 spot and the next person in the World Ranking points will be added to the rear of the grid, infront of the LCQ's Drivers qualifying from the last chance qualifier will be added to the back of the grid in the order they finished in that race. If the World Champion does not qualify, the driver will be added to the back of the grid to make a 29-car final The winner of this race will be declared World Champion after any appeals have been decided. Points will score: 50, 45, 40, 35, 30, 25, 20, 15, 10, 5 The World Champion must display a gold roof until they lose the title. Outside - World Final Grid - Inside Row 1 #653 Ryan Simpson - #238 Kane Morgan Kicking off the grid on Row 1 is #653 Ryan Simpson and #238 Kane Morgan, both drivers have won the World Final before, in 2014 for Kane and in 2015 for Ryan at this very track. The pole man #238 Kane Morgan already has 5 titles to his name including the European, National Series, English, Dutch and World of Shale Championships, but can he go one further and win the coveted gold roof? On the outside, the Ex-World Champion who has surprisingly not won a major yet this year, but with good knowledge of how to use the bumper, he has a good chance to be the 2nd Scottish driver to take the win in back-to-back years. Row 2 #92 John "Hoggy" Hogg - #691 Jakeeey Cameron On row 2, possibly the biggest rivalry of the 2020 season. On the inside #691 Jakeeey, who has the Irish and National Championships in 2020 certainly knows how to use the bumper, but can it be used in an effective way to take the win, or will enemies be on the end of his metal? Outside of Jake is #92 Hoggy, the 2nd Scotsman on the grid who holds the British Championship won on the shale at Kings Lynn earlier this year, as he already holds the 2nd biggest title, his pace and tactics should be enough to go one better if he can break from his main rival. Row 3 #143 Cameron Willacy - # 777 Harry Graham Lining up on Row 3 of this years grid is the two dark horses, #777 Harry Graham and #143 Cameron Willacy. Holding the inside is the ex-UK Open Champion, however he has had a lack of wins this season, if consistent high points scoring performances and quick pace is enough to win then he is one to look out for On the outside is the man in top form Mr Willacy, with no enemies on track and a skill of getting past traffic and chaos with ease, this should prove a key factor in his chances of winning the hectic 29-car race! Row 4 #468 Braderzz Cooper - #889 Ellis Rogers On inside of row 4 is the #889 of Ellis Rogers, the only Welshman on the grid and reigning ORC Champion, however a driver who has had limited luck in title races this year, but with his pace and a little bit of luck, it should be enough to see him at the top end of the race. Next to Ellis is the #468 of Braderzz Cooper, the first blue top driver on the grid who doesn't know whether he will be racing for a crash or going for the win until after the end of lap 1 when he sees what position he's in. When the big square head is screwed on he has major success on track with him claiming multiple wins this year, if he is in the right mindset Brad will certainly be one to watch! Row 5 #910 Niall McFerran - #497 Martin Joy Row 5 consists of #497 Martin Joy, a driver who started the year lower down the grades but has recently stepped up to the mark and an up turn in pace has seen him shoot up to red grade, he has firmly cemented his place on the World Final grid so has nothing to worry about qualifying on the night and being removed at the last minute by Kane! On the outside is the first Irishman on the grid in the shape of #910 Niall, the UK Open Champion has only raced 11 meetings this year and to be on row 5 really shows how good he is when he shows up to race! A driver always near the top of the time sheets in practice, he definitely has a good shout at gold. Row 6 #271 Kizzza - #348 Boyle Halfway through the seeded qualifiers lines up the first yellow top on the grid, #348 Boyle, a driver who has been up and down the grades all year but does have a final win to his name this year showing that he knows what it takes to be on the top spot - but the World Final will be tough ask starting behind faster drivers. A solid blue/red grader, Kizzza in the #271 machine lines up next to Boyle, a driver who can spice up any race and is also capable of taking a few race wins, if he gets to the front it will turn into an interesting one! Row 7 #455 Kye Barker - #482 Ginger On the inside of Row 7 is #482 Ginger Nicholls, a driver with good pace, however has been missing for the last few weeks but is likely to turn up to the World Final. With a bit of luck, he is definitely fast enough to be up there come the end of the race. Outside of him is ex-British Champion #455 Kye Barker, with 2 previous podium spots in past World Finals he knows how to get up to the front and avoid the carnage, he will be up front either way - racing for the win or a lap down causing the chaos! Row 8 #844 Jack "Fake" Wardy - #167 Callum Barron On row 8 we have the newly crowned Scottish Champion, CB #167. Making his return to racing this year he has done superb to make it on the World Final grid and he knows what it's like to win a major championship this year. Can he take the next step and win the one everyone wants to win? To his outside is Jack #844. Beginning the year at red grade he has slowly managed his way down to yellow following a string of poor performances. He has the pace to be up there with the best but has chosen the front bumper over that this season and you can probably tell with his choice of car. Can Phillip Schofield and John Barrowman give him the luck he needs? Row 9 #24 Stannie - #100 Tom Davison Lining up on row 9 is Tom Davison #100 and Stannie #24. On the inside is Tom Davison #100 who has mainly been in the wars this year, but a recent Final victory has given him confidence at the right time. If using the front bumper is the key to victory, we could see Tom near the front. To his outside is the first Dutchman on the grid, Stannie #24. Being one of the top yellow graders, he has a few wins to his name this season and would be happy with finishing in the top 10 come the chequered flag. Row 10 #716 Jimmy Muckian - #293 Badeend Starting of the 10th row of the grid is possibly two "wildcards" for this years event, on the inside is the final driver from mainland Europe, #293 Badeend and next to him #716 JimmyM, both drivers from the lower grades of the Saloons this year but who have put in enough good performances to make the grid. Both are frequent users of the front bumper, but are also quite often on the receiving end of it as well. With almost guaranteed carnage in the race, maybe we will see one of the these drivers near the front. Row 11 #220 Kyle Young - #111 Josh Wells Both drivers on row 11 definitely know how to win in Saloons, #111 Josh Wells and #220 Kyle Young have won more than a dozen wins between them this year, but in that has been from starting from much closer to the front of the grid than they will be in this years world final. Both drivers also have limited appearances in 2020 compared to the rest of the grid, if they can get to the front a win could be on the cards. Last years World Final was won from row inside row 11, maybe starting back here can be a blessing in a disguise for Josh. Row 12 #210 David Davidson - #147 Mark Foster On the final qualifying row from world ranking points lies #147 Mark Foster on the inside, with only 11 appearances this year he just scrapes onto the grid, but with good pace and a strong average points score, he is definitely quick enough to win, but does he have the skill to push his way to the front? The final seeded car on the grid is #210 David Davidson, just making the grid by only 3 points. Another driver with a strong average from only 11 meetings this year, if he doesn't make his way to the front, he will certainly be involved in one way or another. Keep an eye out for this one! Row 13 - Last Chance Qualifiers Row 14 - Last Chance Qualifiers Row 15 #712 Erinn Mailer The defending world champion.... #712 Erinn Mailer. Last year she started the race from inside row 11 on the grid, so if anything is to go by, starting inside row 15 could work out well for her. However what is starting arguably the hardest and most competitive Saloon World Final ever from last could be near on impossible. Last Chance: The last chance will be a 16 lap race, non-points scoring, 24 carsThe grid will then be formed in points order of those who are not already on the World Final gridThe Top 4 in this race will join the back of the WF grid giving a 28(29)-car final. Drivers in Bold are BOOKED. Drivers in Red are BANNED. Drivers in Blue do not have a skin and cannot race the LCQ and/or World Final. Drivers in Yellow have confirmed they will not be racing the LCQ and/or World Final. Last Chance Drivers in Order: 183 (Promoted to World), 924 (Promoted to World), 589, 23, 355, 299, 192, 977, 18, 712, 311, 80, 144, 145, 79, 107, 245, 96, 616, 212, 426, 114, 122, 201 // Reserves: 60, 575, 517, 492, 229, 156, 46, 674, 162, 923, 64, 611, 86, 40, 84, 922, 474, 32, 842, 28, 780, 4, 121 // Current Cut Off (24 car LCQ) 698, 222, 131, 337, 447, 265, 213, 454, 39, 320, 259, 478, 137, 146, 142, 503, 302, 169, 3, 980, 253, 510, 366, 20, 301, 281, 124, 811, 713, 467, 615, 263, 198, 630, 394, 324, 911, 529, 684, 267, 47, 181, 230, 721, 261, 303, 6, 515, 621, 25, 65, 48, 113, 528, 471, 927, 58, 640, 599, 118, 69, 511, 387, 800, 298, 760 World Final Grid based on Bookings - Confimed and Final: 653 - 238 777 - 92 889 - 143 497 - 468 348 - 910 482 - 271 167 - 455 100 - 844 293 - 24 111 - 716 210 - 147 924 - 183 LCQ - LCQ LCQ - LCQ - 712 LCQ Grid based on Bookings - Confimed and Final: 355 - 23 977 - 192 80 - 18 79 - 144 245 - 107 616 - 96 426 - 212 517 - 122 229 - 492 46 - 156 64 - 611 121 - 86