Twenty-five laps of intense racing on a wide track surface delivered New Zealand speedway history at Mount Maunganui’s Baypark Speedway on Saturday night.

Christchurch racer Mark Osborne powered his self-built Stealth to his fourth New Zealand Super Saloon Car title, leading home the Tauranga duo of defending champ Chris Cowling and rising star Scott Hayward in a high-quality 25-lap dirt track contest.

With his fourth national title, Osborne matches speedway legends Blondie Chamberlain and Tony Cardwell as the most successful drivers in the 56-year timeline of Super Saloon competition – and denied Cowling’s opportunity for a three-in-a-row achievement.

The final confirmed Osborne had taken a measured approach to the five rounds of qualifying heats, being solid but not spectacular to earn a second row starting spot.

“We chipped away at the car all weekend to get it right for the feature and we had it working awesome,” said Osborne.

“I knew I had to get going in the early laps and make some passes. The track was just wicked, and I could run low or high."

A runner-up finish means Tauranga’s Chris Cowling has four consecutive seasons of podium finishes in the NZ title. Photo: Stuart Whitaker/The Write Angle

Osborne actually slipped back a couple spots in the fierce side-by-side racing of the opening laps but was back to third spot behind front row starters Ben Harding (Auckland) and Damian Orr (Rotorua) by lap five.

He passed Orr for second spot on lap seven and the move on Harding for the lead came after the first restart on lap 11. Osborne then proved the master of controlling three more restarts and while Cowling was close after hitting second spot on lap 14, he was unable to seriously challenge.

With his previous wins in 2013, 2014 and 2016, Osborne has achieved his fourth title across a considerably shorter timeframe than Chamberlain or Cardwell.

“It means a lot to me. They are the legends of this grade and winning a fourth title is something our team has been working away at for the last few years,” he said.

There was intense racing throughout the field in the 25-lapper with constant movement in the running order. Former NZ Super Stock champ Jason Long (Hawke’s Bay) started ninth and raced into podium contention until a flash of flame signalled an engine issue with four laps to run.

Others to shine were Hawkes’s Bay racer Thomas Stanaway and Nelson’s Ian Burson. Both fought their way into the main event via last chance repechage races. Stanaway charged  forward from grid 17 to finish fourth passing Taranaki’s Joe Ingram on the final lap and Burson climbed to sixth from grid 19.

Tauranga’s Scott Hayward raced hard all weekend and was rewarded with a third place finish. Photo: Stuart Whitaker/The Write Angle

Top qualifier Ben Harding led the opening 10 laps before Osborne worked his way to the front. Just two laps later Harding felt he was harshly treated by race officials for being judged the prime cause of a Turn 4 pileup, sending him to the rear of the field and eventually finishing twelfth.

The depth of talent and topline equipment in the Super Saloon Car class is confirmed by nine different tracks being represented on the grid for the 20-car final.

The Open Wheel support classes delivered quality racing. While Tauranga’s Luke McClymont drew clear to win the 15-lap final of the Predator 6 Shooter Series, a fierce battle raged for the minor places with brothers Boyd and Luke Westbury completing the podium.

A consistent improver in the F2 Midget Car ranks broke through to score a career-first feature race victory. Aucklander Blake  Allinson built momentum on the outside line to chase down and pass established pace-setter James Earl in the closing stages of the 15-lapper.