Team History
by Roger Nees (Flash)
If you were to ask me "How or what made you get into car racing?" I would be unsure of any defining moment that comes to mind that says "yeah that's what I want to do". What I guess I'm saying is: "there's no easy answer - it just evolved". With the revamp of this website in 2009 I went hunting for some more pictures and discovered some info that may help to explain that evolution into cars and racing.

The first picture (which also became a newspaper article) suggests that I obviously didn't want to be just a passenger at the fairgrounds but I wanted to be the driver! and at the princely age of only 7 years old. From there I went through the stages of self built go karts (like most every young boy probably) with the typical pilfered pram wheels and single pivot/baling twine steering and apple crate seat I was ready to go. However getting pushed around the flat footpaths of Bishopdale by a mate who couldn't go quicker than 2 mph for 10 seconds just wasn't "cutting it". I needed to look further afield to get my kicks. Nobody had motors on their go-karts at that stage and I would have to wait a considerable number of years before I could attempt any such lawn-mower engine powered contraption so I decided a downhill dirt track would provide the speed I was wanting to experience and from there my intentions were obviously VERY different from every other young boys in the street. Now to rattle down a dirt hill track with a wooden kart I had nailed together with the baling twine steering and NO brakes was one thing but I wanted to take it further. I grabbed mum's wind-up super 8 movie camera and decided to film the whole thing. I decided filming from the outside would be boring so with one hand grasping the prized possesion camera and the other the baling twine I shot off down the hill and instantly single handidly invented "race-cam". I probably should have run off to the patent shop right there and then because many years later some TV crowd in Australia laid claim to it by sticking a camera inside a V8 touring car. Anyhow I digress so lets get back to the dirt and speedway. After doing the usual teenager things like being a lunatic on my Yamaha I decided two wheels just wasn't my scene so got my first experiences of Speedway when I spectated and then began pit crewing for John Beauchamp (Beachy) when he raced a stock car. I first began racing in the early 1980's when I decided to purchase a 332ci V8 powered Ford Falcon. This car was initially raced at Oxford Speedway before advancing to the 6 & 8 cyl saloon grade at Woodford Glen Speedway. I always remember having success with race wins at Oxford, but W/Glen proved to be a lot more difficult to master. It was quite a few years before I won a single race at W/Glen. Back then I was racing against the likes of Lofty Johnson, Steven Ware and Les Scarlet. These men were much respected rivals along with Peter Edmonds (Marmite), Neil Baldwin and Kevin Huddlestone. The idea of building a Spaceframed Falcon appealed but after many hours of work by yours truly and only one race with the new car I decided I didn't have what it takes to build or drive race cars so I sold it. It really was a piece of junk too when I think back so I hereby appologise to Brent Adams for selling it to him. After assisting Alan Dingwall to build a new 400ci Torana and pit crewing for a while I started to get itchy feet. I decided to buy a car and improve on it rather than try to build it from scratch myself so I purchased a Spaceframed Victor from Wayne Shral. I raced this for a short time with limited success before deciding that a change of grade was perhaps a good idea. I made the switch from Saloons to Streetstocks. It was here that I first got the taste of championship victories. I started with a self built Victor before progressing to the ever popular Valiant which I built from the remains of a saloon car purchased from Fraser Laing. This car was probably one of the most illegal cars ever produced but I sure had a lot of fun. During this period a lot of the cars being raced were built without careful consideration to the rule book but I guess mine pushed the limits a bit too far. It was during these streetstock days that Pam had a couple of drives in ladies races at various tracks such as Oxford, Ashburton and Kaikoura. After having enjoyed these races so much we decided that she should have her own race car so I built up a Mini. Pam wrote this one off at Kaikoura while leading the Northern Zone Champs. The second Mini proved to be alot better and it was probably with this car that the two of us started to perfect our front wheel drive racing skills and I started to learn the art of producing competitive well presented race cars. I quickly built a third Mini which I entered in the first ever Canterbury Production Saloon Championships alongside Pam with her car. It was here in this Championship that Pam became the "First woman to ever win a local championship." During the 'Mini' period of our racing careers we also raced a Holden and yet another Mini in streetcar/novelty type races. I even built a couple of Mini Convertibles which went down real well in the summer. I won the first ever Caravan Derby in Canterbury and also entered a PB Vauxhall in a local derby but these sort of events haven't particularly appealed to us since. I even did a couple of test stints in a Formula Atlantic open wheel race car at Ruapuna's seal track. Having gained a lot of experience in racing front wheel drive cars the plan to build a new japanese car eventuated in choosing a mk3 Mirage. Pam and I raced this car for over 4 years and it was with this car that we both became well known for winning numerous titles and championships while beating a lot of bigger more powerful race cars along the way. Casey also got her first taste of motorsport with the purchase of a midget kart but some out of control moments meant she was more scared of the thing than she was of racing it. An oppurtunity to party with the corporate elite came to chance when my employer Air NZ decided to enter the Variety Club Bash. On their behalf I purchased a 1966 Mustang Notchback V8 in Auckland and drove it to Christchurch. A bunch of us aircraft engineers set about installing lights, water cannons, PA systems etc plus a huge model Boeing and then drove the set-up round the lower half of the south island for a week raising half a million dollars for the childrens charity. A once in a lifetime experience which probably helped lead us into collecting for Koru Care along with our racing. Around 1991 I purchased a spaceframed Tredia and fitted a turbo engine which made wins a lot more frequent. I won the first 2 championships I entered with this car and also began to make my mark in the A Grade Saloon class at Woodford Glen Speedway. The opportunity to race the ex Rod McLaren Honda started a partnership which enabled me to firmly stamp my presence on most of the tracks around the south island during the 97/98 season. It also allowed me to make a clean sweep of the trophies at the annual prize giving as well as winning all local titles entered at Woodford Glen. Robert Bedford became a noted rig at many speedway tracks. This partnership with Rod McLaren Racing enabled us all to combine our individual talents to astonishing effect. It did however take a few attempts before I could get my name on the "Rod McLaren Memorial" trophy. I have now got to the stage where I guess I strive to excel at everything I do with racing, from the level of preparation and presentation to the skills of mechanical aptitude and driving. These qualities have not gone unnoticed and we were all rewarded for our efforts with the highest accolade in speedway in the 1998 season. We received the award for "The Best Speedway Racing Operation in New Zealand". Not bad at all considering the humble beginnings. The last Production Saloon we built for Pam was the Cordia which also went extremely well and I had a taste of racing in the Super Saloon class with yet another Honda although unsuccessfully. I had a race in the Corvette of Paul Williams which had awesome amounts of horsepower on tap which in comparison is something the front wheel drive cars just dont have. While having a break from racing I built a road going "toy" which was most definately eye catching. I dont know if Dick Johnson would have approved though. We purchased 'Jane Honda' and bought her back to Kaiapoi in 2001. The upgrades went very well resulting in winning the Canterbury championships at Woodford Glen again during the 2003/04 season. We continued to campaign this Honda right through to 2007 when she was sold and headed back down south where she was originally built. Casey has taken on driving duties on the odd occasion and although still driving cautiously (probably since having the daylights scared out of her in the kart) she has managed to win Kaikoura's Ladies Championship 3 years straight - Good effort Casey! Over the years I've never turned down the opportunity for a drive of various circuit cars from SS2000 to Osca/TransAm but one memorable drive in particular was the Team Kiwi Holden at the V8 Supercar School in Oz. I also had a brief foray into SuperStock racing (which I would have liked to carry on with). Mind you the Jazz we developed is arguably one of the best looking SuperStocks in the country. After leasing a Corvette Super Saloon from the Boulton Racing Team we found ourselves deciding thats our next step. So we purchased and rebuilt the Corvette we are currently racing. We enjoy the annual Northern Zone Championships at Kaikoura so much that another Prelude was built just for the 2010 event. This car started (and finished) eleven races for the weekend and resulted in a 2nd overall in the A Grade Champs. It is interesting taking this look back but I am ever more looking forward to what the future will bring. I hope you have enjoyed this nostalgia trip as much as I have enjoyed writing it ............ Roger Nees (Flash)

Achievements
The early times proved to be a shakey start toward a life of speedway racing. It took a few years before championship placings were achieved but the "fun factor" was always paramount and to have Pam driving too meant it was always a family thing to go racing most weekends.
Juggling the demands of two young children between races never seemed to be a problem so to win something at the end of the day ways always a bonus. I suppose this also kept us returning back to the track for more.
Here's a list of those "bonuses" some of them gained relatively easily, some of them with heartache and a damned lot of work and the odd destroyed race car.

blue = Roger / pink = Pam / orange = Casey / green = Roger & Pam combined

Year	Placing	Grade	Event	Venue
1988	2nd 1st 1st	Streetstocks Novelty Race Streetstocks	14th Northern Zone Champs Caravan Demolition North Canterbury Champs	Kaikoura Ashburton Oxford
1989	3rd 3rd 3rd	Ladies Champs C Saloons C Saloons	15th Northern Zone Champs North Canterbury Champs South Island Champs	Kaikoura Oxford Oxford
1990	3rd 5th 3rd 1st 3rd	C Saloons B Saloons C Saloons Productions Productions	Mid Canterbury Champs Trophy Challenge 1990/1991 North Canterbury Champs Canterbury Champs Canterbury Champs	Ashburton Woodford Glen Oxford Woodford Glen Woodford Glen
1991	3rd 2nd 2nd 1st	Productions Productions C Saloons Best Sportsman	Easter Champs Highest Points 1990/91 17th Northern Zone Champs North Canterbury Champs	Woodford Glen Woodford Glen Kaikoura Oxford
1992	3rd 2nd 2nd 2nd 5th 3rd	C Saloons C Saloons Ladies Champs C Saloons Productions B Saloons	Canterbury Champs Mid Canterbury Champs South Island Champs Ellesmere Champs Trophy Challenge 1992/1993 North Canterbury Champs	Ellesmere Ashburton Ellesmere Ellesmere Woodford Glen Oxford
1993	1st 1st 2nd 3rd 1st 2nd	Productions Ladies Champs B Saloons C Saloons B Saloons B Saloons	Most Improved Driver 1992/93 South Island Champs 19th Northern Zone Champs Ellesmere Champs Grant Fuller Memorial Champs North Canterbury Champs	Woodford Glen Kaikoura Kaikoura Ellesmere Oxford Oxford
1994	3rd 1st 1st 1st 3rd 1st 4th 4th 1st 1st 4th 3rd	B Saloons Ladies Champs C Saloons B Saloons C Saloons B Saloons A Saloons Productions B Saloons Productions B Saloons A Saloons	South Island Champs South Island Champs Canterbury Champs 20th Northern Zone Champs Ellesmere Champs Grand Prix Trophy Challenge 1994/1995 Trophy Challenge 1994/1995 Grant Fuller Memorial Champs Team Challenge Club Points Club Points	Oxford Oxford Ellesmere Kaikoura Ellesmere Ellesmere Woodford Glen Woodford Glen Oxford Blenheim Oxford Oxford
1995	2nd 1st 3rd 2nd 2nd 1st 2nd 2nd 2nd 12th	A Saloons B Saloons A Saloons C Saloons Productions A Saloons Saloons A Saloons Productions Saloons	Remembrance Champs Grant Fuller Memorial Champs Highest Feature Points 1994/95 Ellesmere Champs Trophy Challenge 1995/1996 Trophy Challenge 1995/1996 4 Cylinder Champs Canterbury Champs Canterbury Champs N.Z. Grand Prix	Woodford Glen Oxford Woodford Glen Ellesmere Woodford Glen Woodford Glen Woodford Glen Woodford Glen Woodford Glen Nelson
1996	1st 2nd 1st 2nd	C Saloons Productions A Saloons A Saloons	South Island Champs Highest Season Points 1995/96 Highest Season Points 1995/96 Trophy Challenge1996/1997	Ellesmere Woodford Glen Woodford Glen Woodford Glen
1997	1st 2nd 4th 2nd	A Saloons Saloons A Saloons A Saloons	Canterbury Champs 4 Cylinder Champs Trophy Challenge1997/1998 Rod McLaren Memorial	Woodford Glen Woodford Glen Woodford Glen Invercargill
1998	1st 3rd 1st 1st 1st 1st 1st 1st 1st	A Saloons Saloons Saloons A Saloons A Saloons A Saloons A Saloons Overall Nationwide	Remembrance Champs West Coast Open Champs Team Challenge Highest Feature Points 1997/98 Highest Season Points 1997/98 Best Mechanically Prepared Car Best Presented Car Best Presented Team view N.Z.s Best Speedway Racing Operation view	Woodford Glen Greymouth Greymouth Woodford Glen Woodford Glen Woodford Glen Woodford Glen Woodford Glen Eden Park Auck
1999	Finalist 1st 1st 4th 3rd	Nationwide Productions B Saloons B Saloons B Saloons	N.Z.s Best Speedway Racing Operation West Coast Open Champs Team Challenge North Canterbury Grand Prix Highest Season Points	Eden Park Auck Greymouth Ruapuna Oxford Oxford
2000	1st 2nd 2nd 1st 2nd 1st	Productions Productions B Saloons Overall B Saloons A Saloons	West Coast Open Champs King of the Coast Champs Grant Fuller Memorial Champs Best Presented Car North Canterbury Champs Highest Season Points	Greymouth Greymouth Oxford Oxford Oxford Oxford
2001	5th 2nd	A Saloons A Saloons	Trophy Challenge 2001/2002 Canterbury Champs	Woodford Glen Woodford Glen
2002	3rd 2nd 1st 5th 2nd	A Saloons A Saloons A Saloons A Saloons A Saloons	Highest Season Points 2001/2002 Highest Feature Points 2001/2002 Best Presented Car Trophy Challenge 2002/2003 Blanchard Memorial Trophy	Woodford Glen Woodford Glen Woodford Glen Woodford Glen Woodford Glen
2003	2nd 3rd 2nd 1st 2nd 1st Finalist 2nd 1st	A Saloons A Saloons A Saloons A Saloons A Saloons A Saloons Overall A Saloons A Saloons	Rod McLaren Memorial Remembrance Champs Highest Feature Points 2002/2003 Best Presented Car 29th Northern Zone Champs Best Presented Car N.Z. Speedway Awards Best Presented Team Trophy Challenge 2003/2004 Canterbury Champs	Invercargill Woodford Glen Woodford Glen Woodford Glen Kaikoura Kaikoura Bay Park Tauranga Woodford Glen Woodford Glen
2004	3rd 1st 1st 1st Award Finalist	A Saloons A Saloons A Saloons A Saloons History Nationwide	Highest Season Points 2003/2004 Best Presented Car (3 years in a row) Best Mechanically Prepared Car Best Presented Car Honorary Membership N.Z. Speedway Awards Best Presented Team	Woodford Glen Woodford Glen Woodford Glen Kaikoura Kaikoura Hamilton
2005	1st 1st 2nd 2nd 1st 4th	A Saloons A Saloons A Saloons A Saloons A Saloons A Saloons	Rod McLaren Memorial view Chch vs Dunedin Teams Challenge Highest Season Points 2004/2005 Highest Feature Points 2004/2005 Best Presented Car Trophy Challenge 2005/2006	Invercargill Dunedin & W Glen Woodford Glen Woodford Glen Woodford Glen Woodford Glen
2006	2nd 1st 1st 4th	A Saloons A Saloons Overall A Saloons	32nd Northern Zone Champs Hard Luck Award Best Presented Team view Trophy Challenge 2006/2007 view	Kaikoura Woodford Glen Woodford Glen Woodford Glen
2007	2nd 1st 1st	A Saloons Overall Ladies Champs	Highest Feature Points 2006/2007 Best Presented Team view 33rd Northern Zone Champs view	Woodford Glen Woodford Glen Kaikoura
2008	1st 1st	Ladies Champs Superstocks	34th Northern Zone Champs Hard Luck Award	Kaikoura Woodford Glen
2009	1st	Ladies Champs	35th Northern Zone Champs	Kaikoura
2010	2nd	A Saloons	36th Northern Zone Champs	Kaikoura