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28th February - After a couple of tough and challenging
meetings we had 3 meetings in a row at Western Springs on the 4th, 11th and 18th of February capping off with the NZ TQ Midget
Grand Prix on the 18th.
4th February: This meeting was a busy one as it
had two features on it and the completion of the 2nd Night of a 2 Night Meeting from January. In the B dash we started off
Grid 2 and won the race by nearly 1/2 a lap which was our first ever race win. This transferred us to the A Dash where we
started 9th and finished in 8th which meant we started 8th in the first feature of the night. We started off well battling
for 6th and 7th when the two cars infornt of us and checked up and left a gap, we went for it and it ended in tears, getting
clipped we rolled and crashed out of the feature, only 2nd DNF of the year. The boys then worked hard to repair the car for
the second feature where we were going to start out of grid 7. We got out just in time for the next feature and battled hard
on a slick track working our way through the traffic and getting to the front temporarily before tucking into 2nd. And this
is where we took the checkered flag - 2ND Place in the SHANE TURNER MEMORIAL FEATURE and on the Western Springs podium, a
great feeling!!
11th February - We had gone through the car during
the week and checked everything to make sure the car would handle ok and made some changes which we weren't sure how it would
go. First Heat we moved forward a couple of places and then struggled in the 2nd one qualifying just outside the top 10 for
the Feature. We battled hard in the Feature in a car that wasn't quite right and had a good battle with previous Feature Winner
Jared Taylor (41a) but unfortunately we were battling for 11th and 12th.
18th February - NZ TQ Grand Prix and 32 cars on
hand to battle for this title as far away as Christchurch. First Heat we started out of grid 15 and moved forward to finish
9th on a very bumpy track. We made the car a little looser for the 2nd heat and started off grid 3, we rode a couple of big
bumps and got close to the wall a couple of times but still finished 5th. This gave us an automatic qualifer spot and to start
off Grid 14 in the final. The track was rough all night and was the same for everybody, we used the high line early with success
and got up to 9th where we were gaining on the cars ahead then BANG!!!! Snapped the chain coming out of a hole and this is
the first chain we have snapped in 3 years. Unfortunate end to another Championship Title but we will still battle on and
repair the little baby for the next round.
18th January - Christmas and New Years is always a busy time of the year not just for families and crew but also for racing
with 5 meetings planned between Boxing Night and the 7th of January and throw in a couple of nights watching some racing as
well. Sadly the weatehr didn't want to play it's part and ended up raining out 2 of the meetings at Western Springs (31st
January and 7th of February).
Firstly a huge thanks has to go to Stu, Jared
and the whole Taylor family for leasing myself an engine to go in the MSB Motorsport # 7a TQ Midget as after blowing our one
up at Napier in early December it was still in a state of repair and these meetings were looking very unlikely. So a huge
thank you to them!!!
26th December - Boxing Night is historically Western
Springs' biggest night of the season with a massive crowd and a great level of International Racing. It was no different this
year with a massive crowd and great racing, 30 cars turned up for the TQ's on this night, Heat 1 we started from Grid 13 on
a wet track and Jason Brown hit the set up spot on and worked our way through the pack and ended up finishing in 7th, Heat
2 we started in 5th and battled all race in an around that top 5 with some very fast cars and got bumped out of a couple of
positions to end up finishing in 6th. This qualified us 13th for the Feature on a very slick track so we tried some radical
changes to try to hook the car up and it surely worked. A real credit to the whole team, we moved our way through battling
with some of the fastest cars in the country and ended up finishing 7th in the Feature Race, best finish of the season!!!!
2nd January - After a rain out on the 31st of
December all drivers were itching to get back in the seat with another big field of 27 cars turning up. Heat 1 we started
from towards the back of the field again with grid 15 but manage to work our way through a few cars before running out of
laps and getting to about mid pack and finishing 8th. Heat 2 gave us a grid 2 start on the front row and knew we had to start
fast, I got to the lead briefly before being held up on a high line and passed underneath, having to tussle and struggle to
get back towards the bottom, and in the end having to settle for a finish of 6th. With such tight and close points in the
class at the moment it meant that we were starting 15th in the Feature Race and the track was a bit bumpy and rough and Jason
had put another great setup on the car that had us progressing through the pack well and up to 10th, when coming off turn
4 the engine started to die and cut in and out, after closer inspection the running through the bumps etc must have loosened
the battery clamp and the positive cable of the battery and bracket came away from the battery losing all power and a DNF
in a Feature Race.
5th January - With a different format running
on this night it meant we only had 2 heat races tonight and all the features etc would be on the 7th of January (which was
rained out) but this meant that we had to qualify as high as possible in those 2 races. Another big field of 28 cars was on
hand for the racing and Heat 1 we started out of grid 6 and battled our way up to 3rd at one stage with a great setup on the
car and good car speed but sadly got passed by a couple of cars in the last lap and finished with a 5th. In heat 2 we started
from grid 13 right behind the current 3NZ car and tried to follow him through as much traffic as possible, and with 2 cars
right in front of us that we were much quicker than we ran out of laps and had to settle with a 6th, which was another great
result from our start. We ended up qualifying 7th = (another best of the season) for the second nights racing which got rained
out sadly!!
24th
November - With 2 Meetings already down the TQ Action has showed it is tougher than ever with many cars been seen
at the front of the Feature Races and the 1st night winner no where to be seen on the 2nd night. The MSB Motorsport Team is
slowly getting better and getting faster, after the error in grids in the 1st Feature and finishing 12th the second Meeting
bought a mixed result in heats with a 8th from grid 11 and a 5th from grid 2. This gave us a new grid for the Feature Race
of 13th.
It was a long way from the front on what was proving
to be another slick track but was better than the 22 from a fortnight beforehand. Passing proved hard in the Feature but with
a couple of good changes with shocks and ride height it kept the car quick on the bottom but that is also where everybody
else was running. With a couple of good passes it had the CSR Fabrications 7a TQ up to 9th with about 4 laps to go. For the
last 4 laps we had a massive challenge with 2 cars ahead of us the 88a of Scott Baker on the outside and was super close and
great racing. Unfortunately we got pipped on the line and finished 10th but it was pleasing to finally hit the Top 10 in results
for a feature we just need to carry on this over the next couple of weeks.
10th November - Western Springs
Opening Meeting Meeting of the season went of with a real bang, with one of the best fireworks displays I have seen in
quite a while, however the action on the track wasn't far off that either and the Opening Night for the 7a CSR Fabrications,
Castrol NZ, Gatorade, Signright TQ Midget went pretty good as well.
First Heat was a bit slushy and we started from
grid 6 hoping to stay there or there abouts and keep the faster cars from behind coming through. There was some tough battles
and not many chances to pass so a 6th place was a good start. In heat two we started from grid 5 and battled our way up to
4th at one point then as we tried for a couple more passes we were bumped out of the way and lost a couple of key positions
and finished 7th. With these 2 mid field finishes we worked out we should have started the Feature Race about 11th out of
22. However the computer grid system failed and grids didn't come out until we were on the track.
Once the grids were announced the 7a CSR
Fabrications car was the only car in the field that didn't have a grid. Unfortunately this meant that we had to start from
grid 22. This was very frustrating and some stern words were getting said under my helmet but we tried our best in this race.
Jason Brown (Crew Chief) looked over the car and track and we made some adjustments to be able to get some more grip out of
it but working your way from the back was hard. At one stage we were up to about 9th with 4 or 5 laps to go, pushing for passes
still we got bumped back a couple of spots and ended up finishing 12th. A hard night at the wheel but a lot learnt and some
great set ups as well. The positive was that we are a lot faster and more competitive than we were all last
season and set the 5th quickest lap time in the Feature Race!!!!
The car is now clean and all prepared again for
this Saturday as we make the trip down to Napier to support their club, race the fastest guys in the country (1, 2 and 3NZ
are from Napier) and get a set up working on the car for the up coming North Island Champs!!
3rd November - With the season a slower start too the season than wanted, with 2 x rainouts
in Napier which meant the MSB Motorsport Team reverted back to Western Springs for the two practice dates, the season will
now kick into high gear with the Opening of Western Springs this Saturday Night.
The last two weeks have proved a great learning
curve for both Daryl and NEW Crew Chief Jason Brown with making multiple changes over the day and getting some good base set
ups in the bank. The CSR Chassis is performing extremely well with the changes made in the Off Season and hopefully will mean
a more competitive overall pace in the field. With 24+ cars turning up this Saturday it is bound to be great racing followed
by a fantastic fireworks display.
A big thanks has to go to Jason Brown who has
kept the car going forward over the last couple of weeks and hopefully it carries on all season. Also to our family of sponsors
CSR Fabrications, Castrol NZ, MR Motocycles, Signright Hamilton, 4 A Good Cause Fundraising, Reduced to Clear, Gatorade and
Dave Lane Engineering.
20th October - With the season set to kick into life this weekend with the Opening Meeting for TQ
Midgets at Meeanee Speedway in Napier the MSB Motorsport Team and the #7A CSR Fabrications / 4 A Good Cause Fundraising TQ
Midget will be there and hopefully start the season better than the last one.
With a quick tune
up session and practice last weekend at Patetonga Speedway the team is confident that everything should be alright after a
couple of quick alterations this week. Getting behind the wheel early was good for driver Daryl and new crew chief Jason Brown
as they got a handle on the radically changed car from last season.
Everything is
good in the camp and ready for an exciting season. This weekends meeting will be a run down for the North Island Champs that
are in Napier on the 3rd of December.
A big thank you
must already go to everybody that has helped to get the car this fair along Jason Brown, Chris from CSR Fabrications, Jeff
from Signright, Glen from Castrol and the boys from Mr Motorcycles. And also support the rest of our sponsors - 4 A Good Cause
Fundraising, Reduced to Clear, Bryant Rd Panel and Motors, Lane Engineering and TSR.
26th September - With the new season only just around the corner and the weather getting warmer
by the day the countdown down to the 1st practice of the season and the look and changes of the # 7 MSB Motorsport TQ Midget
will all be known and seen soon.
It has been a
very busy off season with a lot of changes and development to the engine, chassis and all running gear. But the biggest
leap forward we have made will be in the department of parts available for the Team.
Again the team
will be based out of Western Springs Speedway in Auckland where there will be 12 Race Meetings contested and then the MSB
Motorsport team will hit the road to compete at as many tracks as possible. Tracks we have planned to go to this year are
Whangarei, Waikaraka Park, Huntly, Kihikihi, Gisborne, Napier, Palmerston North, Stratford and Ferndene in a total of around
25 meetings.
Over the last
couple of years we have had a great following of friends, family and great supporters, we are hoping this can continue and
we can do all these people and our sponsors proud with some better results given the gains we had at the end of last
season.
Once the car
is together and pictures are taken please check on the website and our Facebook page for them as we will keep this site updated
regularly with Results, Photos and News as the meetings go by.
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