Christmas Champs, Sprint Car Pairs & Buddy's Back

Good news doesn't get better than this. U.S. teenage sprint car sensation and current 1NZ Michael 'Buddy' Kofoid will be back, racing on Dec 28 and Jan 1 at Heavy Trax Hire Central Motor Speedway.

Just turned 18 and after a successful summer season in the States that included his first sprint car series win in the All Star Circuit of Champions and first Freemont Speedway Championship, Buddy will be scorching the Cromwell clay in a new competition, the Civil Construction Sprint Car Pairs.

Besides Buddy, and on Dec 28, NZ WRC rally ace Hayden Paddon, competitors include local sprint car legends King of Cromwell Jason Scott, Slammin’ Sam O’Callaghan, Nathan ‘Hitman’ Astle, Josh ‘Baby Buck’ Buchanan, Mark ‘Tapanui Flier’ Evans, Whetu ‘Winged Warrior’ Taewa and close to 20 more.

On Jan 3 and 4 Buddy will be racing at Ruapuna defending his 2018-19 Ruapuna Sprint Car Title and then after a short stay in Te Anau with host, mentor and long-time Central Motor Speedway sprint car ‘t’ driver Daniel Anderson, Buddy jets home to the States on January 9th where his dabbling in midgets has turned into a full time contract with Keith Kunz-Curb Agajanian Motorsport, Toyota Racing as a development driver and Mobil 1.

His first midget pro-drive is the Chili Bowl Midget Nationals in Tulsa, Oklahoma. Described as speedway’s equivalent to American football’s Super Bowl, the meeting runs from Jan 13 through to Jan 18. It comes as no surprise that Buddy has added midgets to his driving repertoire as he takes another step towards fulfilling his dream of driving NASCAR. A further measure of Buddy Kofoid’s focus on success, he’ll be mixing almost daily pro driving with high school studies until graduation in May.

Speaking from his home in Pennington, California, Buddy gave his reassurance that he will still find time to race sprint cars, adding that had it not been for just signed contractual obligations he would have been defending his NZ Sprint Car Title in Palmerston North on January 10th and 11th

But as Daniel Anderson suggests, “In a way this makes Buddy’s appearance at Heavy Trax Hire Central Motor Central Motor Speedway an even more exciting opportunity to grab hold of. The fact he’s here at all says a lot about his popularity in his adopted New Zealand home town of Te Anau. For helping make it happen, a big thanks to Fairview, The Ranch Bar & Grill, Te Anau Top 10, AB electrical, Tony Brand Building, Harcourts, Bidfood and Elf Oils."

Dec 28 and Jan 1 are not all sprint cars with big fields of super saloons, saloons, six shooters, youth ministocks and productions competing in their Christmas Champs. Among the drivers are more than a few class champions including three time New Zealand Super Saloon champion Mark Osborne who will be competing in the Dec 28th Christmas meeting. Always a crowd favourite, a gang of street stocks will be biffing and bashing both nights.

For high octane, clay scorching thrills and spills grab your sunnies and block out, and head to Central Otago's Fastest Family Show on Earth at Heavy Trax Hire Central Motor Speedway in Sandflat Road, Cromwell.

Two meetings (Dec 28 & Jan 1) special price deal: $40 adult. $20 child 5 - 15 years, u15 free.