Hydraulink War of the Wings

The Hydraulink War of the Wings (also known as WOW) is a New Zealand based dirt track racing series, with championship rounds held throughout the South Island. Founded in 1997, the tour has grown to become a consistent fixture on the New Zealand Speedway calendar and has attracted numerous drivers from international racing backgrounds. In 2016 and again in 2018 the War of the Wings was the winner of the 'Best Speedway Series' category at the New Zealand Speedway Awards.

In 1997 Sprint Car Racing in the South Island was in a perilous state. Just a handful of cars could be depended on to 'hit the track'. A group of enthusiasts headed by Brian Barclay, Alistair Kelso and Allan Batt put their energy into forming a 'mini' series that would run at Ruapuna, Dunedin, Ellesmere and Ashburton. Slowly but surely the numbers and enthusiasm grew and in time Cromwell became a destination as did Nelson, Invercargill, Blenheim and Woodford Glen.

There have been a couple of seasons when the War of the Wings has been sidelined, primarily by the cessation of the original South Island Sprint Car Association, and the 2010-11 events fell victim to the Christchurch earthquakes.

In 2007 the Sprint car Association was re-ignited and plans were put in place to 'grow' the series by putting up an irresistible amount of prize and travel incentives.^[1]

War of the Wings is run at venues licensed by Speedway New Zealand, the major governing body of Speedway in NZ, as well as venues licensed by the Circle Track Racing Association (CTRA).

War of the Wings race day formats go as follows: 30 minutes before racing begins, Time Trials are held to determine the lineups of the heat races along with giving out points for the fastest time. The program then continues as scheduled, with War of the Wings Heat Races 1,2 and 3 mixed in amongst the support classes. Eventually, the meeting generally rounds off with the War of the Wings Feature race.

The Hydraulink War of the Wings series currently includes the Winged Sprintcar class. This class features a 410ci Engine.

All figures correct end of 2023-24 season.