Smeatharpe Stadium - Sunday 12th August 2012

Report by John Wyatt

Day 2 of the Speed Weekend and with the Saloon Stock World Championship now decided it was time for the BriSCA F2 community to salute ex World Champion and car builder extraordinaire Colin Higman's 50 glorious years involvement in the formula. Supporting the F2's were the mighty Saloon Stocks, with most of the drivers staying over from their Championship meeting the night before. 2 Litre National Bangers were also on the programme, competing for the Barry Collins Memorial Trophy - with a superb showing from the late driver's team-mates and family. Barry, a previous winner of the prestigious 'Crasharama' event in 2005, was tragically killed in a freak accident in a scrap yard. Although the crowd was not quite as large as the night before it was still impressive, the sun was shining, and the track condition almost perfect.  

BriSCA F2 Stock Cars

A little over 60 F2's arrived in the Smeatharpe pits and after the hectic previous evening's racing several driver's had major repairs to complete before they were ready for the day's events. 464 Matt Linfield had a top-end engine re-build to contend with, 734 Glenn Sanders had a head gasket to change and 522 Chris Mikulla had engine mounts to repair but the man with the biggest hole in his pocket financially was 886 Chris Bradbury, who took delivery of a brand new SRD engine Sunday morning that was hastily fitted into his car after blowing his original motor spectacularly in the previous evening's English Open Championship. Before the racing got under way Chris Bradbury presented Colin Higman with a superb trophy in recognition of his 50+ years involvement in the sport and we were treated to a few words from the man himself. Heat 1 produced 20 cars, with 14 Mike Priddle electing to start behind the red grade in his brand new car. 218 Rob Speak made an excellent start from the reds as 904 Ryan Cattell took the early lead. By lap 5 the flying 218 Speak was already up to 5th, moving up into 4th the following lap but behind him 7 Gordon Moodie was also on a charge as 904 Cattell continued to lead from 596 Ritchie Mead. At half-distance 596 Mead had taken over at the front and 218 Speak had moved into 2nd, with 7 Moodie closing quickly in 3rd. When the leaders arrived the following lap at turn 3 Moodie pushed 218 Speaky wide into the corner and moved into 2nd but unsurprisingly 218 Speak attempted to re-pay the Scotsman when the two arrived at speed at turn 1 but the 218 car clipped the inner curb and a marker tyre before contact was properly made and although the 7 car half spun, Moodie was able to keep control and carry on losing only a couple of places but 218 Speak was not so lucky and lauched into a spectacular spin. With 5 laps left to run, 596 Mead I'm sure breathed a sigh of relief and continued to the chequered flag untroubled, with 676 Neil Hooper finishing half a straight behind in 2nd and 7 Moodie 3rd after pushing 401 Barry Goldin wide 3 laps before the end. Heat 2 saw 25 cars out on the raceway, including 886 Bradbury, and after early leader 526 Marc Rowe had tripped over 2nd place man 245 Paul Milsom it was 135 Mike Lees that took it up from 685 Adam Deeble. 990 Paul Rice was going well in 3rd but 886 Bradbury was on a charge from the reds. Just as the race passed half-distance however the waved yellows came out for the stranded 819 Lee Clark on turn 1. This was a particular shame for 135 Lees as he now had 990 Rice and 685 Deeble right on his back bumper when he had been enjoying a reasonable lead - but more menacing for all the front runners was that 886 Bradbury was already up to 5th. At the re-start 990 Rice immediately moved into the lead, with 886 Bradbury slotting in behind 685 Deeble in 3rd and 135 Lees down to 4th within half a lap. With still 5 laps left to run 886 Bradbury cruised into the lead and there he stayed to the flag, with 783 James Rygor finishing 2nd after a late charge, passing 990 Rice on the last lap. 685 Deeble's car packing up on him two laps from the finish. Heat 3 was the 'Teen Sensations' race and had 15 starters with the highest points scorers at the back, it began with a big crash on turn 1 when 120 Luke Loveland picked up 111 Tom Malings and the two of them collided with the fence hard. Also involved were 866 Bobby Griffin, 624 Raymond Dick and 551 Kyle Beattie, with the 120 car losing a wheel bringing about a red flag. Before the complete re-start 991 Ryan Hoskin retired his car to the infield with a tappet problem so we were down to just 8 drivers. At the green it was 944 Ryan McCrory that was soon heading the pack from 768 Tom Adcroft, with 921 Jack Aldridge already up into 3rd but by half-distance 921 Aldridge had moved up into 2nd. 124 Ollie Skeels soon moved into 3rd as 921 Aldridge got ever closer to leader 944 McCrory, but the 2011 'Novice of the Year' left it until the final corner of the last lap to push the 944 McCrory car wide, and in a text-book move slipped down the inside of the Northern Irish driver to take an excellent win - to add to his victory the previous day in the 'Young Guns' event. The consolation fielded 24 starters and it was no surprise to see 991 Ryan Hoskin take the lead, half-distance and he was still there and looking comfortable but somehow he managed to tangle with back-marker 14 Mike Priddle on the main staright, the 991 car hooking itself onto the 14 car's rear bumper after going over its N/S/R wheel just as 305 and 476 Ryan Wadling have a big coming together on the exit of turn 2, with the 305 car losing a wheel and thus bringing out the waved yellow flags. After a lengthy delay 76 Chris Rowe led the re-start with 302 Dale Moon swiftly moving into 2nd, but although at the end 76 Rowe crossed the finishing line first he was docked two places for an un-disputed jump-start and the 'ladies favourite' 302 Moon inherited the win, with 341 Drew Lammas 2nd. After this race the crowd were treated to a nostalgic six laps from Colin Higman, at the wheel of his original 1976 World Final winning car, finishing with several victory 'doughnuts' - an extravagant gesture not usually associated with Colin, with tyres being the price they are........ The 'Mills Engineering' sponsored final saw 33 cars out on track - with an amazing 17 red/star grade drivers and silver roof 7 Moodie among the impressive line-up. 991 Hoskin hit the front initially but he tangled soon after with 797 Dan Moss, but did manage to regain the lead. The on-form man in this though was once again 596 Ritchie Mead and a little after half-distance he had taken the lead. 921 Jack Aldridge had also been going well but he retired with a problem after getting to the front. With 5 laps to go it was 596 Mead, comfortably from 991 Hoskin, with 7 Moodie chasing hard in 3rd, followed by 676 Hooper and 218 Speaky. With 2 laps remaining 7 Moodie goes cleanly down the inside of 991 Hoskin to move into 2nd, with 676 Hooper pulling the same move on the youngster on the following lap as the leader starts his final lap. 218 Speak also manages to pass 991 Hoskin before the flag which comes down on the flying 596 Ritchie Mead, the Windsor driver picking up his second win of the afternoon and how happy is he, with 7 Moodie a useful 2nd and 676 Hooper 3rd - 991 Hoskin eventually finishing an excellent 5th. A supremely quick race - and not one stoppage. 28 starters for the Grand National, with handicap man 596 Mead starting in front of the whites. At the green it is once again 991 Hoskin that takes the early lead from 526 Marc Rowe as 783 James Rygor spins on the exit of turn 2. As we reach half-distance it is still 991 Hoskin that leads but 605 Liam Rowe has found some form and is up into 2nd with 7 Moodie already up into 3rd with 990 Paul Rice in 4th. 7 Moodie soon passes 605 Rowe to move into 2nd and immediately sets about hunting down leader 991 Hoskin who is becoming bogged down in traffic. With 5 laps to run, 7 Moodie does catch and pass 991 Hoskin, with 605 Rowe passing Hoskin on the following lap as 676 Hooper now moves into 4th.  With just 3 laps remaining 605 Rowe has a problem and pulls the car onto the centre on the start/finish straight, punching the steering wheel in frustration as he does so which lifts 676 Hooper into 3rd - and then 2nd as he passes 991 Hoskin. 990 Rice is the next man to pass the 991 car and this is how it stays to the flag, 7 Moodie picking up his second win of the weekend.                   

Saloon Stock Cars

After some sensational racing the night before there was a real buzz around the raceway as the cars came out for heat 1, among the 25 starters was 'new' World Champion 1 Eddie Darby. 298 Ian Elms was the early leader and looked in good form until a pile-up on the exit of turn 4 bought out the waved yellows after 401 Steve Webster took a big hit in the side from 777 Alan Ainslie - with 100 Ian Govier also getting a knock. 298 Elms led the re-start - with World Champion Darby a lowly 14th but by half-distance he had moved right up into 3rd with 512 Darren Barnett the leader. As the 4 lap board comes out 96 Willie Mitchell spins on turn 4, the leader 512 Barnett arrives, shadowed closely now by 1 Darby who pushes him wide and as 512 goes around the outside of the 96 Mitchell car Darby goes down the inside and takes the lead with now 3 laps remaining. Down the main straight and 512 pushes 1 Darby wide into turn 3 and re-takes the lead, with Darby then chasing the 512 car down the start/finish straight, at turn 1 Darby has a dig at the 600 car of Barry Russell and still manages to slip past 512 Barnett cleanly down the inside but then 600 Russell comes back at 1 Darby and half-spins him down the straight, somehow Darby hangs on and still manages to retain the lead but 512 is again right on his rear bumper and as the two leaders arrive at turn 3 for the last time Barnett hits the back of the 1 car pushing it deep into the corner but Darby keeps his foot to the floor and the two cars exit the corner together and at the flag it is 512 Barnett by an inch or so. Superb stuff ! 298 Ian Elms is rewarded with a creditable 3rd. Another 25 starters for heat 2 with 104 Matt Horwell taking the early lead and keeping it way past half-distance, 199 Phil Powell was also going well in this one up into 2nd with 402 Shaun Webster menacing in 3rd. With just 2 laps remaining 104 Horwell was finding it difficult to clear a back-marker in the shape of 153 Ryan Wright which allowed 199 Powell and 402 Webster to close and pass, with 104 then having a problem on turn 3 and that was it for the unlucky Horwell, eventually finishing in 6th. 402 Webster just managed to pass 199 Powell before the flag to snatch the win, with the Taunton man getting his best result of the weekend in 2nd, with 120 Shane Brown coming through for 3rd. 26 starters made it out for the consolation, with flamboyant Cowdenbeath starter Dean Alexander, son of Saloon Stock 71 Gordon Alexander, taking over the flag duties for this one - his hand signals as he counted down the placings a real treat to see. The action began with 100 Ian Govier putting 600 Barry Russell in, pay-back for an earlier exchange as a big pile-up involving at least ten cars formed on turn 3. Half of the cars managed to get away again but the remainder made the corner a tricky place to pass. 511 Craig Barnett meanwhile had taken the lead, as 600 Russell spins on turn 4, catching the side of 18 Jamie Clayton as he attempts to rejoin, sending the 18 car spinning down the start/finish straight, with 600 Russell ending up sideways across the track. Along comes 100 Govier and piles into the 600 Russell car at speed, which starts a bit of an exchange of blows between the two cars and drivers but before it gets too messy the chequered flag comes down on 511 Barnett, with 711 Anthony McIvor 2nd and the lively 56 Georgie Boult 3rd. 31 cars lined up for the 'Bill Lomas Motor Services' sponsored final which began with 56 Boult getting spun on the main straight and losing a wheel which brought about an immediate stoppage. 460 Cliff Friend led the re-start but before two laps had been completed we had a further stoppage for a marker-tyre that had found its way onto the centre of the track on turn 4. Once again it was 460 Friend that led the remaining cars away as 512 Barnett spins on the main straight - with 2 Paul Tuppen doing likewise on the start/finish straight. 298 Ian Elms took over the lead after 460 Friend retired with a problem, as 1 Darby moved up into 5th place. Two laps later and Darby is challenging 298 Elms for the lead, which he takes cleanly passing the leader through turns 3 and 4 with 499 David Aldous now moving into 3rd. 402 Webster is soon up to 4th, with 499 Aldous now taking 2nd as 156 Darren Goudy spins 120 Shane Brown on turn 4. With 5 laps left to run it is still 1 Darby who leads, half a straight ahead of 499 Aldous who is the same distance ahead of now 3rd place man 402 Webster - and this is how they finish. Before the chequered though 120 Brown once again gets turned by 156 Goudy, and then gets an unintentional one on the nose from 2nd place man Aldous which then sees the 120 car pull onto the centre.1 Eddie Darby wins another eventful Saloon Stock race, a very rewarding weekend at the office then for the gold-roofed Heathfield driver. The 'Dash For Cash' is the final race for the Saloon Stock Cars over a hectic weekend and raises 13 cars. With 158 Shane Davies looking very deserving of the £100 prize money - if only to finance the repair of the large hole that has been made in the side of his once immaculate car ! It's not to be though as early leader is 2 Paul Tuppen who has carved out a reasonable lead only to see it evaporate after the waved yellow flags come out to retrieve the bonnet of the 103 Chris Horwell car that has become detatched and finished up against the fence on the exit of turn 2. At the re-start, 2 Tuppen is the first casualty, being spun by 100 Govier on turn 2, Govier then gets hit by 711 Anthony McIvor, who has been put in by 71 Gordon Alexander, and then again by 499 Aldous. 698 Danny Colliver is the leader with 5 laps to run and looks good for the win, with 2nd place man, the bonnet-less 103 Horwell, not looking close enough to launch an attack but as the lap boards come and go the 103 car is narrowing the gap and on the last corner of the final lap 103 Horwell does strike, pushing the 698 car just wide enough to slip down the inside and take not only the win but the money too - perhaps a new set of bonnet pins might be his first purchase......        

2 Litre National Bangers

Surprisingly there were no Triumphs from the night before among the line-up of Bangers for their first race, the 'Barry Collins Memorial' event - though there were one or two drivers competing that had raced the previous evening. Also racing the previous evening was 190 Steve 'Pikey' Bailey, at Mildehall in Suffolk, so an excellent effort from him and his team to get to Smeatharpe for this one. The Collins team consisted of 5 cars, all beautifully turned out and a real credit to all concerned, and included Stock Rod star 364 Nathan Olden in a super-smart Ford Cougar. Also Cougar mounted was 409 Joey Collins and 162 Brett Ellacott, with the rest of the 15 car field Mondeos. 409 Joey Collins was the early leader in this race from 190 'Pikey' Steve Bailey, with 841 'Dingle' Tom Perkins in the thick of the action as usual. 364 Olden then picks up 114 Nick Courtier and slams him into the turn 4 plating, wrecking the black Mondeo as 190 'Pikey' moves into the lead. 891 Darren Wade picks up 47 Marcus A'Lee on turn 3 who in turn collects 364 Olden and the three of them crash hard into the pit-gate, the impact almost ripping out the rear axle of the 364 Cougar. 409 Joey Collins then hits the unfortunate A'Lee as 190 begins his last lap. At the flag it is indeed a win for 190 Bailey, with team-mate 162 Ellacott home in 2nd and the lively 409 Joey Collins 3rd. 13 cars lined up for allcomers race 1 which was quite a roddy affair, there were a few early spins, with 841 Perkins and 47 A'Lee getting most of the attention as usual. It does seem that it is the same drivers that get picked on at every meeting. 190 'Pikey' Steve Bailey picked up his second win of the day from 409 Joey Collins and 452 Anthony Sleeman. The second allcomers race only had 11 starters but included 364 Nathan Olden who had somehow managed to repair the rear end of his battered Cougar after its pounding in the first event. The race began with 74 Adam Hitchcock getting spun on turn 2 by 279 James Collins, 223 Sonny Collins' car then blew up spectacularly in clouds of smoke a lap later. 74 then spun the 364 Cougar on turn 2 before copping a portion himself from 190 Steve Bailey. As the chequered flag comes down on 452 Anthony Sleeman who has rodded to a flag-to-flag victory, 74 Hitchcock spins on turn 4 and then gets a stiff one on the nose from the lively Olden in the 364 Cougar. 190 'Pikey' picks up 2nd and 162 Ellacott 3rd. The last race of the long 'Speed Weekend' is the King of Crash/DD and a surprising 5 cars venture out on track to do battle - including 364 Olden in the once immaculate Cougar. 'Pikey' attacks Olden at the start, giving him a big one up the chuff as 74 Hitchcock gives him one on the nose too. 891 Wadey is 190's next victim, slamming him hard against the pit-bend fence. 'Pikey' then clobbers 74 before turning his attention to the 71 Mondeo. 891 Wadey again feels the force of the 'Pikey' machine, the battered car taking a stonking hit from the 190 star and it is all over. With 190 Steve 'Pikey' Bailey taking the deserved win in his normal destructive style - with all credit to 364 Olden, the afternoon's best entertainer.