United Downs Raceway - Sunday 8th April 2012

(Report by Jon Wyatt)

Cold but thankfully dry conditions greeted the many competitors and spectators arriving at the United Downs Raceway for the annual Easter 'Boneshaker' event. The 'split' classes of 'non-Mondeo/Cougar' and 'Mondeo/Cougar' was a brave move by the promoters but it did give some drivers the opportunity to compete in both classes and gave the crash hungry racegoers the chance to see twice as much action - and certainly in the first heats of each class the action was indeed Boneshaking ! Fast, furious and at times spectacular support came from the excellent Saloon Stock cars - and the juniors in the Ministox entertained in their usual style.

National Bangers

Although no 'vintage' material on show in the 'non-Mondeo' class for the National Bangers, there were some unusual cars among the entry including a rapid Toyota Celica for 232 David Thomas, a smart Honda Prelude for 47 Marcus A'Lee, a BMW 5 series for 99 David Spooner, a used Ford Focus each for 383 Andre McLellan and 714 'No Show' Paul Smaldon and car of the day, a rare Nissan 200 QX for 162 'Bad Boy' Brett Ellacott - which had originally started life as a V6 Automatic and was now a Ford Zetec powered manual ! Big surprise was the non-arrival of fancied runner 239 'Nemesis' Steven Carter but those that did make the effort certainly impressed with some excellent paintwork on the customery Grand Parade. Before the first race lined up it was a time to remember a lost and greatly missed friend among the Banger racing ranks, Iain 'Steamer' House, and the raceway fell silent for a minute for the popular guy so tragically lost - followed by universal applause. Three drivers had arrived with two cars in order to compete in both Banger classes - 162 Ellacott, 114 Nick Courtier and 452 Anthony Sleeman - and this proved a good move as each won at least one race.

First Banger race on the packed programme was heat 1 for the 'Mondeo+' class and produced 13 starters, including 162 Brett Ellacott in his well-used 'Winter Open' Cougar at the back of the line-up. 426 Chris Gill was the first spinner as 452 Anthony Sleeman slammed into 642 Nigel Thomas half way along the start/finish straight pushing him into the 247 car, Thomas then takes a rear-ender from 11 Lee Donnelly who then gets a stiff one from 162 Ellacott who in turn gets a bootful from 426 Gill ! The 426 car is then abandoned and 162 Ellacott manages to push it across the track, almost causing a blockage, before 309 Grant Williams slams into it at speed, bouncing off of it and into 162 Ellacott for good measure. With not even half the race completed we are down to just five runners with 177 Will Powell leading. 162 Ellacott is still circulating but his battered Cougar is crabbing badly and perhaps we can put this down to why he slams into the un-manned 426 car flat out at the end of the start/finish straight - or not ! But definitely no accident is the Bad Boy's next move, picking up leader 177 Powell at the end of the main straight and following him into the turn 3 fence at an alarming rate of knots, destroying the Mondeo in spectacular fashion, before backing off and giving new leader 101 Andrew Bishop something to think about. We are then down to just four cars and 114 Nick Courtier, who has somehow managed to avoid any trouble, is the man doing the laps and now the leader, with 162 Ellacott in the ill-handling Cougar still maintaining a fair turn of speed and looking menacing. At the flag it is 114 Courtier who takes the win from 101 Bishop - with no doubt at all about who the 'Best Wrecker' award should go to ! 

The 'Boneshaker' title race was the next event on the programme and initially fielded a healthy 24 starters but 99 Spooner pulled the BMW off before the start. The grid draw saw 45 Anthony Croshaw in pole position with 189 Ry Beardwell in an unusual Vauxhall Carlton sharing the front row - and 162 Ellacott at the rear in the ultra-smart Nissan. At the flag it was 45 'Lips' that made the better start as the 189 Carlton of Beardwell gets spun coming out of turn 4, as does 714 'No Show' in the Focus. 383 McLellan in the other Focus and 943 Paul Golden then have a coming together as 452 'Lurch' introduces the front of his Primera to the rear of 47 A'Lee's Prelude hard on the exit of turn 2, the popular Saltash man then picking up further damage from the recovered Focus of 714 Smaldon. 162 Ellacott was certainly finding the handling of his Nissan an improvement on the Cougar and was on a flyer which was more than you could say for 841 'Dingle' Tom Perkins who was a spinner on the start/finish straight. Also in the wars now was 452 'Lurch' getting spun by 232 David Thomas in the Celica, as was leader 45 'Lips' getting spun by Autospeed Banger star 246 Ryan Sparks who then has a dig at 614 Chris Hide but then gets picked up himself by the lively 232 Thomas Celica on turn 1, with the rear of his car now re-arranged 246 Sparks then gets pay-back from 614 Hide on turn 4. Meanwhile 989 Deano picks up 406 Chris Bridger's Vectra and follows him in flat out into turn 1, just as 511 Dan Crosbie does likewise with 615 Neil Bone, pushing the unfortunate driver hard into the thankfully abandoned 406 Bridger car (in what I guess you could call a real Boneshaker ?!) who then gets a portion from 989 Deano. 45 'Lips' surprisingly then gets spun by the flying 162 Ellacott as the red flag comes out for the carnage on turn 1 but thankfully all is well with the 615 man and the cars are lined up for a re-start, with 45 Croshaw deemed to be the leader from 162 Ellacott and 114 Nick Courtier, with 5 laps left to run. 162 Ellacott it was who took over the lead a lap after the green flag, followed by 114 Courtier up into 2nd but the action hadn't finished as 714 'No Show' spins 278, 114 Courtier then has a problem and 45 'Lips' re-takes 2nd as the 114 car struggles for grip. Last lap and with 162 Ellacott now clear at the front and almost smelling the money 278 picks up 511 Crosbie and pushes the Vectra around the turn 1 and 2 fence at an alarming speed, clattering the fence loudly as he goes but somehow both survive. So, the chequered flag comes down on the rapid Ellacott and a new 'Boneshaker' Champion is crowned, a fair result all things considered, with 45 Croshaw a deserved 2nd and 114 Courtier 3rd. Not an epic race by any means but certainly a lively affair, whether next year's event is a 'non-Mondeo' one remains to be seen but you never know how these things are going to pan out until you try and top marks to the promotion for trying it.

Heat 2 for the 'Mondeo+' cars saw just 8 starters after the carnage of the first encounter, 162 Brett Ellacott was out once more in the repaired Cougar - more excellent work from his many helpers in the pits - but credit also to all the drivers who managed to get out in this one. 648 was the early leader as 162 Ellacott moves into 4th by the end of lap 1, 309 Grant Williams spins on turn 4 and 101 Andrew Bishop feels the force of the Ellacott front bumper on turn 2. 162 then turns his attention to 211, spinning him round and then 642 Nigel Thomas gives him one for good measure. Leader 648 is Ellacott's next victim and then he gets hit by 642 Thomas as 114 Courtier takes over at the front. By half-distance there are only four cars left running, 114, 162, 648 and 862 Darryl Cock and just as you think things cannot get any worse the 642 Thomas car sparks up on the infield and we have a red flag. 114 Courtier led the remaining cars away at the re-start for the final five laps and took an easy second win, from 162 Ellacott - with the other two cars failing to finish.

Next up was the first allcomers race for the 'non-Mondeo' cars and had the still immaculate BMW of 99 David Spooner on the inside of the front row ahead of a 12 car field. 907 Sillifant was the first casualty, hitting the fence hard on turn 3, he was joined quickly by 99 Spooner in the BMW as 246 Ryan Sparks took it up at the front. 162 Ellacott was once again flying in the big Nissan, up into 3rd by lap 3 with 511 Dan Crosbie trailing leader Sparks by some distance already in 2nd. 162 Ellacott did manage to pass the 511 car to go 2nd with 5 laps to go but 246 Sparks had almost a complete straight advantage over his rival and the Autospeed Banger multi-champion took a deserved win in what was quite a tame race. There were just five finishers.

The 'Mondeo+' final was the next event on the programme and once again only managed 8 starters - which went down to 7 after 642 Nigel Thomas pulled off before the start. At the green 211 went straight into the fence on turn 3 and then got a big part of 162 Ellacott's Cougar in his bootlid to add to his troubles, 247 was the next man to feel the force from 162 on turn 1 as once more 114 Courtier began the serious business of winning. By half distance Ellacott had almost single handedly wiped out most of the field and we were down to just 3 cars - 452 'Lurch', 114 Courtier and the Demolition man Ellacott. Not surprisingly then not much happened in the second half of the race and 114 Courtier recorded his third win of the afternoon from 452 Sleeman, with the winner giving only other finisher Ellacott a poke in the rear as he came down the start/finish straight for the last time - something he may well live to regret ! And that concluded proceedings for the 'Mondeo+' class for the afternoon.

The second 'non-Mondeo' allcomers race surprisingly raised 15 starters and had earlier entertainers 511 Crosbie in the Vectra and 232 Thomas in the rapid Celica making up the front row. After the usual early spins - which included 246 Sparks courtesy of 162 Ellacott - 40 Ben Reeder gets clobbered by the Focus of 383 McLellan and then takes a big hit from 511 Crosbie on turn 1, the Nissan Bluebird folding alarmingly but thankfully all is well. 614 Chris Hide is the next man to fall foul of the big 162 Nissan on turn 3, as 45 'Lips' has a close encounter of the 114 Courtier kind on turn 4. Meanwhile 278 is the leader with 4 laps left to run as 232 Thomas buries himself into the 614 car of Hide on turn 3, and then gets picked on by Ellacott for his trouble. With just 2 laps remaining the order is 278 from 943 Paul Golden and that man Ellacott, just in front of 114 Courtier - who then gets a revenge attack from 45 Croshaw on the main straight. Next to hit problems is leader 278 who gets taken out by 452 'Lurch' which allows 'Bad Boy' Ellacott through to take his second win of the day. But it is not over yet, 278 manages to recover to cross the line for 2nd then on the run-down lap thunders into 511 Crosbie on turn 3, flat out, and then gets flattened himself by 452 Sleeman to bring the race to a destructive end. 45 Croshaw is the 3rd placed finisher after a lively afternoon, with 114 Courtier 4th. As is usual, after his deserved lap of honour, the loveable Ellacott gives his winners trophy away to an admiring little boy - and gains another big fan in the process. A good day at the office then for the man from Tedburn St Mary, the Boneshaker title to add to his World Championship win - and for once, no one has made reference to his hair.

The last 'race' of the day for the 'non-Mondeo' boys was the DD/King of Crash, though why this wasn't open to ALL available National Bangers is beyond me and after the afternoons heavy action only two cars made it onto the raceway - 452 'Lurch' Sleeman in his Primera and 511 Dan Crosbie in his well-used Vectra. At the green it was all over within a few seconds as 452 Sleeman went into turns 1 and 2 he got hit hard on the nose by a flying 511 Crosbie in a stonking head-on, after the Vectra man had managed to pick up a fair turn of speed along the main straight on opposite and that was that. A dead heat was given and that was a fair result. 

Saloon Stock Cars

The Saloons were competing for their Western Championship and this meeting was the second or, in some cases, third meeting in three days so the entry was always dependent on previous race incidents/damage. Thankfully a reasonable showing of 16 cars arrived in mid-Cornwall, with very welcome Irish driver NI153 Ryan Wright the only man needing any significant repairs after a bruising meeting at Kings Lynn the previous evening and having to replace virtually the complete N/S/F corner of his car - which he managed to do just in time with excellent work from his team and all-round local  good guy Colin Moss. Though 2 Paul Tuppen also needed to replace a gearbox after an encounter with the fence at Northampton on Good Friday.

Heat 1 saw 15 cars out on track and included regular visitor Scotsman 618 Stuart Shevill and fellow countryman 57 David Hughes making his United Downs debut. At the green it was 995 Ben Goddard who got his nose in front from 2 Paul Tuppen and 916 Ross Thomas as 57 Hughes spins on turn 2, 30 Barry Hollett was the next driver to encounter trouble, retiring the car with a steering problem. 916 Thomas then pushes 2 Tuppen wide into turn 2 to take up 2nd and the in-form 65 Ian Willis crashes his way up to 4th while further back 120 Shane Brown moves up into 6th. After putting 995 Goddard under a lot of pressure 916 Thomas managed to slip down the inside on turn 2, next lap and 65 Willis pulled the same move on the youngster Goddard on turn 4 to move up into 2nd after passing 2 Tuppen, with 120 Brown now up into 4th. 916 Thomas then feels the pressure from 65 Willis who passes the Paignton man as they exit turn 4 and 120 Brown passes 2 Tuppen to move up to 3rd and we are at half-distance. As the race progresses the leading trio remain the same but as the lap boards come out and with 65 Willis pulling away at the front the yellow grader Thomas is coming under the increasing threat of 120 Brown, just as 199 Phil Powell in 4th is from 382 Danny Hunt in the BMW. With 3 laps to go 120 Brown does manage to pass 916 Thomas on the main straight but 65 'Pasty' is far enough out in front and takes the win to carry on from where he left off at the previous St Day meeting where he was a heat and final winner. 120 Brown the runner up and 916 Thomas holding on for a deserved 3rd.

Heat 2 had 16 starters, including NI153 Ryan Wright, and was led away initially by 2 Tuppen with 916 Thomas soon into 2nd, but by the end of lap one he had moved past Tuppen on turn 1 to take it up, with 65 Willis already up into 5th. A lap later and Willis had moved into 4th behind 995 Ben Goddard with 103 Chris Horwell looking strong in 5th. 65 Willis was soon in front of 995 Goddard as the star men at the back of the pack exchanged paint with themselves and the fence. At half-distance it is still 916 Thomas from Essex boy Tuppen, 65 Willis, 103 Horwell, 995 Goddard and 120 Shane Brown and these were the positions until, with 4 laps to go, 120 Brown passes 995 Goddard into 5th behind 103 Horwell. 65 Willis then moves past 2 Tuppen on the main straight and as the cars begin their final lap it is still 916 Thomas who looks comfortable out in front, with 65 Willis looking too far back to mount any kind of meaningful attack on the leader. But, as we have seen before, 65 Willis is a last lap expert and as 916 Thomas goes down the main straight for the last time the man from Slough builds the 65 car up to an almost suicidal speed and launches himself at the rear bumper of his prey, pushing the unfortunate 916 Thomas just wide enough to slip through on the inside and take the win, with 916 Thomas recovering for 2nd and 2 Tuppen home in a deserved 3rd. Another spectacular win for 65 Ian Willis, one of the most entertaining drivers in the Saloon Stock formula - better get down B & Q then for a tin of red paint.

The 'Hilltop Contractors' sponsored Western Championship Final was the last race of the day and had all 16 starters, including defending Champion 402 Shaun Webster, another driver who had raced the previous night on the shale at Kings Lynn. At the green it was 916 Ross Thomas who got the drop on 2 Paul Tuppen to take the lead but further down the pack it was 65 Willis that everyone was watching as he carved his way once more through the field from the blues. Even further back, 1 Eddie Darby was making sure that 402 Webster wasn't going to get an easy ride in this one, bouncing the Sheffield man off the fence hard on turn 3, as 382 Danny Hunt somehow managed to get the pretty BMW 3 Series up on two wheels going around the inside of turn 1, before coming to land but facing in the wrong direction on turn 2. Meanwhile leader 916 Thomas was concentrating on putting as much distance as possible between himself and 995 Ben Goddard in 2nd, knowing that 65 Willis was probably not too far behind either. By half-way 65 Willis had worked his way up into 3rd behind 995 Goddard, with 199 Phil Powell going very well indeed in 4th. As the lap boards came out it was still 916 Thomas from 995 Goddard but 65 'Pasty' was getting ever closer. 3 laps to go and still Goddard was managing to hold Willis, allowing Thomas to extend his lead slightly, next lap and 65 Willis manages to pass the 995 car as the youngster goes wide into turn 1 but this time, with 916 starting his last lap, there really isn't enough time for the Slough man to catch the leader and 916 Ross Thomas takes the chequered flag and with it the Western Championship, with 65 Willis 2nd and the ever improving 995 Goddard 3rd. 199 Phil Powell was an excellent 4th after being on the pace all afternoon. Fast and furious racing once more from the superb Saloons and with the English Championship the next big event for the formula in Cornwall on the 6th of May, the future sure looks bright.

Ministox

Although no visiting drivers there was still a good showing of 14 local youngsters and all available cars lined up for heat 1 which had 916 Keiran Bodie the sole white graded driver on the front row - there were three other white graders but as it was only their first or second meeting they were put at the back of the red grade in order to gain valuable experience. After an initial false-start the race got under way with 907 Ben Sillifant an early spinner at the hands of 946 Emily Hector as 916 Bodie got away at the front, followed a little way behind by 935 James Flint. It wasn't long before 935 headed the pack and began to pull away at the front as 903 Adam Neville moved into 3rd from the blue grade. 932 Sam Moore hustled 903 Neville for much of the race and under such pressure it wasn't long before 903 caught and passed white grader 916 Bodie to move into 2nd. 932 Moore also managed to pass the 916 car but young Bodie re-took 3rd place on the final bend on the last lap with some skillful driving and at the flag it was 935 James Flint who took the deserved win from 903 Neville and 916 Bodie - with 932 Moore having to settle for 4th. With young 910 Tom Cadby docked two places for contact of the unlawful variety on 987 Ethan Pope.

Heat 2 saw 916 Keiran Bodie once again make a good start but not so good was 989 Joe Marquand who spun on turn 4. 935 James Flint soon took over at the front but only briefly, as 916 Brodie was not having any of it and spun the Tiverton lad aside on turn 2 to re-take the lead in superb style, with fellow white grader 987 Ethan Pope holding 2nd. 942 Steven Gilbert was going very well indeed from the red grade and was already up into 5th by lap 5, as was 903 Neville from the blues. Not having quite as much luck was 946 Emily Hector who had all kinds of problems coming out of turn 4, ending up clobbering an infield tractor tyre with some force, as 916 Bodie continued to lead, with 903 Neville up into 2nd and 942 Gilbert now 3rd. With 3 laps to go 942 Gilbert gives 903 Neville a big helping hand through turn 3, but Neville hangs on and the combined speed of the two cars carries them both past leader Bodie who then gets passed by 935 James Flint but for the second time in the race young Keiran spins him again to re-take the place ! 942 Gilbert does manage to pass 903 Neville cleanly on turn 4 to take the lead and holds on to take a good win from 903 Neville, once again finishing in 2nd. 907 Ben Sillifant eventually finishing in 3rd, just ahead of a hard-charging 977 Kieren Bradford. Poor old 916 Keiran Brodie had a very spectacular final lap, getting launched as he exited turn 4 and ending up across the start/finish straight after being collected by half the field. The talented youngster needing attention from the St Johns Ambulance crew - but not before showing that he is indeed someone to keep an eye on in the future, I for one don't think he will stay a white grade driver for very long.

The 'Hilltop Contractors' final produced 13 starters and 935 James Flint was the early leader with 936 Alfie Whitelegg and 932 Sam Moore battling for 2nd. 903 Adam Neville was soon past and up into 2nd after a mistake by 936 Whitelegg going wide on turn 4, with 932 Moore then being joined by 989 Joe Marquand in 3rd and 4th. Marquand then went wide which allowed 942 Gilbert up into 4th as 903 Neville closed on leader 935 Flint. 907 Ben Sillifant then spins 932 Moore which allows 942 Gilbert up into 3rd just in front of 989 Marquand. 946 Emily Hector's bad luck was continuing, spinning out for the 2nd time on turn 4 as the leaders catch up with the back markers. There is nothing between the leading two cars as the lap boards come out and as they begin their final lap it is still 935 Flint just from 903 Neville but as they arrive at turn 3 for the last time 903 pushes the 935 car just wide enough to slip through on the inside to take a deserved win, with 935 recovering for 2nd from 942 Steven Gilbert 3rd. Another excellent showing from the stars of tommorow - with the incident involving 916 Keiran Brodie the only down side.