United Downs Raceway - Sunday 23rd June 2013

Report by Jon Wyatt

Dull, overcast and windy conditions greeted racegoers to United Downs for the annual F2 World Championship Qualifying Round. The racing was fast and furious all afternoon and not put off by the less-than-summery weather forecast there were a fair-few welcome visitors among the excellent 40 car entry - including current World Champion 1 Micky Brennan who had made the journey down from Lancashire. Absent though were local stars 167 Bill Batten, recovering from a serious accident at work, and 676 Neil Hooper, coming to terms with parting company with his appendics earlier in the week. Bill had sportingly loaned his once immaculate car to Saloon Stock World Champion Eddie Darby - who spent most of the meeting testing out how strong the car actually was by seemingly trying to destroy it at every opportunity...... Also on the packed programme were the Stock Rods, 2 litre National Bangers - also in a World Qualifier - and the entertaining youngsters in the Ministox.

BriSCA F2 Stock Cars

Heat 1 gave the St Day crowd their first glimpse of the beautiful No.1 car of World Champion Brennan but it was local talent that stole the honours in the shape of 797 'The Boy From Fowey' himself Dan Moss, a deserved winner after an excellent drive. Behind him though at the flag was a superb last corner dice, with the cars of 254 Richard Beere, fastest man in pre-race practise 522 Chris Mikulla and annual Northern visitor 270 Mark Gibbs crossing the finishing line with only hundredths of a second between them. World Champion Brennan managing a reasonable 5th. Heat 2 went the way of young Superstar 921 Jack Aldridge, who was in blistering form in this one. Also impressing greatly was 2nd place man 823 Sam Wagner, the visiting Middlesbrough driver finding the St Day track layout particularly to his liking, with 189 Paul Butcher snatching 3rd. Surprisingly local star man 605 Liam Rowe had failed to qualify for the final through his heat but he put that right by storming to victory in the consolation, 935 Nathan Maidment also hadn't had a lot of luck in his heat but a fine 2nd place saw him safely through to the feature race, with the ladies favourite 302 Dale Moon a worthy 3rd. The 'Neil Truran Motorsport' sponsored final was action packed from the off, 935 Maidment and 430 Simon Edwards tangled early which brought about a stoppage. Another race suspension came about after 22 Russ Aplin had spectacularly rolled after contact with Bolton schoolteacher 53 Phil Mann but after that the race was about one man, Leek visitor 270 Mark Gibbs, the 'B' grade driver making excellent use of his start from the yellows powering his way to victory in fine style, driving as if he was a regular at this most unusual track instead of just an annual visitor. 2nd place went to 605 Liam Rowe but even the St Day expert could do little to catch the flying 'Laughing Gnome' 270 Gibbs until the finish - though he did think about a spectacular last corner lunge at one point but probably sensibly backed off. 823 Sam Wagner impressed once again by taking 3rd, just in front of the 'blonde bombshell' that is 126 Jamie Avery. Newton Abbot based Avery then went on to take the Grand National from fellow Devon man 890 Paul Rice and the consistant 189 Paul Butcher - with deserved grade awards going the way of 686 Jay Scott, 270 Gibbs and 126 Avery.

Stock Rods

19 of the non-contact machines arrived at St Day, including veteran returnee entrepreneur 306 Neil Truran in his now rare RWD Toyota Starlet. Heat 1 went the way of 3 Matt Peters, though a race-long battle with 83 Adam Ignaczak and 441 Tom Major kept the crowd entertained - as did first-time racer 26 Alan Furse who managed to roll his Corsa after clipping a marker tyre on turn 2. The 'Four Cross Garage, Treluswell' sponsored final looked as if it was going to go the same way as heat 1 but 3 Peters crashed out whilst battling for the lead which left 83 Adam Ignaczak, who had been holding a watching brief in 3rd, way out in front after the dust had settled. The Camborne man recording his second final win at the Cornish track. 441 Major took his second runner-up position of the afternoon just ahead of local resident 151 Simon Vincent. 12 Kev Hockings finished a trying afternoon by taking the Grand National in his super-smart Corsa from 3 Peters, with 441 Major having to settle for 3rd this time around.

Ministox

The 12 usual suspects in this entertaining formula were joined by visitor 167 Tommy Aylward, and the Crowland youngster really made an impact on the afternoon by storming to victory in the opening heat in fine style. 987 Ethan Pope did his best to keep Cornish hopes alive by finishing an excellent 2nd, just ahead 977 Kieren Bradford - making it a yellow grade clean-sweep. 167 Aylward didn't have quite as much luck in heat 2 though, coming under attack on various fronts, even surviving an assault from 986 Sophie Fasey, the young lady with the 'no-holds-barred' style of driving now back from her lengthy suspension. It was local lad 951 Aiden Vincent who took a popular win in this one, with 987 Pope again in the runner-up position. The 'GT Stone and Son' final saw 167 Aylward giving as good as he got, entertaining the crowd as he traded blows with 986 Fasey - and indeed anyone else that got in his way. Just as a great race was shaping up the unfortunate 987 Ethan Pope had a coming together with the fence on the exit of turn 4 and then got hit hard in the side by the passing traffic which brought about an immediate race stoppage. The re-start was no less eventful and I have to admit that so engrossed was I in the action I failed to notice the chequered flag come down on winner 986 Sophie Fasey (!) so good was the action. The lively 167 Aylward took 2nd, rounding off an excellent day for himself - with points leader 907 Cameron Lawrence taking his best finish of the day in 3rd.

2 Litre National Bangers

A rather disappointing 10 cars arrived to battle for valuable World Championship points, and with the entry missing regular DWO team members 190 'Pikey', 341 'Jonesy' and 239 'Nemesis', who were on-duty elsewhere, it was down to sole team man (if you discount the various 'coat-hangers') 162 'Bad Boy' Brett Ellacott to entertain - and entertain he did, in heat 1 anyway. He certainly didn't have things all his own way though as first 642 Nigel Thomas, 114 Nick Courtier and the ever lively 648 Jamie Smith did their level best to spoil his day - before 114 retired and 642 Thomas got wiped out by the man himself and the ever-growing band of DWO wanabies, though not before a fair amount of damage was done to the 162 Cougar. It was the in-form 74 Adam 'Scratchy' Hitchcock who took the win from the ever-battling 47 Marcus A'Lee. Heat 2 was rather less exciting, though 99 David Spooner always looked menacing. Fine repair work from the Ellacott pit-crew saw the un-painted Cougar back out and it was the 'Bad Boy' that showed his undisputed class in this one by taking an easy win from shadow 452 Anthony Sleeman. The Tedburn man giving away his winner's trophy as usual to a very happy little boy. 162 Ellacott was again lively in the final, with the Mondeo of 642 Nigel Thomas taking further punishment - and 99 David Spooner still LOOKING menacing without actually BEING menacing........! 47 A'Lee was surprisingly allowed to be the first man across the line in this one, whilst behind him it was pretty much as-you-were with 152 Ellacott and 452 Sleeman the place-men. Not an epic encounter by any means but then World Qualifiers seldom are. Top marks to 47 A'Lee who also picked up a 'Smart Car' award for his efforts.