Smeatharpe Stadium - Sunday 28th November 2021

The closing fixture of the season at Smeatharpe Stadium, was contested in dry but chilly conditions.

Stock Rods

Another decent showing of Stock Rods saw 22 drivers in attendance, and 16 of them gridded for the Grand National Championship.  As had been expected in the build up to the meeting, 944 Callum Hosie turned his pole position start into a healthy lead.  Lady racers 204 Georgie Polley and 227 Jody Hawkins had a less than fortuitous start, with Polley spinning after a tangle with 762 Charlie Edwards which then blocked the route around the wide outside for Hawkins.  As the race progressed, Hosie edged further clear, but then came a race suspension when 862 Darryl Cock lost a wheel.  That brought 14 Ross Montgomery and 728 Kris Woods back into contention with race leader Hosie, but once the green flag was shown again, the Cornish star pulled away from those in pursuit.  Hosie duly sealed a routine victory from Montgomery, whilst a strong late run by 909 Justin Washer saw him cross the line in third, only for a two place docking for contact to be imposed, which elevated Woods into the other rostrum place.  Heat two included debut appearances for 31 Adam McAleer and 898 Jack Semmonds, whilst 913 Ashley Bates took his newly acquired car into a noteworthy lead.  At the wheel of Bates’s former Tigra, Semmonds kept up his pursuit, and eventually made a clean outside pass stick, to win in his first Stock Rod race.  In heat three, Semmonds won again, having executed another clean pass around the outside this time after 841 Dave Hosking had led much of the way.   Bates was not to be caught in the meeting final, though, as his cause was aided by the failure of the rest to find a way past 231 Simon Bassett.  Washer so nearly did, as he charged relentlessly around the outside line, moving from seventh to third at one point, before Semmonds ran him out of room on the last lap, which earned Semmonds a two place docking.  It took three attempts to star the Allcomers race, and when it did eventually get going, 441 Tom Major wreaked havoc which resulted in his disqualification.  In particular, Major punted Washer into Polley, which sent her across the front of innocent bystander Montgomery, who inadvertently spun her into the fence in the west bend.  Hosking kept clear at the front to secure an emphatic win, and he stopped off from his lap of honour to propose to his girlfriend, and when she accepted, that gave cause for a double celebration.

Bangers

The opening race for the Bangers saw 21 drivers grid for the Last Chance Qualifier, with six to progress through to the Supreme Championship.  374 Rich Kelly burst into an early lead, whilst 31 Liam Shipway established himself in a clear second place, and that is effectively how it stayed with 842 Jack Perkins making strong progress from his lowly starting place, to finish third.  With those who progressed from the Last Chance race gridding at the back of the Supreme line-up, it was a packed circuit for the feature race.  Front row starters 2 Harrison Staples and 23 Barry Staples led the fraught early stages, but 929 Sam Baker sat menacingly in third.  Baker got past Staples senior, and then began to nudge Staples junior, before taking over at the front.  Harrison Staples responded, however, as he bundled Baker into backmarker 113 Jack Gill.  As Gill half spun, Baker was delayed, and Staples was able to continue hounding Baker, spinning him to the infield on the home straight, whilst the sheer weight of numbers behind 621 Scott Kendall spun him out of third.  Thus, Harrison Staples was back in front, Barry Staples regained second place and defending Supreme Champion 1 Luke Thomas climbed to third.  However, backmarker 114 Luke Niles had other ideas, and spun Thomas around on the back straight, which brought former Supreme Champion 246 Ryan Sparks into contention in third, closely followed by 296 Phil Chapman and 196 Craig Cornelius.  The lead changed hands again at the two-thirds point of the race, as Barry Staples relieved his son of first place, but back came the young charger once more to lead the race into the closing quarter.  Cornelius had then climbed to third with 113 Chris Jeanes moving into fourth as the lap boards appeared, but an outbreak of crashing in the pits bend saw 303 Josh Jones steam into the stationary Niles.  With three to run, Staples and Staples looked to be clear out front, but Jeanes was reeling them both in, and as the top three started the last lap, Jeanes improbably grabbed the lead.  Yet, the final twist to the plot was still to come, as Harrison Staples launched himself at Jeanes on the last bend.  Jeanes went wide and into backmarker 60 Andy Bulled, which opened the door for Harrison and Barry Staples to claim first and second by the narrowest of margins from Jeanes in a true grandstand finish.  The consolation race was led off by 89 James Tuohey, but he was challenged by 18 Steve Soper.  In turn though, they were usurped by 595 Ben Wall, who took the win.  729 Jez Hooper ran strongly in the final, leading all the way to the lap boards, with 18 Corey Karkeek and 633 Nathan Ferrett giving chase.  However, 836 Adam Oldham had made good progress, and he took over the lead with four laps remaining, going on to win from Jeanes and 991 Ben Hale.  As the race drew to a close, 138 Dan Rice needlessly ran in Gill.  The Allcomers race brought a win for Barry Staples, after another long spell at the front for Tuohey.  Just three cars made it out for the Destruction Derby, and after Gill and 187 Dave Walters had met in a monster head-on, Gill managed to reverse off and blitz the 727 Jack Goldsworthy car which had stalled when the event began, clinching a short-lived victory.