Smeatharpe Stadium - Monday 19th June 2023

Smeatharpe Stadium’s annual BriSCA F2 World Championship qualifying round attracted a large entry of cars on a hot summer’s night. Saloon Stock Cars also produced terrific action at their 2023 World Championship venue, with Back 2 Basics Bangers adding further fun to the evening’s entertainment.

BriSCA F2 Stock Cars

An excellent turnout of 48 cars (of which one didn’t race) were split into three qualifying heats, as 468 Sam Weston continued his fine form from the previous day’s event at the United Downs Raceway in St Day. Weston, chased by St Day final winner 980 Charlie Lobb, scythed through to second behind 578 Mark Gibbs before half-distance in heat one, then passed him for the lead with several laps remaining. Yellow-top Gibbs kept up his pace though, and 24 Jon Palmer, who had nudged Lobb wide for third, was unable to challenge him. A last-bend lunge from 560 Luke Wrench shifted both Lobb and 390 Jessica Smith to secure himself fourth position. Former Rebels racer 461 Tom Davison maintained his excellent start to life in BriSCA F2 by leading the majority of heat two. He was eventually nudged wide by 844 Jack Prosser with just two laps remaining. Davison tried to retaliate on the final bend but ran himself wide, allowing 127 Matt Stoneman to snatch second. 890 Paul Rice was fourth after his early push had delayed many of the star men and given the lower-graders a break. Heat three was suspended when F2 track debutant 926 Josh Wilson went into the wall hard in the west bend. 777 John Vickery continued to lead the resumption and, chased by 525 Charlie Knight, the pair built a gap to the rest. They were headed by a terrific battle between 992 Harley Burns and 618 Ben Lockwood, who traded places on almost every corner. Knight got the better of Vickery, sending him into a spin in the pits bend. Vickery tumbled down the order, whilst Knight took a comfortable victory from 776 Dan Roots who took advantage of the Burns/Lockwood scrap. The 22-car consolation produced action aplenty, requiring three stoppages – two of which involved Scottish visitors 975 Graeme Leckie and 191 Colin Stewart. The first came when 454 Ryan Gardiner, Leckie and 460 Adam Pearce ended in the wall after running out of room as they charged three-wide down the home straight. A back-straight spin for 73 Jon Hodgson brought about the second, and the third arose from 705 Martin Smith seemingly mistaking Stewart’s spun car as a launch ramp. A bump from 762 Mike Cocks inadvertently sent Smith even higher up on to Stewart’s roof. Vickery led until the third caution, after which 783 James Rygor usurped him, followed by 184 Aaron Vaight. 828 Julian Coombes shoved 931 Rebecca Smith wide for third.  All but one (222 Adrian Watts) of the 32 qualifiers took their place in the final, sponsored by A1 Windows & Doors. A good start from 605 Richard Andrews allowed him to cut inside Davison for the lead, while the chances of Knight, Pearce and Coombes were hit by the trio tangling. Gibbs shoved Davison wide for second, with Weston again flying as he followed into third with less than a quarter of the race run. Andrews held a healthy margin at half-distance but was facing a tough time through backmarkers and they were to be his undoing in the pits bend. As Andrews was delayed, he was reeled in and passed by Weston. Faced with a similar problem, Weston dealt very well with the traffic, and then found himself with an almost clear road for the last couple of laps. The local racer wasn’t going to be stopped from there and he took a commanding win before celebrating with a series of ‘donuts’ at both ends of the track. Gibbs held on to a strong second ahead of leading star 915 Jamie Jones and a charging Wrench. Burns was fifth, ahead of Vaight, 606 Andrew Palmer, Prosser and Jon Palmer as Jessica Smith lost out in the last-bend sort-out. A fantastic 37 cars returned for the Grand National and put on a terrific race without requiring any caution periods. Vickery led the way, and was disputing the lead with Andrews and 475 Leah Sealy when all three piled into the infield marker tyres mid-race. That let Davison ahead, but Rice and Jon Palmer, making good use of the bumper, were charging through. Rice successfully made his move for the lead and just held off Palmer who got inside Davison on the final bend. From the lap handicap, Weston’s race was cut short early on with a spin in the pits bend.

Saloon Stock Cars

A 19-car field of Saloons was a strong showing for a Monday night meeting, and more than enough to thrill with their typically full-bore racing. 112 Rich James and 444 Kieran Bellringer traded the early lead of heat one before 28 Ian Govier moved ahead. But 227 Jon Kingwell was hunting Govier down and got him entering the final lap. Govier then spun, allowing 902 Junior Buster into second. The one-time National champion lunged at Kingwell through the last bend and edged it on the line by just 0.04 seconds. There was plenty of hard hitting in heat two in which began with 277 Jack Grandon charging 760 Joey Reynolds into the pit bend plating. Bellringer led the first half of the race before brief spells in front for Govier and 799 Joe Powell, in his new Volvo-bodied car. Govier then punted 199 Phil Powell into his son, which delayed both members of the Powell family. However, Govier is a marked man for the Kingwell brothers. In a tangle in the west bend 27 Jason Kingwell fired him into the wall, after which Jon Kingwell rejoined the race from the infield, and drove headlong at Govier’s parked car. Amid the chaos, 677 Warren Darby inherited what was to be a healthy lead over his brother 577 Harry Darby. They completed a 1-2 despite Harry having to deal with the attentions of a lap-down 261 Dom Davies. In the final, Govier again led but this time it was the backmarking Phil Powell’s turn to dish out the big hit on his fellow Somerset resident, as payback for the previous race. That gave Powell’s son Joe the lead and he pulled clear of a multi-car battle for second. East Anglian visitor 161 Billy Smith got the better of 114 Shane Rawlins, Jason Kingwell and Junior Buster to make the place his own. Powell won from Smith, while Kingwell’s last-bend attack on Junior Buster only succeeded in allowing long-distance traveller 760 Joey Reynolds to spin him from fourth. Down to 14 cars, the Allcomers was a quieter race by the night’s standards. Again Bellringer led plenty of laps but again he was caught and pushed down the order. Joe Powell briefly took up the running before Reynolds pushed him into a backmarker and took the lead himself. In a fitting end to three days’ racing stretching from Scotland to Cornwall, Reynolds took the victory ahead of Junior Buster and 720 Archie Brown.

Back 2 Basics Bangers

A 17-car turnout of smaller Back 2 Basics Bangers was full of variety, with the racing emphasis on fun and frolics. 756 Troy Hooper and 200 Jai Simmons were well clear in heat one before Hooper was wiped out. Despite his Vauxhall Astra smoking heavily, Simmons went on to win from 404 Sam Dace and 662 Jared Roe. 617 Reece Rixon held a decent lead in heat two, but he was caught and passed by the Peugeot 306 estate of 954 Jamie Beere. As Rixon dropped back further he was taken out by Simmons reversing across the track. Hence, 211 Adrian Coles came through to second, ahead of Roe. In a slightly chaotic start to the final, 459 Mitchell Brooks and 333 Craig Partridge traded blows and the race lead. Brooks edged clear in his Astra but couldn’t fully shake off Partridge. In a spectacular finish, Partridge’s last-bend lunge unsettled the leader enough for him to get alongside, and Dace made it three abreast as they charged towards the line. Dace got the nod by the narrowest of margins. A typically no-nonsense Destruction Derby was full of action, with Hooper landing the last telling blow on 394 Ben Myers.