United Downs Raceway - Sunday 18th June 2023

The United Downs Raceway celebrated the largest car count of BriSCA F2 Stock Cars since the 2019 World Semi Finals, as a bumper entry contested this year’s World qualifying round, with many racegoers having navigated the A30 roadworks diversions to get to the circuit.

BriSCA F2 Stock Cars

A top notch entry of 41 drivers contested a full format meeting, in which 980 Charlie Lobb and 468 Sam Weston stole the show.  The pre-meeting Grand Parade saw all drivers presented with a mug and a t-shirt courtesy of Entyre Supplies, the day’s sponsors.  Amidst some lively exchanges in the opening heat, last year’s World qualifying round winner 890 Paul Rice was bounced off the turnstile end plating, and 728 Jack Bunter retired with a puncture.  Weston burst forth from the pack to hunt down 777 John Vickery, although must of the attention centred on a thrilling battle involving 24 Jon Palmer, racing his new car for the first time and Cornish pair 302 Dale Moon and 460 Adam Pearce.  Weston took the chequered, from 184 Aaron Vaight, and Moon came out on top lower down the order, in fifth.  Heat two had an aborted start, and the second attempt was wayward and chaotic, with the blue grade particularly untidy.  White graders 663 Bryan Lindsay and 121 Vinnie Neath-Rogers set a good pace at the front and did well to hold on to third and sixth respectively in the final result.  Overall, the race was fairly uneventful, as Lobb headed home 315 Charlie Fisher.  The consolation exploded into a series of quickfire incidents, triggered when 705 Martin Smith came to a halt on the exit of turn four.  Bunter was left with nowhere to go, and then Rice and 454 Ryan Gardiner tangled on the home straight, being collected by 540 Dayne Pritlove as they bounced across the traffic.  Yellow flags were called, with Vickery the race leader.  776 Dan Roots made short work of the restart, as he went on to win from 606 Andrew Palmer.  The sight of all 30 qualifiers charging around the track made for compelling viewing in the meeting final.  Neath-Rogers settled into the lead, whilst ex-World Champion 783 James Rygor was an early casualty with a puncture.  The complexion of the race was to change on lap eight.  828 Julian Coombes was sent spinning on the back straight and he clipped Neath-Rogers, shearing a wheel from the 121 car.  The race was suspended, with Lobb and Weston having inherited first and second when Neath-Rogers crashed out.  The race resumed, and Lobb edged clear of Weston, but the gap between them was to ebb and flow in the second half of the race.  Heading into the last lap, Lobb looked to be out of range, but Weston tried an audacious move to pot backmarker 895 Ben Goddard into Lobb on the final bend.  Nothing came of the attempt, and Lobb claimed his second St Day final win in ten months, to post a maximum World points score into the bargain.  Weston was second, ahead of 560 Luke Wrench and 578 Mark Gibbs.  As the cars rolled into victory lane, the heavens opened, which led to a soaking wet trophy presentation ceremony.  The track was still damp in places for the Grand National, and Gardiner adapted well to extend a lengthy lead at the front.  However, as the track dried, that played into the hands of Weston, who executed a text book last bend move to shift Gardiner and steal the win on the way to the line.

Saloon Stock Cars

The entry of Saloon Stock Cars amounted to a baker’s dozen, boosted by the welcome return of entertainer 111 Thomas Ruby.  With no yellow graders, there was a sizeable gap behind the trio of white tops and in the first heat, they enjoyed a battle amongst themselves before the blues and reds joined them.  It did not take long for Ruby to reacquaint himself with the fence, whilst track debutant 114 Shane Rawlins spun on more than one occasion.  Out front, 314 Bryn Finch established a healthy lead, and even though 902 Junior Buster loomed large in his mirrors, Finch held on for a first ever win, which he celebrated with wild air punches as he crossed the line.  If the white graders made the most of the big gap in heat one, they threw that away in heat two, by dawdling on the rolling lap.  In contrast, the red tops were raring to go, especially Junior Buster, who leapt the kerb on the infield by the pit gate, as the green flag flew.  From that flying start, Buster was able to mount a challenge through the blue grade to reel in the white tops at the front.  677 Warren Darby sent 720 Archie Brown spinning, but it was Junior Buster who stamped his authority on the race to take top honours.  The track was soaking wet for the final, which appeared to be very much to the liking of 112 Rich James.  He hit the front and was there for many laps.  672 Simon Paris led the pursuit, but only narrowed the gap sufficiently in the closing stages.  By that time, Brown had joined them, and when the lead trio encountered backmarkers, Brown grabbed the lead, leaving Paris and James to snag together in turn two.  Darby and Buster inherited second and third, but Brown was a convincing winner.  In typical fashion, the Saloon Stock Cars saved the best until last, as the Allcomers produced an absolutely stunning climax.  Brown led into the final lap, chased by Buster, who looked to be a little too far away from any last bend heroics.  How wrong that proved to be.  Buster flew into the last bend, in a desperate attempt to connect Brown.  He did so, almost at the last possible moment.  Brown spun, but Buster’s momentum saw him run into him.  As they two tried to untangle, 760 Joey Reynolds nipped past them both to steal the most unlikely of wins.  Buster edged clear to take second, and Brown secured third by crossing the line in reverse.

Bangers

The first act for the Bangers was to conclude the Taiya Densham Shield race, held over from Easter.  23 Barry Staples swiftly moved from third into the lead, and once ahead there was only going to be one winner.  Staples even had time to rid 919 Oscar Berry and the troublesome 823 Tyler Phillips from his path as he came to lap them.  621 Scott Kendall was the runner-up and 422 Tristan Beresford inherited third when 206 Matt Brewer was disqualified for a minor tyre profile infringement.  The first heat of the meeting saw 662 Jared Roe take an early lead.  He was still there when the lap boards appeared, but backmarker Phillips removed him in the turnstile bend with less than three laps remaining.  That left 233 Liam Parkin as the leader, but with 2 Harrison Staples hot on his heels, he lost out on the last lap, leaving Staples to win just ahead of 270 Oli Knight.  Roe was not to be denied in heat two, as he swept to a flag-to-flag victory.  However, that was a sideshow to the heavy crashing involving 768 Tyler Cock, 817 Michael Phillips, Tyler Phillips and 354 Simon Phillips – the latter pair in their Picassos being parked in the fence together by the end of the race.  In the final, Barry Staples relieved Beresford of first place in the final third, and he led home Brewer and Harrison Staples.