United Downs Raceway - Sunday 19th November 2023

With the exception of a couple of sporadic showers, racegoers enjoyed a dry afternoon at the United Downs Raceway for a triple bill of action from the Bangers.

2 Litre Bangers

An impressive showing of 2 Litre Bangers produced plenty of action, beginning with a Last Chance Qualifier for the Supreme Championship.  Track debutant 814 Arron Lloyd was the early pacesetter, until 743 Jake Bond spun him aside on the back straight to take up the running.  95 Wilf Cole also went spinning, and then tangled with 726 Lewis Senford.  Bond charged on out front and won convincingly, with 266 Scott Gillbard finishing as runner-up.  Ten cars went the distance, and each were rewarded with a place in the Supreme title race.  Just shy of 30 cars gridded for the main event with 83 Ben Styles and 280 Harry Ricketts on the front row.  Styles had been a late arrival at the meeting, having realised part-way into his journey that he had forgotten his crash helmet.  That had little effect on his performance, however, as Styles produced a thoroughly dominant display to take the Supreme title.  Styles, Ricketts, 786 Grant Harris and 662 Jared Roe shot clear at the start of the race, whilst there was drama mid-pack when 868 Stuart Parish spun, which delayed Gillbard, 458 Layton Quinn, 298 Dave Greening and 410 Dan Galley.  Before the midway point, Ricketts fell out of contention when he tangled with 422 Tristan Beresford, and that left the focus of the race on Harris and Roe as they contested second place.  Swiftly moving through the order, Bond joined Harris and Roe, but all the while Styles was cruising ever further into the distance.  Styles had two moments of concern; the first when backmarkers spun directly in front of him, and secondly when 53 Chris James latched on to him on the very last lap.  However, Styles was untroubled, and he took the chequered, with Bond eventually claiming a distant second, ahead of Roe who was third.  Bond’s successful day continued as he swept to victory in the first of two Old Skool Allcomers races.  Ricketts was comfortable in second place.  At the start of the second Allcomers race, 710 Ryan Sowden despatched Cole into 714 Paul Smaldon, with the former coming off worse as he clobbered the plating in turn one.  956 Harry Thompson led beyond halfway, but when 813 Steve Quickfall ground to a halt in turn two, it made that end of the circuit tricky to navigate.  Roe got ahead for a couple of laps, before Thompson responded, to retake the lead, and he won ahead of 648 Jamie Smith.  Although only six cars gridded, the National Bangers Allcomers was full of action.  Sowden ploughed into 756 Troy Hooper, and when the pair met head-on in turn four, James blasted Sowden and Ricketts rattled into James.  The Sowden-Hooper exchanged continued again, some laps later, and James also stormed into Sowden.  Smith took the win, with 59 Mike Hamley in second the only other driver to complete the distance

Old Skool unlimited cc Bangers

Amongst the entry of big cars was late booking 120 Mark Ashley with his E-type Jaguar.  Front row starters 59 Mike Hamley and 186 Lewis Fasey disputed the lead in the opening heat, until Fasey edged clear, chased by 362 Johnny James.  11 Grubby Frankson spun a number of times, which regularly caused mayhem for the oncoming traffic.  382 Danny Hunt worked his way up the order, but could only climb as high as third, with Fasey and James the top two by quite a distance.  Heat two began with 92 Liam Bartlett (in brother Sam’s car), vying for the lead with James.  In a family one-two, 262 Buddy James joined Johnny at the front, but both were usurped by Hunt, and late on Fasey wrestled his way into second place.  Stalwart racers 114 Nick Courtier and Ashley were strongly involved in the early exchanges of the final, with Ashley eventually securing the lead for himself.  However, Fasey found a way past to take command, and he went on to win from 90 Mark Bartlett and Hunt.  Just four drivers contested the Allcomers, as Fasey recorded an emphatic third victory of the afternoon.  Mark Bartlett spun out on the last lap, which dropped him from second to fourth, as Johnny James and Buddy James followed home the fast-paced Fasey

Back 2 Basics Bangers

The inclusion of bright, dayglow orange Smart cars for 149 Dan Curtis and 415 Sean Gillett made for quite a talking point in the Back 2 Basics Bangers.  195 Lee Gregory built up a huge lead in the first heat, only for 890 Leszek Malinowski to reel him in right at the end, and during those hectic late stages, debutant 166 Callum Pritchard managed to bounce himself off the turnstile bend plating, unaided.  There was an interesting twist to heat two.  After 988 Ryan Thomas had made the initial running, he was overhauled by 184 Brad Eddy.  However, a skirmish in turns one and two involving Curtis in one of the Smart cars hindered Eddy, and Thomas took advantage to regain the lead.  However, in the latter stages, Thomas spun, and Eddy grabbed the lead once more, holding off a spirited late charge from Malinowski to seal the win.  The roles were reversed in the final, with Eddy challenging Malinowski for the lead in the closing stages, but he could not dislodge him from first place.  459 Mitchell Brooks completed the top three.  Seven drivers gallantly competed in the end of day Destruction Derby.  Malinowski and 23 Harvey Baker met in a stonking head-on in turn one, and 165 Graham Middlewood buried 394 Ben Myers.  Thomas scored on Middlewood, as 56 Michael Collacott spun Curtis, who then ran headlong into Thomas.  Middlewood outlasted the rest, and finished off a comprehensive win by blitzing both Thomas and Baker to bring a fine event to a close.