Smeatharpe Stadium - Sunday 31st December 2023

Banger Bonanza XI at Smeatharpe was a challenging day for all concerned.  Some drivers were hindered by an assortment of traffic problems, the weather ranged from high winds to heavy rain to blue skies, and low numbers led to delays between some races as teams manfully battled the elements to effect running repairs.  There was a late start to the Grand Parade, and a low take-up from drivers, but even so, 254 Brandon Blight (Micro) and 756 Troy Hooper (2 Litre) were rewarded with Best Presented trophies.

2 Litre National Bangers

Just a dozen drivers gridded for the opening 2 Litre race, which ran to Old Skool rules.  Track debutant 911 Toby Wilson fell by the wayside early on, whilst former gold top 743 Jake Bond swiftly hit the front and won comfortably from Hooper and 720 Kenny Gabriel Jnr.  Late arrival 59 Mike Hamley was an addition to the grid for the Winter Open Championship, and he assumed command from the start of the race.  200 Jai Simmons made an early exit and 166 Connor Charlton blasted 493 Mark Powell around the west bend plating.  Hamley was chased by 280 Harry Ricketts, but when he lost ground, it was Bond who attempted to wrestle the lead from Hamley.  However, Hamley resisted, and spun Bond inside out entering the pits bend.  As they were delayed, Gabriel Jnr took over the lead.  Bond recovered from his excursion to challenge Hamley once more, successfully moving past and back into second place.  As Bond hunted down Gabriel Jnr, Hamley proceeded to cruise in the wrong direction for nearly two laps but without any focused attack.  Bond was watchful, which was a distraction from closing on the leader, and by a slender margin, Gabriel Jnr held on to take the win, with Bond second and Hooper third.  Even though there was a sparse grid for the Allcomers, the action was plentiful, with Bond bungling his attempt at revenge on Hamley.  Instead, it was Hamley who smeared Bond around the pits bend plating.  Bond limped to the infield, and turned around on opposite, but as he began to move in the wrong direction, Hamley met him head-on, before 154 Joe Odhams ran his unusual Saab 9-5 estate into Hamley.  Gabriel Jnr then attacked Odhams, spinning him aside, before launching into Hamley on the next lap.  All the while, Hooper was a long way clear, and he took the chequered.  Gabriel Jnr was the only live car for the Destruction Derby, but Powell gallantly asked to be towed in front of the crowded spectators in the covered area, whereupon Gabriel brutally destroyed him with a trio of savage hits.

National Micro Bangers

The opening heat for the small cars included track debutant 110 Matt Irish in a Fiat Panda.  The race had only completed a couple of laps before red flags were called after 17 Bailey Bradshaw was run in by 2 Jack Hodges.  77 Aaron Charles led off the restarted race, but he ground to a temporary halt, leaving 154 Joe Odhams to take over.  Despite 186 Lewis Fasey closing in the latter stages, Odhams held on for the victory.  The action came thick and fast in heat two, as Bradshaw returned the favour to Hodges with a pits bend follow-in, and when 76 Matt Hodgkins clipped Hodges, he rolled onto his roof.  Only five cars made the restart, but an attempt by Hodges to bury 303 Josh Jones went awry.  Next time around Jones was able to blast Hodges, who was then thundered into by Charles.  A lap later, Charles did likewise to Jones, leaving Fasey to win from Odhams, the only other finisher.  Fasey was a convincing winner of the final, which included Hodgkins attacking 254 Brandon Blight, and Bradshaw’s attempt to dump Hodgkins.  The Destruction Derby produced a remarkable duel.  Blight gamely waited for Charles to blow him sky-high on the back straight, but that only served to leave the cars interlocked.  After a couple of laps trying to free from one another, Charles took the pair into the plating in the west bend, but lost power, and Blight was able to scramble free, before landing his own telling blow on Charles to take an improbable, but popular, win.

Back 2 Basics Bangers (Overs)

Even though there was a paucity of drivers in the Back 2 Basics Bangers, the car variety was impressive, as underlined by 333 Craig Partridge taking top honours in the opening race at the wheel of a PT Cruiser.  Heat two was led from the outset by 187 David Walters, but Partridge continued to move up the placings, until he caught Walters at the start of the last lap.  Partridge spun Walters aside to take his second win, and 746 Deejay Tyler inherited the runner-up place.  Partridge took the PT Cruiser to a third win in the final, spinning cars out as he went through, to lead home 80 Matt Nutley and Walters.  Five drivers contested the Destruction Derby, which had plenty of crashing.  Nutley was adjudged the winner, despite a spirited effort by 31 Nathan Nichols in a VW Beetle.