United Downs Raceway - Sunday 5th May 2024

The season’s best crowd today packed into the United Downs Raceway, where racegoers heaped praise on the raft of improvements carried out since the last meeting.  The day, however, belonged to Archie Brown, as he claimed his first Saloon Stock Car title with a dominant display.

Saloon Stock Cars

With a disappointing array of late cancellations, the number of Saloon Stock Cars fell to 22, and after consultation with drivers, the format deployed offered two graded heats for drivers to score points towards their grid position for the title race.  759 Taylor Whitford led the early stages of heat one, until 382 Corey Hunt overhauled him.  A spin for 314 Bryn Finch in turn four left him in the firing line of the pack, and he was inadvertently clobbered by defending English Champion 349 Michael Allard.  As Whitford dropped down the order, he was spun into the infield tyres on the home straight.  The race was then suspended when 25 Michael Hibberd cruised to a halt on the back straight and needed assistance from his car.  When the race resumed, 720 Archie Brown leapt from third and into the lead, and he won from 577 Harry Darby and 902 Junior Buster.  Heat two had barely begun, when 329 Kegan Sampson edged 760 Joey Reynolds wide in turn two, which left Reynolds on his side.  The race was stopped, and a complete re-run called, with Reynolds excluded as the cause of the stoppage.  Hunt relieved Whitford of the lead, and set about building an advantage for himself.  Sampson and 111 Thomas Ruby tangled on the exit of turn four and bundled into the marker tyres.  Hunt continued to lead and took the chequered, with 677 Warren Darby’s late run earning him the runner-up place.  Hunt and Harry Darby shared the front row for the English Championship, but had contrasting fortunes at the start.  Hunt charged clear, whilst Darby had a difficult time in the pits bend.  From the third row on the grid, 238 Alfie Aldous made his way into second, pursuing Hunt, but behind him, Brown got the better of outgoing Champion Allard, and began to close on the lead pair.  Brown got past Aldous before Aldous could mount any challenge on Hunt.  The momentum of Brown saw him close the gap to Hunt, and he swept past him to almost effortlessly take the lead.  As the remaining laps ticked by, Brown extended his lead, and Aldous grabbed second.  The chequered fell on Brown, as he emulated his father, Shane Brown, who had won the title at St Day twelve years earlier.  Brown reflected afterwards, “I got a good start and speed got me to the front.”  With Aldous and Hunt in second and third respectively, the race produced an all-teenage top three.  Reynolds bounced back to win the Allcomers race, which began in slippery conditions with a smattering of rain in the air.

BriSCA F2 Stock Cars

A fine showing of 34 BriSCA F2 Stock Cars led to a full format meeting.  The opening heat began with 510 Matt Stone taking the lead.  315 Charlie Fisher edged past and was ahead at the point it was suspended after 385 Kieran Cocks had spun backwards into the turnstile bend fence.  Fisher coolly took control when the race resumed, and took his first win of the season, as he led home 27 Kieren Bradford.  Heat two had 663 Bryan Lindsay and 235 Alfie Brimble out front, with Brimble defending the lead from 468 Sam Weston for a number of laps.  890 Paul Rice caught the lead bunch and moved into the lead.  Behind them, 895 Ben Goddard and Brimble tangled, which left Brimble without any steering, and he remained parked up on the exit of turn four.  Rice won convincingly, and 325 Ryan Sheahan finished as the runner-up.  In the consolation, Brimble, who had repaired his car, led early, whilst 109 Tristan Smith spun in turn two which delayed the star grade.  127 Matt Stoneman again had intermittent power issues, which denied him the chance to advance to the final.  Goddard made his way to the front and as Brimble drifted back down the order, 259 Daz Purdy spun him on the back straight, and 572 James Lindsay also spun Smith.  Goddard saw out the rest of the race and won from 141 Harry Neath-Rogers.  The Snell Family Trophy final began disastrously for defending trophy holder 325 Ryan Sheahan, who was spun around unceremoniously on the start-finish line, and collected by the oncoming pack, before coming to rest on the infield.  Bryan Lindsay made the early running, but 468 Sam Weston took over ahead of the halfway stage.  Weston was some way clear and even though 828 Julian Coombes closed on him in the latter stages, the win was barely in doubt.  24 Jon Palmer was the first of the star grade, and he took third.  Rice notched a second win, as he claimed the Grand National, with second for Stoneman finally bringing him some reward at the end of a trying afternoon.

2 Litre National Bangers

The first heat began with 186 Lewis Fasey, 59 Mike Hamley and 266 Scott Gillbard all tangling on the exit of turn four.  842 Jack Perkins fired into Gillbard, landing the first blow of the race.  166 Luke Gillbard led the race until the midway point, when 278 Shaun Brokenshire took over.  With the race seemingly in the bag, Brokenshire lost power, which opened the door for 648 Jamie Smith to take over and he went on to win from 662 Jared Roe.  Heat two began with 841 Tom Perkins making the most of his first outing of the afternoon, as he dumped 966 Chris Gillbard in the turnstile bend fence.  315 Karl Sandercock cruised to a halt on the back straight and he was blown sky high by Brokenshire.  Sandercock was shaken up and needed assistance from his car, and for the restarted race, Fasey claimed a comfortable win from Roe and early race leader Jack Perkins.  The final was full of brutal action, most of it centred on Roe, who was attacked by 53 Chris James and 959 Justin Payne, before being rolled over by 966 Chris Gillbard on the back straight in a sequence of hits.  Such was the savage action, that just six cars made the restarted race.  Fasey spun aside early leader 280 Harry Ricketts, and was untroubled on his way to victory.  166 Luke Gillbard was second, with Hamley third, after he had brilliantly stormed into 189 Ry Beardwell.  Tom Perkins was the last of just four finishers, and Jack Perkins blasted Chris Gillbard late on.  Luke Gillbard, 11 Grubby Frankson and Brokenshire contested the Destruction Derby, with Brokenshire coming out on top after another lively, hard-hitting display that saw his rivals’ cars smashed into submission.