Report by Mark Paulson
Paul Horwood took a surprise victory in the Unlimited East Anglian Championship at King’s Lynn on Saturday night, 7 April. Driving a Toyota Supra built and prepared by the reigning champion, 133 Karly Day, the man racing on only a day license took advantage of his white grade start to drive a fast, controlled race and avoid any trouble on his way to the spoils.
The meeting saw over 50 unlimited bangers in action on the shale. There were a disappointing number of no-shows from the booking list, but many tracks would snap your arm off if offered a field of 50 unlimited bangers! It was more than enough to provide some decent action on track and some might argue that the meeting as a whole benefited from missing some of the star names who might have stolen the limelight. Instead we were treated to a good old fashioned meeting of proper banger racing.
Amongst those who failed to show were the whole of Team Black and the Mad Hatters but a quick re-jig of the programme ensured that they were not missed. A white and yellow grade race kicked things off for the bangers and saw 35 cars on track. 639 Paul Vines and 273 Kevin “Mad Mouse” McClagish had the two biggest cars on track – a pair of American limousines – and both got stuck in. McClagish delivered a bit hit to the Granny of 65 Shaun Randell – making a fairly rare track appearance – and the race was called early after Vines was in trouble. Double British Under-25 champion 830 Lee White took the flag in his Volvo estate, ahead of 401 Steve “Psycho” Hemmings and 426 Paul Horwood. 837 Martin Wesby scooped the entertainers award.
The second race was for the East Anglian Championship and was all-in. A big pile-up, mostly based around McClagish’s limo, developed on the road bend. 266 Callum Hall and the Predators all piled in, with the biggest hit being 776 Ady Groom’s t-bone which saw him go almost right through the limo! It took some time to remove the deeply embedded car after the race. One of the stars of the show was 141 Dan Steele in his beautiful old Jaguar 420G. Whilst clearly not one of the easiest beasts to handle, his car control looked sublime and he wasn’t afraid to get stuck in either.
Horwood raced to the championship win and was fulsome in his praise to Day afterwards, claiming he couldn’t have done it without him. 730 Deane Mayes battled his way through to second, demonstrating how to really race a banger, removing things in his way without having to deliver any massive hits. 372 Martin Scully completed the top three, and last year’s winner Day didn’t go away empty handed – he took the entertainers award.
There were two allcomers races to follow, each having fields around the mid-20s mark. Mayes continued his good form by taking the first, giving him a good points haul from the meeting. 22 Dave Vincent was second which allowed him to take advantage of the non-appearance of 390 David Gibson and make inroads into his track championship lead. Third was veteran 160 Shayn Winsor, powersliding round the bends with aplomb. 148 Ian “Shorty” Redden did likewise to win the second allcomers, looking stylish and fast, ahead of 433 Ben Smith (who missed the championship race) and Wesby. Special mention to 27 Will Longford sustained some hefty damage and did well to keep pulling the car out, whilst Steele’s old Jag was really set about by the Predators and 247 Lee Clarke, but it kept circulating too. Clarke picked up the entertainers award for the first allcomers but none was awarded in the second.
Mayes put in a few demo laps with his intended steed for the Easter Monday SUV meeting and very impressive it looked too. Around 15 of those on track will certainly provide some entertainment. A destruction derby then finished things off, with a creditable double-figure entry – and there was no hiding on the centre as all got stuck in from the off to complete an entertaining night.
The national saloon stocks and Brisca F2’s were also on Saturday night’s bill. The former’s programme included a race for the British 25-and-under Championship, won last year by 219 Luke Grief. A massive gathering of almost 50 cars were in the pits to continue the run of huge turnouts at Lynn this year. The title race went the way of 428 Lee Sampson who has had a fantastic start to the season at the Norfolk Arena. He won this one by nearly half a lap after most of the rest of the field got involved in one incident or another. 21 cars took the start but there was an early yellow for the spun 351 Lewis Byron, the newcomer left facing the oncoming traffic. On the restart, the more experienced drivers were headed by 570 Simon Venni in fourth, followed by the two Sampsons, 184 Marty Colliver, Grief and 616 Billy Smith. Lee Sampson soon hit the front though as Grief was spun by Smith. Amazingly though, with so many other incidents, Grief recovered to come second, with third spot taken by Venni after 131 Tommy Barnes, who had occupied the place, spun on the last bend.
All this was after a 19-car white and yellow grade race, comfortably won by 130 Joe Gladden, certainly a star of tomorrow. 728 Kris Woods battled through to steal second on the line from 538 Jake Swann, another newcomer really starting to make a name for himself this season.
The title race had doubled up as heat one for the saloons which were split into two-thirds heats. The second heat proper saw 36 cars on track and was cut short by a lap after concern for 77 Glen Heeps, the Scotsman having taken some big damage. Swann held on to his first win ahead of 499 David Aldous who had come all the way through from the back and veteran Scotsman 71 Gordon Alexander putting in a good stint on the loose surface. The 31-car third heat provided a cracking race after an early stoppage. A chaotic start, which appeared to be caused by a slow rolling lap from the white-graders, led to carnage a stoppage to help 96 William Mitchell who was in trouble by the pit gate. On the restart 131 Tommy Barnes again made a mockery of his yellow grade by hitting the front early on and roaring to a relatively untroubled win. But behind him there was action aplenty, encapsulated by the battling Sampson brothers. They raced hard but fair, with 428 Lee grabbing second spot from brother 149 Jamie. Behind them, Aldous again made good progress to take fourth.
Thirty saloons survived the destructive heats to take their places in the final where the Sampsons again put on a masterclass of fantastic racing. They raced hard but fair throughout, and this time it was Jamie who pushed aside Lee on the final bend to take the win. Heavy contact was being made throughout the field as the saloons really showed us what they’re all about. Woods came through for third ahead of Gladden who took the award for best white-grader of the day. Back in seventh was Smith, his first placing at the Norfolk Arena in his debut season in the formula.
Due to the massive bookings in the other formulas, the F2s had a restricted entry of just under 30 cars but they still served up some superb racing. 886 Chris Bradbury has been on unbelievable form at King’s Lynn so far this season and he again showed he was the man to beat, coming through from the back to take the first heat. That after 732 Daz Kitson added himself to the list of rollers at the track this season after he rode over the front of the 606 Andrew Palmer car. Yellow-grader 291 Craig Tomblin had led much of the way, eventually finishing third after 710 Brett Townsend found a way through on the last bend.
The F2s’ second heat had an early yellow after a pile-up on the road bend. On the restart, 630 Justin Fisher went up the fence onto his side but bounced back onto his wheels, allowing him to recover to safety without the need for another suspension. 77 John Davies again showed he is currently seriously under-graded by racing to a sublime victory from superstar 186 George Turiccki and star 38 Dave Polley.
Bradbury had pulled off in the second heat but normal service was resumed in the final as he picked almost everyone off one-by-one with relative ease. He couldn’t catch H305 Ron van Wamelen though who showed a good turn of pace to walk away with a relatively easy win. Bradbury was second but it almost went wrong for him on the penultimate lap when he was clipped by a white-grader who was pulling off, leaving his rear wheel decidedly wobbly and Bradbury apparently brakeless! He just held on to the place ahead of 597 Barry Clow, Turiccki and Polley.
All in all, another great night’s entertainment from the bangers and both stock car formulas at Britain’s premier short oval track.