Report by Mark Paulson
The weather did its best to spoil things yet again at the Norfolk Arena on Sunday afternoon, 3 June but the resolve of the drivers meant we saw a very entertaining meeting nonetheless. National Saloon Stock Cars and Brisca Formula Two Stock Cars were joined on the bill by the domestic 1500 Bangers racing in their annual East Anglian team championship, and all three formulas provided plenty of action and good racing despite the almost incessant rain and difficult track conditions.
There were around 30 saloon stox in the pits after a few no-shows, probably due to the poor forecast. One or two of those who were present also chose not to race, as was also the case with the F2s for which we had around 40 cars present. The saloons began proceedings with their customary race for white and yellow graded drivers. With 13 cars on track, there were a number of early spinners on the very slippery surface. Among those was 349 Michael Allard, the national banger star making a guest appearance in the car of the injured Joe Gladden. 350 Tommy Parrin was the early leader but spun himself out, allowing 22 Karl Petters to take the victory. Behind him, the recently downgraded duo of 51 Paul Licquorice and 184 Marty Colliver fought out a good battle for second with the former World Champion prevailing.
Parrin showed a similar turn of pace in the first heat proper and this time managed to hold it together as he simply drove away from the 28-car field. It was a very impressive performance which he looked set to repeat in the 18-car second heat as he led the first half of the race. However, running wide in one corner, he became one of many victims of the thick sludge-like conditions that were developing on the outside line, getting bogged down and letting 191 Shaun McMillan through for a lead which he would hold to the end of the race. 499 David Aldous, who had shot through the pack to be running third on only the second lap, then dumped Parrin into the deep shale again. Aldous had briefly headed McMillan before Parrin’s first slip but had dropped back before working his way back to the front in a very entertaining effort. He had earlier pulled off the move of the race in heat one, removing 420 Ivan Street and 115 Scott Aldridge in one go on the final bend to motor through for second place. 402 Shaun Webster followed him through for third and like Aldous, he repeated that result in the second heat.
Just 16 cars returned for the final but that didn’t prevent there being plenty of fireworks, with Aldous in the thick of it again. The race was punctuated by a couple of caution periods with incident aplenty. On the final resumption Aldous spun race leader 149 Jamie Sampson but got caught up himself, delaying both for some time. That allowed 360 Carl Waterfield through for an easy win, by far the best result of the season at Lynn for the former World Champion on the scene of his greatest triumph. Although someway further back, Webster came through for second to end as the day’s top points scorer, ahead of 698 Danny Colliver, who also bagged a big haul of points, and the recovered Aldous.
With track championship leader 428 Lee Sampson sidelined through injury, Aldous took the opportunity to eat into his lead at the top of the points which now stands at just seven. Colliver has now moved up to third in the table but is over 60 points further back.
The slightly lower than expected number of F2s meant a re-jig to the programme, with a two-thirds heat format being utilised and no grand national run. 24 cars took to the track for the first which saw a caution period for a fire on board 881 Graham Morris’s machine, swiftly dealt with by the track staff. 495 John Cayzer led on the restart and pulled a gap as the others tangled amongst themselves, allowing the veteran to take the flag. 744 Tom Smart removed 13 Andy Ford from second and 823 Sam Wagner came home third on his first appearance on the Saddlebow shale this season. It was to prove a pretty profitable day for the North-Eastern youngster as he also scored a fourth in the second heat and fifth in the final.
The difficult track conditions meant it was a day when the wet shale specialists came to the fore and you don’t get many more expert in that scenario than the Cayzer family. 380 Steve Cayzer picked up when John had left off in the second heat, revelling in the conditions to take the win. There had also been an early waved yellow in that race after a pile-up on the home straight which had started with 186 George Turiccki being turned into the fence just as he took second. 710 Brett Townsend led on the restart before getting dumped into the deep sludge as Steve Cayzer took up the running. Townsend recovered to third (which he was to repeat in the third heat), behind 377 Daz Shaw.
There were 18 cars for third heat, the same number as the second. 310 Gregg Smith led on the resumption until his sick-sounding car cried enough, whereupon Smart hit the front for a relatively easy win ahead of 81 Mark Clayton. Huddersfield’s 925 Paul Wilson claimed the final ahead of Townsend who ended the day as top-scorer, one point better off than Steve Cayzer who was third.
Nine teams took part in 1500 Bangers East Anglian team championship, with only one team not present on account of the weather. The point-scoring was dominated by just four of those though, the Mad Hatters ‘A’ and ‘B’ teams, Norfolk N Good and the Smurfs. 24 cars came out for the first heat and while only two of Norfolk N Good’s cars made it on track, they proceeded to dominate the race, 730 Deane Mayes leading home 69 Jonny Wilkinson (who would later be dashing off to take part in a meeting at Yarmouth that evening). A big pile-up on the road bend involved a number of the crash-happy Cool Running cars while 601 Chris “Bling” Meddler of Team Starky ‘B’ picked up the race entertainer award. The Stark brothers in the sister ‘A’ team also got off to a good start, with fourth, fifth and seventh places between them.
A few more cars made it on track for the second heat. The Smurfs’ 77 Russell Gill took a big hit from 88 Lloyd Stark and was involved in plenty more action himself to take the entertainers award. Out front, the Gibson brother were revelling in the conditions as they motored to a 1-2 to put the Mad Hatters ‘A’ team on the scorechart. Mayes was joined by 124 Carl Korszewski and 257 Timmy Aldridge this time and between them they rounded out the rest of the top five for Norfolk N Good ahead of 337 Ashley Garrod who, without any of his usual Jackpot team-mates present, was guesting for the Mad Hatters ‘B’.
The 26-car final proved a very lively race. Wilkinson attempted to follow in one of the Mad Hatters at great pace by the pit gate but missed and only succeeded in putting himself in very hard. Garrod then trashed him but Wilkinson managed to get his car moving again, catching 390 David Gibson as he went past. It didn’t delay the flying Gibbo enough though as he went on to another second place behind his brother 391 Ben. However, with 124 Oris and 730 Deano in fourth and seventh, it wasn’t quite enough for the Mad Hatters ‘A’ to overhaul Norfolk N Good who took the crown. Behind the top two were the Mad Hatters ‘B’ and the Smurfs, some way clear of the two Starky teams, the only other scorers.
(Pictures © D Widdows)