Report Mark Paulson
Pics Damien Widdows
A packed programme of racing run in super-quick time made for an entertaining evening at the Norfolk Arena, King’s Lynn on Saturday, 31 May. Some superb racing from the BriSCA Formula Two Stock Cars kept the purists happy, while team racing in both Banger categories on display provided the crash-happy enthusiasts with plenty to keep them entertained. Both the 1500cc Bangers and Lady Bangers were contesting their East Anglian Team Championships, with the Crunchers winning the former and Destructive Divas retaining their title in the latter.
Formula Two Stock Cars
A season-low entry of 44 cars would be seen as a superb entry at many tracks and did in fact provide a good number for a full-format meeting with plenty of cars in each race, while avoiding the carnage that is inevitable with jam-packed grids.
One less than half contested the first heat where all three white-graders immediately tangled, allowing 298 Jake Walker to hit the front. 260 Anthony Winters briefly edged inside the leader, only to spin himself out, which allowed 741 Luke Branston to make the challenge, which he managed successfully. By this time, just the fourth lap, red-top 702 Allen Cooper had made excellent progress into the top four. From there, he picked off 70 Brian Shadbolt – making his first appearance of the season – and erstwhile leader Walker, with good use of the bumper, on successive laps. He gradually reeled in Branston and edged inside him, into the lead, followed by visiting Dutchman H124 Wim Peeters. His English number-sake, 124 Ollie Skeels had made it up to third and it looked like the top three were settled, going into the last lap, when Skeels put the bumper in and Peeters’ engine blew up in a big way – cause or effect, it was hard to tell but it was cruel luck for the long distance traveller. Other than Skeels, 151 Colin Aylward was the beneficiary, completing the top three.
555 Dave Bale led the remainder of the field away in heat two, while 537 Tom Alsop also had a spell in front, before 630 Justin Parker moved ahead and Alsop became another blown engine victim. Further back, the reds, being led by 186 George Turiccki were having an excellent scrap, including 38 Dave Polley giving track points leader 401 Barry Goldin a trip to the fence. Inevitably, that delayed their progress and Parker was able to build a big lead from 710 Brett Townsend and Turiccki. But the gaps gradually closed and the top three were all together with two laps to go. Turiccki made good use of back-markers to pull off near identical moves on the third bend on Towsend and then Parker, to take the win, with that pair completing the top three.
A 19-car consolation included superstar 377 Daz Shaw and was led initially by 431 Andy Gibbs. 198 Paul Nicholson, a winner at the track already this year, but now going from yellow, looked fast and eventually moved in front just after half-distance. By that stage 606 Andrew Palmer was up to third, having run fifth as early as lap five. He passed Gibbs for second with four to go and began reeling in the leader. He got close, but not quite close enough to mount a last-bend lunge, and Nicholson held on for the win from Palmer and Gibbs.
Two qualifiers didn’t make it for the final which therefore featured 28 cars. The star grade again delayed each other, with Palmer coming off worst and retiring, his poor run of luck at the track continuing. Yellow flags came out to untangle track debutant 842 Ben Kerry and 136 Kyle Taylor, with Gibbs leading the way from Parker, 881 Graham Morrison and Townsend. Goldin was the leading red-top but still some way back in the queue. Unfortunately Gibbs pulled off from the lead and Morrison passed Parker to take up the running. With 1st March final winner 362 Dave Harley up to second and the winner of the last two main events at the track, Goldin, third, Townsend was going to have his work cut out. Goldin made it to second before halfway and looked on track for his third consecutive feature final win at King’s Lynn. But stock car racing isn’t as predictable as that. The decisive moment came five laps from home when a yellow-top spun into Goldin’s path and he was forced into the fence in avoidance. He survived but his right rear was now fouling the wheel guard and Goldin became a sitting duck, dropping behind 886 Chris Bradbury, Harley and Turiccki before the flag fell on Townsend who admitted afterwards that he had his own problems. “I was more worried about the engine,” he said.
Slightly surprisingly, only 23 cars returned for the grand national which again saw Bale lead away before Morrison hit the front. There he stayed until five laps from the flag when Palmer bumpered his way past. The multiple former World of Shale champion had scythed through to run third within four laps, before picking off Bale and Morrison. Bradbury followed him most of the way, passing Morrison a lap later and finishing just a few lengths back in second, with yellow-top Morrison holding onto third.
With Goldin retiring from the GN, his lead in the points as been substantially cut, with Harley now heading the chasing pack from Bradbury and Shaw, although it remains at a healthy 39 points. Sadly the Tooz do not return to the Norfolk Arena until the end of September.
1500cc Bangers
An excellent field of 76 Bangers meant the teams had to split for their heats, only going ‘all-in’ for the final. There was little material to speak of, the oldest car on show being a Mk2 Cavalier in the hands of 44 Craig Massen (Squirts ‘B’)
Heat one was relatively quiet, save for 392 Sam Baines (Mad Hatters ‘A’) full chat blast of 801 Steven Mills (Salhouse Breakers ‘B’) which earned Baines the entertainers award. Top marks to Mills for sitting tight and allowing the race to continue, won by 517 Sid Cooper (Crunchers, who without their captain Davey Cox), from 597 Andy Ashman (Team 22) and 85 James Ellis (Team Jackpot).
In heat two, 611 Joe Geeves (Mad Hatters ‘B’) earned an entertainers award for his follow-in of 717 Harvey Devall Jr, while 217 ‘Wocker’ (Mad Hatters ‘B’) did 198 Steve Pyle (Legions of Doom) head on. 880 Anthony Kerr (Demons) deposited 16 Daniel Fisher (Legions of Doom) into the dead car of 275 Matty Roberts (Cantley Crew ‘A’), also scooping an entertainers award, as 601 Chris Medler (Starky ‘B’) raced to the win from 247 Jon Bailey (Mad Hatters ‘B’) and 525 Wes Starmer (solo). The action continued after the flag as 551 Brett Jackson (Bad Intentions ‘A’) blasted 235 Paul Jackson (Squirts ‘B’) after the flag, leading to a small fire on board the former.
The first group of teams returned for heat three, which began with 799 Tim Reeves (Cantley Crew ‘B’) being taken in by the pack. Out front, 566 Tony Pallett (Crunchers) immediately set the pace and pulled away to win by half a lap from 337 Ashley Garrod (Team Jackpot) who had had a good battle with the Team Bash pairing of 673 Darren and 675 Ian Fendley.
Heat four began with a small fire on board Devall’s machine before the start, with Geeves then following in Massen’s motor (in its first race) as soon as the greens flew. Bailey took in 182 Ashley Watkinson (Bad Intentions ‘A’) and was then hit head-on by Brett Jackson. 660 Paul Lambe (Bad Intentions ‘A’) was piled into Bailey’s dead machine by the pack and then managed to thunder himself into the fence, square-on, on the exit of bend four, leaving his car well-snapped. Out front, 394 Ian Rawlings (Demons, in his first race) eventually overcame the fast starting 17 Aaron Gray (Bad Intentions ‘B’), to take the win, with Starmer third. With just the final to go, the Crunchers were looking good at the top of the score charts.
The 39-car final began with 390 David Gibson (Mad Hatters ‘A’) pulling off a huge follow-in on 257 Jamie Neave (Salhouse Breakers ‘A’) who rolled on impact, before landing on his wheels. After red flags for another small fire, the father-and-son Fendley duo led the field away and proceeded to race clear. There was little further action until the final lap when the lapped Gibson tried making a nuisance of himself, allowing 271 Ashlun Woods (Smurfs) to edge inside father Ian on the final bend. Team Bash’s good score in the final wasn’t enough to prevent another team title going the way of the Crunchers, however.
Lady Bangers
The ladies second three-a-side team contest saw six full-complement teams, plus 419 Laura Quadling going solo. 74 Caroline Garner (Bog Standard) led all the way in heat one, having started on the front row. 85 Kate Calver (Bad News) spun out of second with only just over a lap to go, allowing 369 Jane Allard (Destructive Divas) to take the place, having charged through from near the back, from 477 Amy Brown (Contenders).
Quadling led the early stages of heat two before being passed by Brown and dropping back. Allard again looked fast on her way to second, with 79 Stacy Lightfoot (Mix and Match) completing the top three.
Lightfoot went on to dominate the final, having started on the front row. Red flags came out when Quadling rolled, with Lightfoot leading from 4 Steph Street (Destructive Divas) and 762 Kerry Thurgill (Bog Standard). The top two remained unchanged at the chequered, but Allard was spun from third by Thurgill, before recovering to fourth behind Brown. Street’s and Allard’s points, along with a contribution from 8 Holley Sack, were enough for their team to retain the title from Mix and Match in second (where Lightfoot was joined by 611 Carly Spiers and 730 Marie Mayes).