A meeting that on paper looked like a Stock Car racing enthusiast’s dream proved to be exactly that at the Norfolk Arena, King’s Lynn on Saturday night (27 September). The three classes in action fielded almost 120 cars between them and few present could remember a more spectacular night’s action. Ultimately, Stevenage’s 150 Mick Sworder claimed the BriSCA F1 meeting final, while Dereham man 512 Darren Barnett did likewise in the Two-Litre Saloon Stock Cars. The youngsters in the Ministox were not outdone, with 8 Catherine Harris having a great night on her way to success in their meeting final.
Formula One
The 43-car turnout for Shootout Round 4 included first appearances for former National Banger World Champion 499 Dave Allen and three-times Formula Two Shootout champion 445 Nigel Green (brother of DTM star Jamie), and led to a full-format programme being deployed.
The pre-meeting race for white and yellow graded drivers was led by 415 Russell Cooper until he was passed by another former F2 star, 326 Mark Sargent. They then tangled on the home straight, letting 444 PJ Lemons nip past, but Sargent was back in front a lap later and eased clear to win from Lemons and Cooper.
Heat one was led by Lemons until he tangled with 330 Graham Wagstaff, which let 267 Graeme Robson through. The Lemons/Wagstaff machines took some untangling during the resulting caution period, which was called just after Robson had been relieved of the lead by 335 Mark Woodhull but just before he was spun by 4 Dan Johnson. Third placed 390 Stuart Smith Jr used the bumper to overtake 16 Mat Newson, with Johnson and 197 Ryan Harrison then managing to overhaul both. Harrison found a way past Johnson for second but the latter returned the favour with two laps to go. All this was going on well behind Woodhull though, who took advantage of the battles to pull away for a clear win from Johnson, Smith and Harrison.
Sargent dominated heat two to take an impressive win. Behind him, fellow lower graders 307 Tim Warwick and 306 Ian Noden both ran well and eventually both claimed qualifying spots in the top eight, while 280 Colin Nairn provided some spectacular action when he thundered into a marker tyre, bouncing high into the air before crashing back to earth. Noden held second for much of the race, building up quite an advantage which was eventually whittled down but he held on to fourth behind the new World Champion 55 Craig Finnikin and 53 John Lund. Finnikin used the bumper to pass 318 Rob Speak for third with five laps to go, moving past Noden a couple of laps later, just as Lund relegated Speak further, while overhauled Noden with just a lap to go.
With only the top eight from the heats qualifying, a good field of 22 cars, of which 12 would qualify, took the green flag in the consolation. They included Shootout contenders 2 Paul Harrison, 84 Tom Harris, 259 Paul Hines and 515 Frankie Wainman Jr. Early yellows were called to shift a mid-track marker tyre, with 293 Elliott Smith leading the field. The yellows soon returned to clear up a huge pile-up that was triggered when 313 Karl Roberts was turned into the home straight fence and then collected by the pack. Lemons had passed Smith by this stage, with Wagstaff third and Speak the top Shootout runner in fourth. Harris and Wainman were the men on the move though, bursting into third and fourth before half-distance, with Harris taking a lead he wouldn’t relinquish with five laps to go. Lemons managed to hold Wainman off for a couple more laps, by which time Harris was long-gone, claiming the win from Wainman, Lemons and 388 Paul Ford.
The Final was one short of its full complement of 28 cars, the unlucky man sadly proving to be double race-winner Sargent, who had hit engine problems in the pits. After a hectic opening, there was a huge crash on the scoreboard bend, with the front of Allen’s car riding up on to the roof of 169 Billy Johnson, which is where it stayed. With that auto-sculpture mid-track, the avoiding action of others led to more incidents, with 496 Neil Holcroft going on a wall-of-death ride around the fence, with a caution period then called. Lund and Harris had also been involved and retired as a result, while Dan Johnson was already out. Wagstaff led the race from Noden, with Speak again the leading Shootout runner in fifth who had big names Smith, Ryan Harrison and Newson queuing up behind. The latter pair tangled on the restart, while Speak burst through into the lead from Wagstaff and Smith and Finnikin was spun from fourth by 212 Danny Wainman.
Another caution period was required when 166 Bobby Griffen and 338 Chris Brocksopp tangled and the latter ended on his side, against the wall. Speak was now leading from Smith, with Sworder in third, having recovered from a spin in the very early stages. When Speak was forced out with a puncture, Sworder passed Smith for a lead he would not relinquish. The action still wasn’t over though. The hard hitting took its toll on Ford’s machine, with its wing falling off and being collected several times, leading to more yellow flags. Sworder managed to hold off Smith over the remaining laps though, with Wainman brothers Frankie and Danny third and fourth, and Finnkin recovering to fifth at the flag, ahead of the wingless Ford.
The action continued in the grand national, although it did only require one caution period. Smith’s prodigious pace was finally rewarded with a win after he hit the front before half distance. Speak was also rewarded for perseverance in second, with 191 Josh Smith third.
Two-Litre Saloon Stock Cars
The action was just as frenetic in the Saloons which once again had a turnout of more than 40 cars, going all-in after the opener for white and yellow graded drivers. That saw 610 Trent Arthurton’s regular strong performances finally rewarded with a win, holding off form man 591 Aaron Morris and 128 Craig Banwell. National Banger star 67 Rickie Beasley went well on his debut, claiming seventh place.
Heat one proper saw 389 Ryan Santry become the first roller of the day in the Saloons. Either side of an early caution and the red flag caused by Santry’s inversion, 350 Thomas Parrin, 84 Carl Boswell and Banwell had a good scrap over the lead. British Under-25 Champion 306 Daniel Parker made rapid progress to join them at the front, but when he lunged at all three in one, he only succeeded in spinning himself. World Champion 499 David Aldous then hit the front, before yellow flags appeared so that a marker tyre could be removed from the middle of the track. Another was required soon after when Boswell went in hard, but Aldous stayed in front. He was however being caught very rapidly by National Champion 401 Steve Webster, who was testing some alternative tyres. Aldous proved to be a sitting duck for Webster who soon moved in front and pulled clear for the win, who admitted that he seemed to have a lot more grip, particular as the track dried out and especially mid-corner. Aldous held onto second, from 511 Craig Barnett.
In heat two, the action began with 156 Darren Goudy riding up 149 Jamie Sampson, although he did eventually come back down to earth, allowing the race to continue with 23 Lee Pearce out front. A caution was required, however, after 74 Tam Tweedie had taken a pasting. After clipping the spun Parker, he was turned hard into the fence and then collected by the traffic. With lots of cars in the queue now a lap down, Pearce was able to reel off the laps with relative comfort, winning from Arthurton and 428 Lee Sampson.
As Arthurton led the early stages of the final, Webster and Lee Sampson were turned very hard into the fence together, both quickly carrying on as if nothing had happened. Taking advantage of his yellow grade start, 512 Darren Barnett hit the front between the race’s two caution periods and eventually held on to win the action-packed affair from Aldous and the fast-closing Webster, who once again showed his pace advantage (a spin in heat two had ruled him out of the running). The top six was completed by 349 Michael Allard, Lee Sampson and Craig Banwell.
BriSCA Ministox
The under-16s were in the first of two days’ action at the venue, competing in the King’s Lynn Open. As such they raised a big field of 33 cars, less than a week after their biggest race of the year, the National Championship had been won by Frankie Wainman Jr Jr for the second time in his career – as a result his car was quickly returned to running under the #1 as well as being smartly turned out with its gold roof. Before the meeting began, he Aldous and Finnikin had formed a ‘Champions’ Alley’ at the stadium entrance, each displaying their gold roofs and championship trophies, as well as signing posters for fans.
A two-thirds heat format was used, and just like the other formulas, there was plenty of spectacular action. In the first, 411 Ryan Fairburn, took out leading duo 302 Jim Bamford and 183 Charlie Guinchard in one go, with 391 Jessica Smith taking advantage to whizz past for the win. 180 Courtney Witts came home second, with Bamford recovering for third.
Smith was an early spinner in heat two as 434 Mia Pritchard led most of the way, until the flying 8 Catherine Harris came through to take the lead. Further back, 331 Mackenzie Whitehead was taken in hard by European Champion 134 Sophie Maynard, rolling on to his side and getting hit in the roof unavoidably. All were ok, with Wainman passing Harris for the lead at the restart. But Catherine didn’t give up. She moved back in front on the exit of bend two of the final lap, before Wainman threw it up the inside on the final bend to take the win from Harris and Witts.
Heat three featured 246 Jensen Brickley as the long-time leader before Guinchard took up the running. Harris charged through to take the lead before a spectacular finish saw the leaders all piling on the final bend, with 153 Georgina Bullock coming through from fourth to take the win from 323 Harry Peall and Wainman.
Peall would feature in the night’s most spectacular incident in the final. He was followed in the by the pack, with his car lifted high onto the top of the fence and very nearly completely over it, before mercifully coming back down on the right side. Peall was soon up and out, and able to walk to the medical centre for a check-up with ease. The complete restart saw Harris again on form, coming through to win from British Champion 226 Amy Webster and Wainman.