Report: Mark Paulson

Pics: To be added

Titles were on offer in all three formulas that raced at the Adrian Flux Arena, King’s Lynn on Saturday night, 3 October. Topping the bill was the UK Championship for Micro Bangers, claimed for the second time in his career by 337 Ashley Garrod. It was King of the Fens time for the Two-Litre (non-Mondeo) Bangers, with 11 Ryan Leeks claiming the crown. The Bumper Trophy was on offer for the Two-Litre Saloon Stock Cars, where 214 Tom Yould was victorious. 

Micro Bangers

Of the 68-car entry, 41 took to the track for the last-chance qualifier which offered the top ten finishers, plus all race entertainers, places on the grid for the UK Championship. 186 Chris Loveridge led away from pole position, while a big pile-up on the third and fourth bends claimed many. Loveridge still led when red flags were called to assist 21 Mitchell Simms, one of a very large contingent of Salhouse Breakers who were in action. After the restart, 430 Andy Jones took up the running, and while he was delayed by 51 James Licquorice blasting 133 Damien Whall, he held on to win from 104 Paul Brown Jr and Whall. Earlier, Licquorice had put 178 Kieran Bowman away hard, earning himself an entertainers award, which was also the reward for 41 Kevin Freestone who did 502 Tyler Bloomfield on the final bend, before swiftly recovering to fifth place behind 43 Karl Jones. 

The UK Championship race was next with 22 qualifiers joined by nine from the last chance race, gridding as follows:

As the front three rows contained two Salhouse Breakers runners and one former team-mate, it was no surprise that 713 Ashley Ward immediately lined up a shot on 571 Mark Quinsey, but 633 Leeroy Haywood hit the youngster in the unusual Peugeot before he could make his move and then spun him on the next bend. Defending champion 390 David Gibson initially led but former winner 337 Ashley Garrod quickly moved past on the inside. The opening laps were pretty hectic, as expected, and ended with Karl Jones ploughing into the parked 256 Mark Ginders on the back straight, requiring red flags.

On the resumption, Garrod pulled clear to take the title for a second time, while his brother 338 Terry Garrod secured second with an outside move on Gibson who came home third ahead of 830 Lee White, 673 Darren Fendley and 339 Jack Garrod.

Result

Two allcomers races followed and provided the predictable carnage. The first, with 45 cars on track, saw Ward follow in 55 Ricky Ivatt while 309 Liam Gibson and Ginders also went in hard, leading to red flags. The second attempt was led by 78 Gavin Oakes until Ginders suffered another big hit and more red flags were required. Third time lucky, 460 Luke Tongue pulled clear to win from White and 95 Anton Martin, while a lively showing from 851 Adam Storr earned him the entertainers award.

The second allcomers featured saw Haywood and 634 Ben Green earn entertainers awards for stiff shots on 474 Daniel Norfolk and 908 Lewis Judd respectively. David Gibson earned his own by joining in the fun with Green and Judd. Out front, 504 James Simpson led from start to finish to take the win from 834 Josh Green and 37 Dave Lewis.

Two-Litre Bangers

The 33-car entry included a good variety of cars with the Ford Focus numbering the most. The first heat was dominated by 744 Brad Wright’s Honda Prelude. In a relatively quiet race, he won from 897 Matt Battle’s typically smart machine and 11 Ryan Leeks. 

Top of the Entertainers League standings, 392 Sam Baines gave his title chances a further boost with a big follow in of 71 James Unwin in heat two, which earned him an entertainers award and led to a race stoppage. Baines’s main rival for the Entertainers League title is his own team-mate and defending double champion, 390 David Gibson, who matched him blow for blow by picking up an entertainers award himself for a blitzing of 70 Sophie Unwin on the back straight in the restarted race. At the front of the field, Leeks led but Wright came through and looked set to win until he was taken out on the final bend by 349 Lewis Price, allowing the latter’s Gladiators team-mate 548 Jamie Avery through for the win from Leeks and 830 Lee White.

The final carried the King of the Fens title. Running flag to flag without stoppages it was relatively easy for the white graders to set the pace and hold onto their advantage. The battle between them proved to be a good one, with 752 Sam Cunningham being spun out of the lead by a combined effort from Battle and Leeks. They then duelled before Leeks spun out Battle, going on to take the win from Lynn local 319 Shaun Clarke and the recovered Cunningham. Battle suffered further punishment on the following lap when Price and 557 Paul Bowen combined to put him away on the scoreboard bend, while action at the other end featured 695 Mark Mason, 171 Andy Frost and 551 Brett Jackson.

Two-Litre Saloon Stock Cars

The excellent 42-car entry present to contest the popular Bumper Trophy included a number of newcomers to the formula. Former F1 Stock Car driver 14 John Riley was in the Deane Mayes hire car, while 147 James Dexter, 238 Patrick Fitzakerley and 448 Martin Kibble also made their first appearances. 

The two-thirds format split by grades was adopted, allowing the White & Yellow tops out on their own for heat one which fielded 21 cars. The newcomers found the going relatively tough, Fitzakerley suffering a couple of spins, the second of which saw him t-boned by Dexter. Out front, 888 Shane Emerson led from start to finish, taking the flag ahead of 537 Tom Alsop and 192 Robert Heanes.

The Blues and Reds joined the Whites for the 30-car heat two which began with a pile-up among the higher graded drivers and then red flags and a complete restart for a crash involving Alsop and 2 Luke Dawson on the home straight. Dexter led the early stages until passed by Heanes, and was then spun out by the in-form 321 Marcus Skeels. From the back, track champion-elect 499 David Aldous was on a charge though. He moved inside Skeels and was followed through by 730 Deane Mayes. Aldous caught Heanes and took the lead with two-and-a-half laps to go, before Mayes also found a way past on the penultimate lap. When Aldous was coming down the back straight for the final time, he was dismayed to see yellow flags appear after 177 Chris Masters had given the ‘thumbs down’ on the scoreboard bend. The local 1300cc graduate had run into the parked cars of Fitzakerely and Kibble and was then clipped a  couple of times by passing cars. Aldous held his nerve on the one lap dash, pulling clear to win from Mayes, Skeels and 218 Jacob Downey, with 641 Willie Skoyles Jr fifth after spinning 360 Carl Waterfield on the final bend.

The Yellows joined the Blues and Reds for another 30-car heat three which saw 389 Ryan Santry briefly in front before being passed by 124 Ollie Skeels who began to open out a big lead from 214 Tom Yould and Downey. 74 Tam Tweedie was given a wild ride up the road bend fence and was collected by Yould as he came to ground, leading to a caution period, just as Skeels had slipped back to third behind Yould and Waterfield. Aldous had been turned into the fence early on and lapped, and so provided a buffer between Yould and Waterfield at the restart. That didn’t prevent the Ely man quickly hitting the front though, and he went on to win from Ollie Skeels, Downey and Yould. Marcus Skeels had become a target for the lively-as-ever 161 Billy Smith, even on the rolling lap of the restart, earning the latter a black flag, which he initially ignored, and then a load-up.

Twenty-nine cars returned for the final, led away by Heanes, with Dexter also enjoying a short spell in front before Yould took up the running. Yellows flags were called to assist 220 Casey Englestone after five laps, with Yould leading from 538 Jake Swann, 84 Carl Boswell, 998 Wayne Cottrill, Marcus Skeels and former Bumper Trophy winner 149 Jamie Sampson, with the lapped pair of Aldous and Skoyles also among the leaders. As Yould pulled clear, they provided a cushion to his pursuers before they eventually unlapped themselves, by which time the Spalding driver had enough in hand to hold onto the win from Swann, 428 Lee Sampson, 306 Daniel Parker, 349 Michael Allard and Mayes.