Pics by Dave Bastock – Report by Mark Paulson
The opening meeting of 2015 for BriSCA Formula One Stock Cars at the Adrian Flux Arena, King’s Lynn, proved to be a super starter, for both racers and fans alike, with an excellent turnout putting on a great show which saw 51 Dylan Williams-Maynard scoop the main event. The big F1s were ably supported by BriSCA Formula Two Stock Cars and Ministox, with both categories providing some thrilling racing.
BriSCA Formula One
The 39-car turnout was the highest at the curtain raiser for several years and allowed for a full format meeting. Heat one doubled-up as the 2014 White & Yellow Grade Series Final, tracking 15 cars. Pole-sitter 76 Aaron Cozens burst into an early lead, chased by 307 Tim Warwick as most of the rest of the white grade tangled. Leading yellow top 326 Mark Sargent – with two wins to his name at the track in 2015, when piloting his F2 a few weeks earlier – worked his way inside Warwick at the start of the fifth tour but the gap to Cozens was around half the length of straight at that stage. He worked away at reducing it but was unable to get within striking distance, leaving the Cambridgeshire man to triumph, his first race win in a full format meeting. 215 Geoff Nickolls completed the trophy positions after pushing past Warwick soon after Sargent. A delighted Cozens said: “It was great. Took some getting used to – we’ve changed so much on the car over the winter."
With 372 Colin Goodswen missing heat one which he should have been in, the remaining 23 took part in a power-packed heat two. Several of the stars and superstars found it hard going though, with World Champion 55 Craig Finnikin and track champion 16 Mat Newson both eliminated after early spins. 150 Mick Sworder was charging through the pack and up to third when he retired with a puncture. Out front, 51 Dylan Williams-Maynard took advantage of his yellow grade to lead after the opening skirmishes, but 22 Will Yarrow moved ahead around halfway. From there he was able to take a clear win from Williams-Maynard and 515 Frankie Wainman Jr. Most of the rest of the stars also made it through, save for the three already mentioned and V8 Hot Stox graduate 175 Karl Hawkins, on debut.
Sworder was again on a charge in the consolation before slipping back after Finnikin worked his way past to be the leading star, fifth in the queue when a caution period was called for a stranded 386 Joe Thompson. Leading the way was 91 Tony Smith from 94 John Dowson Jr but when Smith exited it was the latter who looked set for victory until Finnikin put the bumper in on the final bend. Dowson held onto second from Newson and Sworder.
Unfortunately, several qualifiers didn’t make the final, including heat winner Yarrow who had suffered an oil leak. That left 24 contestants, with the two white tops, Cozens and Warwick, both spinning early on, allowing Sargent to lead from Williams-Maynard. The latter soon moved ahead as further back the red tops began to make progress. Behind Sargent and 45 Nigel Harrhy in second and third, Belle Vue final winner 217 Lee Fairhurst was next, from 4 Dan Johnson, Wainman and 318 Rob Speak. Johnson pushed Fairhurst wide, with Wainman and Speak following through. Speak then half-spun while battling Wainman who retired with a puncture, allowing Johnson to attack and pass Harrhy. Next target was Sargent, but the pair tangled and both lost a lot of time. Harrhy, Fairhurst and Speak then had a big pile-up on the scoreboard bend and with a loose wheel on track too, a yellow flag was called for, although the trio did eventually untangle themselves – Speak disappointed to be excluded from the restart as a result.
All that had left Williams-Maynard well clear, with several backmarkers between himself and second placed 212 Danny Wainman and third placed Finnikin, who had recovered from an early spin. With all the carnage, there were only 11 runners left and three of those were hobbling – Cozens, Warwick and Finnikin, who quickly dropped back. Williams-Maynard reeled off the laps for a dominant win from Danny Wainman and Dowson.
The 27-car grand national was arguably the race of the night. 293 Elliot Smith was the early leader before spinning out after a caution period and allowing 207 Ben Hurdman in front, followed by a charging Speak, Fairhurst and Frankie Wainman. Fairhurst pushed past Speak, with Waiman and Sworder following, the latter pair then also deposing the 217-car. Wainman got his car inside Hurdman’s for the lead, but both ran wide, allowing Sworder – who had missed the final – past, with Wainman then retiring again soon after. Fairhurst briefly deposed Sworder but Mick quickly fought back and Newson followed him past. The local driver might have had a sniff of victory but he couldn’t quite get close enough to Sworder to mount a challenge and had to settle for second, with Fairhurst third after spinning out Finnikin with three laps to go. Williams-Maynard managed a very creditable sixth from the lap handicap, taking a clear lead in the national points in the process.
The Big League returns in four weeks time for a world qualifier, when they will, again, be supported by the F2s and Ministox.
BriSCA Formula Two
A slightly disappointing turnout of 37 F2s was nonetheless packed with quality, as 16 of them were stars or superstars. Unusually for the formula at King’s Lynn, a two-thirds heat format was adopted, with heat one being for white and yellow graded drivers only, making for some star-studded line-ups in heats two and three.
The opener was therefore slightly thin on cars, with 14 taking part. As 585 Jamie Bower led away, 630 Justin Parker was bursting through to head the yellows, only to drop back, with 741 Luke Branston and then 260 Anthony Winters heading the chasing pack behind the leading trio of Bower, 589 Colin Eardley and 158 William Clement. Bower ran wide and dropped down the order, as Winters picked off Clement, but was unable to reel in Eardley who took the win, with Branston completing the top three.
The 28-car heat two required a complete restart after a spin for 226 Billy Webster caused mayhem among the reds and left 768 Tom Adcroft hanging off the fence. Eardley broke clear at the restart to lead from Branston and Winters, while 225 Tony Blackburn made good early progress, as did Webster, taking advantage of a second chance. Branston challenged Eardley for the lead but managed to ride up and over the latter’s car, letting Winters past both. He looked to be going well until hitting 305 Colin Gregg while lapping him and then getting spun by the chasing pack. That let Blackburn into the lead from 905 Rob Mitchell and 103 Carl Issitt with just a few laps to go. Issitt first deposed Mitchell and then managed to push inside Blackburn on the final bend to take the win, stating afterwards: “It did take a lot of winning – I am pleased. I got held up a bit at the beginning but when I got clean running it was alright. But there were a lot of quick drivers.”
Another big 28-car field in heat three saw a pile-up on the scoreboard bend claim several and lead to yellow flags. 158 William Clement continued to lead but Blackburn was once again flying, and caught and passed, followed through by 259 Simon Farrington. 606 Andrew Palmer had moved into third by halfway and was looking dangerous, briefly taking second before Farrington fought back and Palmer pulled off into retirement. That left the way clear for Blackburn to ease to the win, with Issitt demoting Farrington for second.
An all-in final raised 27 cars and proved to be an excellent race. Clement again led and stayed there until past half distance when he tangled with Gregg. That let Eardley in front, only to be passed by Winters. 38 Dave Polley had charged to third by that stage, then bumpered past Eardley, followed by Palmer, with Eardley then suffering a spin. With two laps to go, Winters still led but Polley and Palmer were chasing him down. Palmer seized the opportunity to take second and then took advantage of Winters running wide on bend two of the final lap to nip through for the win. Polley would follow into second, while further dramas for Winters on the final bend saw him cross the line in reverse, down in tenth. Leading shale points scorer 823 Sam Wagner completed the top three, from Mitchell and Branston.
Wagner said afterwards: “A big field of red tops and superstars makes it hard work coming through from the back. Every race was like a final.”
Polley concurred: “It’s felt like three finals tonight – been pretty hard work, but that’s what people come to see. A good bit of stock car racing, I thought.”
Palmer enjoyed himself too: “The car was flying,” he said. “I thought [the lap-down] Carl Issitt was in front and I had no chance of catching him. I thought Dave was going to have a big go on turn one but he didn’t, so I got Dave, then Anthony went wide by the pit gate.”
A 20-car grand national rounded off the F2 action, with Clement holding on this time to lead from start to finish. Issitt again charged through for another strong result in second, with 871 Mark Simpson third. Without the benefit of any yellow flags, Palmer did well to come home eighth from the lap handicap, just enough to move him to the top of the King’s Lynn track championship standings.
Minstox
The 24-car Ministox entry had a standalone whites & yellows race before going all-in thereafter. After 99 Nathan Harrison had claimed the opener, 58 Jack Bullock led much of heat one proper. But 183 Charlie Guinchard moved in front and took the win, while Bullock got turned hard into the fence.
Heat two was called a lap early after 21 Liam Gilbank called for assistance on bend one, just after 180 Courtney Witts had moved into the lead, with Guinchard runner-up on this occasion.
The 23-car final saw a couple of cautions, first when 152 Charlie Sworder spun and then when Witts was stranded on the back straight. 262 Camey Dorrell was leading but 242 Joe Nickolls quickly edged inside, before 226 Amy Webster repeated the trick on the pair of them. She eased clear to take a very comfortable win, from 1 Frankie Wainman and Nickolls, who just held off Dorrell and 391 Jessica Smith in a good tussle.