Report Mark Paulson

Pics Damien Widdows

Wayne Cottrill became the latest member of the very successful Wisbech family to claim major honours in Banger Racing when he scooped the Junior Banger English Championship at the Adrian Flux Arena, King’s Lynn on Saturday night, 2 May. On a night when the pits were jam-packed with cars for five formulas, there were also feature wins for 830 Lee White (1500cc Bangers), 220 Casey Englestone (Two-Litre Saloon Stock Cars), 147 Eddie Collins (BriSCA Ministox) and 160 Jacques West who claimed a hat trick on the shale debut of MicroStox.

Junior Bangers

The 42-car Junior Banger entry included entries seeded to the big race from all ORC promotions that run the formula, with defending champion 364 Bradley Lee topping the list on his first appearance at King’s Lynn – where he also claimed the inaugural World title, and is defending points champion – of the season.

A last chance qualifier kicked off proceedings with eight spots on the grid of the English Championship up for grabs. It fielded 19 cars and was led by home driver 608 Lennie Murkin until 148 Jamie Blything dumped him into a bend four pile-up to take the win from 409 Charlie Murrell and 421 Josh Mayo.

The English Championship was next up, with an Incarace draw leaving Spedeworth runner 119 Harry Steward and home driver 123 Kieran Gray on the front row, with 823 Jamie Murrell and 854 Aiden Storr on row two. The full grid lined up as follows:

It was 123 Kieran Gray that led away from Jamie Murrell and Steward, while Lee saw his defence end early on when he got hooked out. Murrell managed to spin Gray from the lead, but Steward passed both in the process, only to spin himself out of contention. So Murrell now led from 16 Jamie Hopkins and the charging 997 Wayne Cottrill, who swiftly moved into second place, then caught and passed Murrell for the lead. A complete roll for Gray led to a race stoppage, with Cottrill leading from Murrell and top Spedeworth man 292 Ryan Jones.

On the resumption, Jones moved into second with three laps to run, only for another stoppage to bring a hault to proceedings. The restarted race had just enough time for Steward to spin from fifth when a fire broke out on board Charlie Murrell’s car, leading to another red flag. As a lap hadn’t been completed, Steward was able to resume where he had been prior to the spin, and he took full advantage to move into third place while Cottrill and Jones motored to the chequered flag in that order. The top six was completed by 101 Ben Raby, 10 Leeson Briggs-Price and 16 Jamie Hopkins, while home favourite 72 Breeze Atkin went on a wrecking spree in the closing laps.

“I am [proud],” Cottrill admitted after the race. “It was difficult to keep aware of what was going on!”

Result

Two all-comers races followed. Both fielded more than 30 cars and featured plenty of action and multiple pile-ups. The first proved to  be a relatively easy win for 417 Jake Beasley. The stars came to the fore in the second, with a good lead battle between Jones, Lee and Cottrill, who finished in that order, with Cottrill’s car already sporting the cross of St George on its roof.

1500cc Bangers

The 46-car National Banger turnout went all-in for their three races. After an early red flag in the opener, 90 Simon Chapman dominated to win from flag to flag. A good battle for second developed between 566 Tony Pallett – racing in father Geoff’s colours – and 116 Nat Cohn. Cohn managed to spin Pallett but took himself into the fence and retirement in the process. That promoted 886 Lewis Stark and 337 Ashley Garrod into the top three, with Garrod managing to take second place on the final bend.

Heat two featured follow-ins by 392 Sam Baines on 78 Gavin Oakes and by 316 James Cushion on 691 Ryan Bartrum, which earned the pair entertainers awards. 340 Wes Freestone then got in on the act by blowing up Bartrum, while out front, 319 Shaun Clarke led the race from start to finish, taking the flag from 887 Liam Stark and Cushion.

830 Lee White overcame 862 Chris Coxen for the win in the final, with Chapman completing the trophy places. Entertainment was provided by a follow-in from 339 Jack Garrod on Liam Stark, and by 821 Ryan Preston on the unlucky Oakes.

Two-Litre Saloon Stock Cars

Yet another 40+ turnout numbered 43 on this occasion, including track debuts for 575 Ryan Boughen, 659 Ollie Lammas and 888 Shane Emerson, while 3 Karl Emmett was making his first King’s Lynn appearance of the season.

The two-thirds heats were split, as usual, by grade, with the opener reserved for whites and yellows only. That featured 22 cars and saw a good early battle for the lead between Emerson and 321 Marcus Skeels, before Emerson pulled clear and Skeels was spun from second by 4 Paul Brown. Emerson built a huge lead until he was removed by a backmarker, allowing 157 Max Stott through for the win, from 538 Jake Swann and 420 Ivan Street.

Heat two tracked 25 whites, blues and reds. Skeels put on an impressive display to lead more than half the race before being caught by the leading blue tops, 730 Deane Mayes and 641 Willie Skoyles Jr, both taking full advantage of a downgrading for the month of May. Mayes took the win, his first in the formula at his home track, and said: “Very pleased – we’ve had a lot of bad meetings so far this year but keep trying.”

The yellow graders returned for the 29-car heat three which was led virtually from start to finish by one of the many recent converts from National Bangers, 328 Daniel Lathan. He controlled the race but had a couple of late scares, first when he rattled around the fence with two laps to go, and then when almost taken out by the backmarking 306 Daniel Parker on the final bend. But Lathan never really looked like being beaten, taking the flag from 499 David Aldous and 349 Michael Allard, who repeated his third place from the previous heat.

Twenty-nine cars returned for the final, where Skeels again impressed out front, while 214 Tom Yould was given a wild ride up the fence and onto his side, before crashing back onto his car’s wheels. Skeels built a gap which was gradually eroded by 220 Casey Englestone but although he challenged, Englestone couldn’t make a successful move for the lead. He dropped back when Mayes attacked, the latter getting through and then taking the lead when Skeels ran wide. But Mayes was forced out with a loose wheel guard, and Englestone took the lead from Skeels as the 730-car pulled off. Englestone eked out enough of gap to take the win, while Skeels attempted to fend off World Champion Aldous. The 499-car made the move with a lap to go, passing the youngster on the inside, only for Skeels to sensationally fight back on the final bend, and clinch a highly impressive second place. He won’t be a white grader next month!

BriSCA Ministox

More than 30 Ministox returned for the second meeting at the track in two weekends, with the usual two-thirds heat split adopted. The first was won comfortably by silver-top 180 Courtney Witts, while track champion 226 Amy Webster, on what looks set to be her final outing at the Adrian Flux Arena, recovered well from a mid-race skirmish to take second. 

Heat two provided a clear win for 2 Ben Chambers who hit the front early on and stayed there throughout, winning from 152 Charlie Sworder and 147 Eddie Collins. Chambers led again in heat three but a yellow flag allowed the stars to make up ground. Witts hit the front but was demoted to third by 183 Charlie Guinchard and 391 Jessica Smith.

Smith went on the rampage in the final, twice dishing out big fencings to Webster, as Collins overcame Sworder for the win, after Chambers had again led the early stages. 269 Ben Chalkley was second, with Sworder third and 202 Will Knight completing the top three.

MicroStox

The shale debut of the new MicroStox formula attracted six cars, including two all the way from Scotland. The racing was dominated by experienced former ORC Ministox man 160 Jacques West, who overcame a bigger handicap in each race to claim a hat trick, making his move in the final on the last bend, to provide an exciting finish. That saw only three finishers after long-time leader 421  Jim Cogger and 252 Callum Searle clashed on the final bend, allowing 177 Bobby Pidgeley and 550 David Sinclair to clinch second and third. Earlier, Searle and 236 Robert Bruce had shared the minor placings behind West.