Report: Mark Paulson
Pictures: Matt Bull
More than 160 stock cars made for a spectacular start to the season at the Adrian Flux Arena, King’s Lynn on Saturday night, 5 March. It was the opening world qualifying round for BriSCA Formula Two Stock Cars, with eight-times world champion 218 Rob Speak starting his quest for title number nine in excellent fashion by winning the final. Both the Two-Litre Saloon Stock Cars and 1300cc Stock Cars were competing in memory of local racer Clive Grief, with 6 Simon Welton and 161 Billy Smith claiming the honours.
BriSCA Formula Two
There were 61 cars present although 630 Justin Parker failed to race, perhaps put off by the heavy rain not long before start-time that followed an afternoon of sunshine. With three races before the first F2 heat, track conditions were beginning to improve until another heavy shower just before the 31 cars in heat one emerged. Unsurprisingly, that led to lots of spins and crashes as local driver 715 Scott Aldridge led the field away. Newly renumbered 5 Josh Coleman was flying from the red grade, rising to third very quickly, and had just hit the front when yellow flags were required to clear up a pile-up on the road bend just before half-distance. He led away the restart from 136 Kyle Taylor but by this stage there were only around 15 cars left running so the remainder of the race was relatively quiet. Coleman completed a comfortable victory from 823 Sam Wagner and Taylor.
The rain returned again during the 29-car heat two, led away by 283 Gary Allen. A crash involving 219 Chris Mitchell and 225 Tony Blackburn on bends three and four required yellow flags to assist Blackburn who sadly needed a trip to hospital – get well soon, Tony. By this stage, 124 Ollie Skeels had hit the front, and he continued to lead until past halfway. 606 Andrew Palmer nosed inside to move ahead with five laps to go but Skeels held onto second until expiring with just a lap left. That let in 103 Carl Issitt for second, with 662 Steve Wycherley completing the top three.
The 28-car consolation was then dominated from flag to flag by Aldridge for his first win in the formula. He even had time to recover from a spin on the penultimate lap without losing the lead, such was his margin. 377 Daz Shaw and 488 Liam Bentham completed the top three. 871 Mark Simpson, the last shale World Final winner, was the biggest casualty, despite often excelling in wet conditions.
By the time of the final, for which 28 of the 32 qualifiers gridded, the rain had long gone and track conditions were much improved. 376 Daz Seneschall led them away before 724 Tom Pell moved ahead, followed by Taylor and 372 Stephen North. Pell – who looks a strong candidate to lose his white roof in May – then spun on the scoreboard bend and was collected by several of the red-tops he had passed, ending 38 Dave Polley’s challenge. 260 Anthony Winters took up the running from 26 Gary Ford, but 218 Rob Speak was on a charge and soon hit the front before yellow flags were called to assist Aldridge. Speak to continued to lead after the suspension, and was chased by Ford, Issitt and Palmer as the race reached halfway. Palmer worked his way into second and set about catching Speak who by this time had a lead approaching the length of a straight. Palmer whittled it down dramatically in the closing laps and virtually pushed the 218-car over the finish line in the end, just unable to make his move in time. Issitt completed the top three from 226 Billy Webster, 289 James Waterfall and Coleman.
Afterwards Speak revealed he was nursing his car home. “It’s leaking water,” he said. “I think I backed it off a little much!” he added. Palmer, who recovered from a half-spin early in the race, was still pleased with the result which gave him near-maximum world qualifying points. He said: “We got tangled up and dropped right to back. Fair play to Rob, he was going. We’ve spent a lot of money over the winter and hopefully it’ll get results.”
A tight programme was completed with the grand national starting with one minute to spare. Pell again showed good pace to lead early on but 298 Jake Walker was flying. He soon hit the front and built a big lead to win from 788 Stephen Mallinson – who ended up being one of the day’s top scorers – and 871 Mark Simpson, who finally salvaged something even if it didn’t count towards the world qualifying standings. With the race running flag-to-flag with no stoppages, Speak struggled to make progress, coming home 13th.
Two-Litre Saloon Stock Cars
A few late withdrawals left the Saloon entry at a still fantastic 51 cars. They included Dutchman H87 Robin van Brenk and 390 Dan Stacey in the Banwell and Mayes hire cars plus several of those who had raced at the Christmas meeting competing in-season for the first time. There was also, as always at this meeting, a fantastic array or new or re-pannelled cars.
The big entry meant two heats and a consolation were required although proceedings began with a white-top only race, fielding 13 cars including two just there for practice. 509 Richard Colk overcame a spin on the wet track to just overhaul 888 Shane Emerson for the win, with 192 Robert Heanes third.
In heat one proper, 525 Wes Starmer overtook Emerson for the lead with a few laps to go but was then spun out by 389 Ryan Santry who was being shown as a backmarker at the time. Emerson thought he had resumed the lead but clipped a marker tyre and spun himself with one lap to go. 6 Simon Welton was delayed in the melee, with 304 Martyn Parker slipping through, but Welton came through on the final bend when Parker was delayed, only for the lap sheet check to reveal Santry as the winner.
800 Scott Greenslade led the early stages of heat two, with 321 Marcus Skeels soon chasing him down as several of the fancied runners suffered spins and 219 Luke Grief suffered a big fencing at the hands of 131 Timmy Barnes and 730 Deane Mayes. Skeels nosed inside Greenslade as 306 Daniel Parker passed them both. 16 year-old Skeels managed to keep pace with Parker thereafter but wasn’t able to challenge him for the win, as Greenslade held onto third.
National Champion 499 David Aldous charged through the field in the consolation to be running third when he clipped a marker tyre, spun and was clobbered by 270 Matt Fuller. Aldous then launched a fight-back but could only make it to fifth by the flag. Ahead of him, long-time leader 157 Max Stott had a terrific scrap with 214 Tom Yould, 360 Carl Waterfield and 420 Ivan Street. All had spells in front on the final lap and going into the last bend, any one of them could have won. Street charged up the inside but went in too deep and ran wide, dropping to fourth and allowing Waterfield to take the win.
The spectacular Waterfield would then be named race entertainer on his way to fourth place in the Clive Grief Memorial final. That begun with Stott taking the lead from Fuller before the latter spun and was collected by the pack, delaying them all and handing Stott a big lead. The Wisbech racer lost out when backmarker 698 Danny Colliver turned him around, which let Welton ahead. With 628 Richard Smith broadside across the back straight, yellow flags were called; that reduced Welton’s lead but he still had a cushion of backmarker Starmer between him and the chasing Mayes and Skeels. On the restart, Skeels jumped into second, followed by Aldous, but Welton was able to pull clear for a comfortable win. Aldous overhauled Skeels for second, ahead of Waterfield, Daniel Parker and 217 Sid Madgwick.
“It was going very well,” confirmed Welton. “I’m surprised I got into the lead as early as I did, then I backed off.” While Welton’s fabulous new car was on display at the NEC in January, Aldous was a bit closer to the wire in getting his ready. “We only finished her this morning,” he admitted. “She’s going good – really good racing.”
The allcomers race began with a pile-up for the red-graders which meant when 220 Casey Englestone required assistance, several of them were a lap down on race leader 192 Robert Heanes. They quickly dispatched him on the restart. When things sorted themselves out, 349 Michael Allard led from Colliver who soon dropped back. Welton moved into second but couldn’t quite catch Allard for the win. Still, with 38 points out of 40, it was a very good night’s work for the world champion.
1300cc Stock Cars
The little stock cars also had an excellent entry, ending just shy of 50 after a few cancellations, including several visitors from Spedeworth and Scotland, plus a healthy showing of newcomers.
422 Martin Taylor – one of the more experienced white-tops – dominated heat one to win by half a lap. There were only two other cars on the lead lap, 731 Barry Wade and Scotsman 67 Craig Haxton. Heat two proved to be a masterclass by returning former multi-champion 216 Dan Booth. With a dry inside line developing, he carved through the field, dumping 161 Billy Smith wide for third, taking second when 11 Matthew Brady ran wide, then spinning 412 Jordan Gay to take the lead in his smart GRP-built car. Smith recovered well to take second on one of his first outings in a front-wheel driver stock car – a super new Vauxhall – with 340 Wes Freestone third.
The consolation race was won by 400 Kevin Shinn after a couple of stoppages, with 116 Diggy Smith – in his last outing before delivering the rear-wheel drive Toyota Starlet to 661 Graeme Shevill – second and 121 Luke Morphey third.
Billy Smith quickly moved in front of the final, with father Diggy – a lap down – looking set to play the role of rear-gunner behind him. Booth eventually came through to second but he was quite a long way back. The gap was closing, but not fast enough, when Diggy delayed Booth further. It wasn’t enough for Booth to lose any places so he held on to second with Wade third.
Taylor led the allcomers race with Billy Smith in second when yellow flags appeared. A messy restart saw 499 Gavin Payne jump from seventh to second, for which he would later be penalised, with Smith taking the lead. Payne pushed the 161-car wide and allowed 149 Todd Pane into the lead briefly but Smith was soon back past and onto victory, capping an impressive performance. Todd Payne held onto second with Taylor third.