Report: Mark Paulson

Pictures: Colin Casserley 

World Championship fever came to the Adrian Flux Arena on Saturday night (13 August) as the venue hosted the BriSCA Formula Two World Semi-Finals and the 1300cc Stock Car World Final, in each case for only the second time. Peterborough racer 606 Andrew Palmer’s victory in the meeting final secured him pole position for next month’s BriSCA F2 World Final after he had earlier won the first semi, with the other going the way of Scottish superstar 647 Chris Burgoyne. This year’s form driver in the 1300s, 333 Dan Weavers struck gold to claim the formula’s World Championship, with 121 Luke Morphey and 23 Lee Pearce his placemen.

BriSCA Formula Two Stock Cars

Among the 79-car entry, all 28 qualifiers for the first Semi-Final were present, with five reserves promoted to the grid for the second Semi-Final following the withdrawal of a few south-west based tarmac-only drivers. Pleasingly though, those present included a number of other drivers who usually stick to the sealed-surface tracks, pressing old cars into service, borrowing or hiring steeds for the night. 

Following a parade in the sunshine for the 28 drivers in SF1, there was a dramatic start – or non-start – to the event when eight-times World Champion 218 Rob Speak’s car ground to halt on the rolling lap. With several drivers severely baulked, the race was soon stopped and a complete restart ordered. Just as he needed to in last year’s BriSCA Formula One World Final – which he went on to win – Speak frantically set to work and managed to effect a quick repair, enabling him to resume his position on row five of the grid.

At the second attempt, 7 Gordon Moodie, in his old ex-Bert Finnikin car, shot into the lead from the grippier outside line with pole-sitter 606 Andrew Palmer slotting in behind as 441 Micky Branston was fired into the fence from his row two start, delaying several others. Palmer moved inside to take the lead at the end of the lap, and the positions switched twice more before the four-times World of Shale champion began to assert his authority. No sooner had he done so than yellow flags flew to assist 431 Mark Gibbs, at which point 19 Martin Ford was excluded for a loose wheel guard, while 846 Ashley England (in a Daz Kitson-supplied ex-Graham Fegan car) and 26 Gary Ford had also tangled, losing a lot of time.

In the queue at the restart, Palmer headed Moodie, 38 Dave Polley, 298 Jake Walker, Speak, 59 Lee Dimmick, defending World Champion 101 Kelvyn Marshall and 823 Sam Wagner. Palmer shot away at the green flag, with Moodie retaining second and Walker slotting into third. Wagner was on a charge, side-swiping Marshall into the fence as he passed him, as former World Champion 100 George MacMillan’s wretched season continued with retirement.

Walker continued to show fine pace and put the bumper in on Moodie to take second, while Polley slipped behind Speak and Wagner as the race reached half distance with its most controversial incident about to happen. Lap-down 854 Robbie Dawson managed to spin his nemesis Moodie – who was holding his own and running strongly in third – into the fence, ending his race and severely denting his hopes of repeating his 2006 World triumph at Mildenhall. It raised a huge cheer from sections of the crowd and Dawson was unrepentant afterwards.

That allowed Wagner into third which he then made second when Walker began to slow with engine problems in the closing stages. But out front, Palmer was untouchable as he raced to a dominant victory from Wagner, Speak, Polley and 768 Tom Adcroft. Walker managed to cling on to sixth with the rest of the qualifiers filled by shale specialists after Marshall’s engine blew with four laps to go.

The drivers in SF2 then enjoyed their own parade before 647 Chris Burgoyne converted his pole position into an early lead, only to run wide and be passed by 103 Carl Issitt. 226 Billy Webster and 905 Rob Mitchell slotted into third and fourth as 788 Stephen Mallinson was among the fancied runners to suffer an early spin and West Country man 676 Neil Hooper and 995 Michael Lund tangled on the back straight, delaying a few others.

After the front four positions were static over the opening four laps, Burgoyne managed to strike Issitt on the road bend, dumping the Lincolnshire man into a parked car to take the lead and push the local veteran back to fourth place. As he re-gathered his composure, Issitt dropped behind 225 Tony Blackburn too, as Mitchell demoted Webster and rose to second.

As the race reached half distance, Burgoyne was opening a gap at the front, as Issitt was starting to fight his way back through. Blackburn then half spun and was collected by 871 Mark Simpson, one of the favourites for ultimate glory, badly delaying both and ultimately leading to the pair’s retirement.

Issitt managed to pass Webster for third but could not close the gap sufficiently on the pair in front to mount a challenge, and so Burgoyne held on to an impressive victory, with Mitchell in second. Behind Issitt, Webster, 488 Liam Bentham and reserve 124 Ollie Skeels completed the top six, while among the other qualifiers, 464 Matt Linfield and 41 Dennis Middler, in eighth and ninth, would have been delighted with their efforts.

A 23-car support heat was won by 259 Simon Farrington after long-time leader 88 Stefan Miller spun out with five laps to go. Miller then led much of the way in the consolation too, and again spun it away as 235 Bradley Blyth came through to win.

The 34-car final had the added importance of deciding which semi-final’s qualifiers would start from the inside line at Mildenhall’s World Final. It begun with several of the 14-strong Yellow grade tangling out as Gary Ford hit the front from Linfield and 524 Michael Wallbank. Yellow flags were required for a big pile-up on the road bend which saw Middler roll, and Ford led away the restart from Wallbank. By this stage, the flying Palmer was already into fourth and looking good for his second consecutive heat and final double at the track. He survived a slight tangle with Wallbank to move into second and set about chasing Ford who had pulled out quite a big gap. It didn’t take Palmer long and he moved inside to take the lead. Meanwhile, Issitt was also flying – he made it past Ford with five laps to go and was closing in on the race leader but ran out of laps and had to settle for second, with Ford third, and Webster, Burgoyne and Adcroft completing the top six. Palmer’s win clinched pole position for the World Final, where he must now start as favourite.

Gary Ford again impressed in the grand national and this time converted his efforts into victory in spectacular style. Dave Polley had chased him down and taken the lead, but Ford fought back and spun the Polleysport machine out just inches from the flag. That let 136 Kyle Taylor and 49 Paul Prest into second and third. Palmer, from the lap handicap and chasing that elusive maximum, had been charging through the field, taking advantage of an early yellow flag, but pulled off into retirement during a mid-race stoppage.

1300cc Stock Cars

A record turnout of 67 of the little stock cars provided plenty of action-packed racing. First up was a last chance qualifier, with nine places in the World Final up for grabs following the withdrawal of leading Irish qualifier 33 John McQuillan. Microstox graduate 160 Jacques West took an early lead of the 33-car race in his Nissan Micra and ultimately went on to take the flag. It wasn’t all plain sailing though as 341 Austen Freestone demoted him at the second attempt (after first being put back when yellow flags came out as he made the move first time around), before being spun from the lead by 4 Paul Brown with just a lap to go. West came through to win from experienced campaigners 116 Diggy Smith and 23 Lee Pearce, with Freestone recovering for fourth, and former European Champion 473 Dean Moat also making it through in seventh. Sadly though, West’s engine blew as he crossed the line, and he wasn’t able to take his place in the World Final, promoting 191 Luke Leedell as first reserve. 

The grid for the World Final, with draws between the equivalent seeds from Trackstar, Spedeworth, Scotland and Northern Ireland, therefore lined up as follows: 

Carnage at the start left 333 Daniel Weavers in the lead while one of the favourites for victory, 216 Dan Booth was effectively eliminated when 149 Todd Payne attacked him. Former champion 171 Adam O’Dell moved into second with defending champion 129 Will Morphey third as early yellow flags were called to assist Irishman 52 Aaron Rainey.

At the restart, Weavers took advantage of a lapped runner between himself and the chasing pack to open a small gap as Luke Morphey moved past his nephew into second. O’Dell spun the younger Morphey into the infield and was then turned around himself by the lapped 51 Tommy Aylward. All that allowed the front two, who had a large gap between each other, to pull clear of their pursuers, now headed by 781 Scott Sparrow with Diggy Smith already into fourth spot. Smith quickly demoted Sparrow but made little impression on the two in front and was then passed by Lee Pearce.

Out front, Weavers continued to control the race, but in the closing stages, 46 Paul Aylward was setting himself up to cause trouble and help the Spedeworth runners. Weavers managed to spin Aylward on the back straight of the penultimate lap and then avoid him next time around to secure an impressive win, with Morphey, Pearce and Smith following him home. Former British Champion 371 Mark Bloss came home fifth, with Austen Freestone completing the top six.

Result

Two allcomers races followed, with Smith charging through to win both. A three-abreast clutch-start dash for cash was set to complete the programme but sadly had to be abandoned after 794 Chris Brown needed treatment from the medical staff. He was turned into a marker tyre on the first bend, before bouncing out into the traffic and being clattered hard into the fence. It was a sad way to end, but did not diminish an excellent night’s racing. Thankfully following a trip to hospital, Chris was discharged from hospital with a bruised back but no long lasting damage and is already raring to get back behind the wheel!