Report: Mark Paulson

Pics: Damien Widdows

A huge crowd witnessed Saturday night’s Halloween Carnival Night at the Adrian Flux Arena, where a large entry of Unlimited Bangers put on a display of heavy crashing. Middlesbrough’s Tony Citro was crowned King of the Fens, while Peterborough’s Brett Jackson scooped the 25-and-under Championship of Great Britain. Support came from 1300cc Stock Cars, with Spalding driver Dan Booth taking the under-25 title in his one and only attempt, and Lynn local Austen Freestone winning the meeting final, and Reliant Robins, with Londoner Dale Russell the main winner.

Unlimited Bangers

The 83-car turnout included a hearse for 282 Bobby Daniels, big American limousines for Surrey duo 388 Taylor Sowter and 403 George Tickner, while 791 Nicky Young returned his Yank and 514 Charlie Taylor raced a Volvo limo. 

Heat one doubled-up as the eighth staging of the 25-and-under Championship of Great Britain, with 34 cars on track. Twice former winner 382 Jack Foster Jr was an early spinner as 266 Callum Hall led the early stages from 377 Zak Street. There were lots of hits going in, with Tickner getting well involved on the road bend and 125 Nathan Lake taking advantage of the new rules on turning around in his Toyota Previa on the scoreboard bend. Hall would prove to be one of Lake’s victims, while all the leaders had to negotiate the gauntlet past Lake on the final bend each lap. Street survived to take the flag from 790 Nathan Young and 551 Brett Jackson, with Foster recovering well and taking fourth from 155 Sam Coote late on. However, Jackson was sure he had won and a post-meeting check of the video revealed he was indeed the true winner.

A few late arrivals left heat two with 40 cars. It began with a bang when 791 ‘Spud’ blew up 51 Les Jackson, in his first appearance for several years, on the home straight. Early red flags for a shunt involving 22 Dave Vincent, 222 Matt High and 396 Karl Turner left 711 Alex Elliott, one of many Bears racing on the night, in the lead. He didn’t stay there long on the resumption as the hits continued to come in. 421 Nigel Riley dumped 200 Simon Ellis into a marker until to get bounced in the wall in crunching fashion himself, while a massive shot from 399 Jonny Atkin  on 318 Tony Citro, who had been delayed by 44 Jamie Ddin, led to an early red-and-chequered finish. 288 Carl Sowter had had a big lead, and duly claimed the win from 148 Ian Redden and 611 Joe Geeves.

A field of more than 40 cars for the consolation featured plenty of action at both ends of the track including a rollover on the road bend before 521 Ash Riley put away 888 Lloyd Stark and a red-and-chequered finish gave the win to 313 John Cullingford.

Non-qualifiers were allowed to start at the back of the final which raised around 32 cars after the hard-hitting action of the previous races. Lake continued to cause trouble on the scoreboard bend, alongside Tickner, before 887 Liam Stark, Daniels and Taylor formed a wrecking train on the same corner. Spud joined in the bend four shenanigans and took shots at Geeves and Vincent, allowing his brother 790 ‘Nafe’ into the lead. Coote then had a spell in front but it was Citro who came through for the win from 601 Chris Medler and Vincent.

337 Ashley Garrod was blasted at the start of the allcomers race when he was slow away, as outgoing national points champion 673 Darren Fendley took the win from Medler and 88 Lyndon Stark.

1300cc Stock Cars

A 35-car entry, despite a clashing Spedeworth fixture at Eastbourne, was good going. The category’s first-ever 25-and-under Championship of Great Britain opened proceedings, before three all-in races. 

The U25 race gridded 16 cars in graded order but with closed-up grades. From the front of the grid, 101 Jake Perry built a big lead, while from nearer the back, 422 Martin Taylor was making good progress, up to fourth by the end of the first lap before dropping back again. After a few laps, the order settled down into Perry leading from 90 Dalton Leedell, 341 Austen Freestone and then, ominously, superstars 216 Dan Booth and 149 Todd Payne. Leedell dropped back when Freestone dumped him wide, then Booth edged inside Freestone to take second before yellow flags were required to assist 55 Ricky Ivatt who had been clobbered head-on by Leedell while stationary.

The suspension lost Perry his lead gap but it had been narrowing anyway. He made a good restart but by the end of the lap, Booth, Freestone and Payne had closed him down and moved ahead, with four laps remaining. Programme feature star Booth then cleared off into the distance to take the win while Freestone and Payne scrapped over second, the former eventually prevailing. 317 Lauren Overy, Perry and 316 Danny McCluskey completed the top six.

The 33-car heat one proper was action-packed and featured three stoppages. 41 Kevin Freestone, in nephew Ryley’s car, put away 838 Ady Wales before 66 Carl Morgan was launched up the bend two wall, bringing out the yellows. The second and third were required to assist 681 Dan Moore and Overy respectively. 550 Terry Hannant had led the early laps but it was Payne who came through to win from Freestone and Booth as the pack swarmed across the line together.

Perry led much of the way in heat two but Freestone eventually overhauled him before doubling-up in the final with a win from 780 Simon Sparrow and his elder brother 340 Wes Freestone. That had also featured a couple of yellow flag periods after Hannant and Perry had set the early pace, with Freestone eventually spinning Hannant from the lead and Sparrow doing likewise to remove Payne from second.

Reliant Robins

A 15-car three-wheeled entry was decent, if slightly down from expected. The races featured their usual multiple rollovers and mayhem, and were well shared around. 385 Roy Gedge took a comfortable win in the first before 553 Daniel Douglas claimed the second. The visiting 9 Dale Russell then got the verdict in the final after a close battle with second-placed Gedge in a race that saw a red-and-chequered finish, with 85 James Ellis completing the top three.