Report: Mark Paulson

Visiting teen sensation Tom Foster was crowned Shale World Champion in Two-Litre Bangers at King’s Lynn on Saturday (20 August), on a night when the home contingent had a meeting to forget. Also in action were the Two-Litre Saloon Stock Cars where track champion David Aldous lifted the Jack Dain Trophy, and Junior Bangers where Jamie Hopkins came, saw and conquered.

Two-Litre Bangers

The 75-car entry was slightly down on some previous years but still an impressive number, packed with quality, with many smart cars on display in a field comprising mainly Ford Mondeos. There were some exceptions to Mondeo City, with the well turned-out Vauxhall Vectra of 352 Ben Mynott and Toyota Celica of 128 Andrew Shipp being notable examples.

First up was a 36-car last chance qualifier for the last six places (plus race entertainers) on the grid for the big race. 125 Nathan Lake led from start to finish, with an early chequered flag being called to assist 183 Karl Thorpe after he had been caught in the carnage of a huge shot from 306 Nicky Bell, which earned the latter one of the important entertainer awards. The other went to 779 Luke Allen for a blitzing of 155 Sam Coote. 10 Ben Collins and southern visitor 271 Dean Goodearl followed Lake home, while 16 Dan Fisher, 309 Michael Lane and 27 Terry King completed the qualifiers.

After a parade for the 46 World Finalists, an Incarace draw was held which left home youngster 11 Ryan Leeks on pole position alongside 551 Brett Jackson. The front five rows were filled with Trackstar drivers, raising hopes of a home success, with the full grid – missing Trackstar qualifier 8 James Jackson who suffered car problems – lining up as follows:

A frantic affair begun with 390 David Gibson taking the lead, but he was quickly passed by 338 Terry Garrod, with the latter’s brother 337 Ashley Garrod slipping into third. The trio went three-abreast around bends three and four with Ashley moving in front. He then spun 399 Jonny Atkin across his bows to remove the threat from Gibson’s team-mate but it delayed Garrod enough to let Gibson into the lead, while Terry Garrod was suffering at the hands of 180 Mark Foster who attacked him relentlessly throughout the whole race. A big pile-up on bend three ended with Shipp on his roof, with the resulting red flag giving everyone a chance to catch their breath.

Gibson led the field away on the resumption, followed by Ashley Garrod, 830 Lee White – who promptly blew up – and 247 Lee ‘Bro’ Clarke. The remaining three then engaged in an excellent scrap with lots of changing places, before Garrod’s team-mate 938 Adam Tuck got involved, edging Gibson wide to let Garrod through. As Atkin tried to help out Gibson on the back straight, other cars trying to get involved left Gibbo with nowhere to go and he ended up blasting into his Mad Hatters team-mate, just as Garrod was slowing to retire.

Suddenly, former champion 328 Daniel Lathan was in the lead from 82 Tom Foster and Bro. The latter managed to force his way back to the front as Lathan copped some damage and begun limping around on three wheels. Though Clarke eked out a small gap, with just a couple of laps to go Foster was catching. He made up just enough ground to launch a last-bend lunge, side-swiping Clarke into the corner. Clarke held on and as the cars exited the final bend it was a drag race to the line. The 18-year old Skegness representative Foster managed to win it by just inches, with a disappointed Bro repeating his result from a year earlier in second, his third consecutive trophy placing without yet managing to grab the gold. 599 Matty Butcher completed the top three, with Lathan hanging onto fourth and Ben Collins the top home driver in fifth.

Thereafter, two well-subscribed allcomers races followed. The first featured Tuck following in 841 Stuart Carmen, and a big first-bend pile-up which almost blocked the track, with Mark Foster coming through to take the flag. However, he was docked two places for starting in the wrong grade, handing the win to Butcher from 817 Kurt Jacobs.

The second allcomers race begun with 285 Sean Dyer being blasted head-on into 138 Ant Timmins’ spun machine, leading to red flags and a complete restart. At the second attempt, 89 Joe Barrett earned an entertainers award for blasting 720 Kenny Gabriel Jr into Timmins’ car, with Gabriel then also blitzed by 423 Danny Oliver. The other entertainers awards went to 67 Rickie Beasley and 349 Lewis Price, who whacked 604 Ross Cooper head-on. Out front, Goodearl raced to the win from 623 Ricky Hutton and Mark Foster.

Two-Litre Saloon Stock Cars

When a 30-car turnout for the Heavy Metal Brigade is by far the lowest of the season at the track, you know the formula must be in a healthy state. The entry included 702 Jordan Eagle in the Banwell hire car and a first appearance since April for 19 Darren Mansi, borrowing 448 Martin Kibble’s car after his suffered extensive damage at Ipswich.

The White & Yellow Grade opener was won by Mansi, his first ever trophy placing in the formula (albeit in a non-national points scoring race), as he put in a controlled drive to lead from start to finish. Mansi survived attacks from 538 Jake Swann, who later spun, and one on the final bend from 124 Ollie Skeels who had to settle for second, with 525 Wes Starmer third.

Heat one proper was led away by 126 Harry Barnes before 425 Tom Balls took over and Mansi’s luck ran out with a spin on the back straight. 321 Marcus Skeels then took the lead before yellow flags were required when 800 Scott Greenslade was left facing the traffic on bend four. Skeels and then Scottish visitor 600 Barry Russell both retired from the lead, allowing 131 Timmy Barnes and 220 Casey Englestone to have spells in front before another yellow flag was required to clear debris from the raceway after a big bend four pile-up. Englestone led them away but 349 Michael Allard quickly powered through from third place. The race built to a grandstand finish as first 570 Simon Venni moved in front, only for Allard to resume the lead with 733 Kyle Picton following him through with a lap and a half to go. Picton, who only made his seasonal debut in June, hunted down his more experienced rival and pulled off a perfect last-bend lunge to take his sixth win of the season, with Allard, Venni and Englestone following him home.

Heat two left Mansi in the wars again as, after leading initially, he was turned into the back straight fence, performing a complete roll back onto his wheels before being heavily collected. A caution period ensued with Skeels brothers 124 Ollie and 131 Marcus leading the pack. The former proceeded to pull clear from Englestone and 399 Cole Atkins who moved into second and third, while behind them, an excellent scrap was developing between champions 428 Lee Sampson, 499 David Aldous and 6 Simon Welton. That ended with Welton spinning Aldous. While Ollie Skeels was romping away to victory, the lap-down Allard had other ideas, taking him wide on the final bend, which allowed 730 Deane Mayes to nip through for the win, with Welton, Englestone and Venni also overtaking Skeels.

Ollie Skeels suffered further misfortune in the final. He quickly took up the running before second-placed Marcus Skeels got caught out by a spinning backmarker. Englestone, who was having one of his best meetings of the season, spun the impressive Picton from second, but Welton gradually caught him and took the place with three laps to go, only for Aldous to move inside the pair. Then the elder Skeels’ bad luck arrived as he managed to get caught up in a back straight pile-up with just a lap and a half to go. He got hooked up on his brother’s car and couldn’t escape, which allowed Aldous to charge through and take the Jack Dain Trophy, winning from Welton, Englestone and Allard.

An allcomers raced ended the Saloons’ programme, with Ollie Skeels finally converting his pace into a win from Aldous and Allard. The race had begun with Venni getting charged hard into the fence by the pack, and Marcus Skeels and Timmy Barnes trading blows, before Ollie Skeels took a lead he wouldn’t relinquish. Big-scoring meetings for both Aldous and Allard meant that the defending track champion ate marginally into Allard’s narrow lead in this year’s table, with that particular points chase looking set to go to the wire.

Junior Bangers

A strong entry of 27 Junior Bangers put on some entertaining racing. Their first race featured a rollover for 335 Lee White, as 114 Luke Spinks and 47 Chloe McNeil enjoyed spells in front before 16 Jamie Hopkins came through to take the win from 801 Mason Foster and 997 Wayne Cottrill.

Heat two was led most of the way by 752 Jamie Cunningham but 999 Louie Cottrill took over with two laps remaining, going on to take his first win on debut, from 308 Adam Richardson and Wayne Cottrill.

Hopkins then doubled-up in the final, after Louie Cottrill had led most of the way before slipping back, and Foster took a big fencing. Wayne Cottrill and 608 Lennie Murkin completed the trophy placings.