Pictures: Damien Widdows
Report: Mark Paulson
A huge crowd enjoyed a thrilling night of action on Halloween Carnival Night at the Adrian Flux Arena on Saturday (28 October). The main honours went to 209 Tom Waller (Unlimited Bangers King of the Fens and 25-and-under Championship of Great Britain), 473 Dean Moat (1300 Stock Cars) and 03 Scott Russell (Reliant Robins).
Unlimited Bangers
The massive 86-car turnout included an array of fantastic machinery. Among the number were six hearses (for 222 Matty High, 246 Aston Burt, 282 Bobby Daniels, 514 Charlie Taylor, 791 Nicky Young, and 883 Jack Filmer) and several limos (including for 174 Curtis Rathbone, 328 Daniel Lathan and 768 Danny McSweeney), while 388 Taylor Sowter impressed with a Lincoln Town Car.
The first of the two heats doubled up as the 25-and-under Championship of Great Britain and fielded 35 cars. From the front of the grid, 769 Ben Englestone and 24 Connor Kelly-Ratcliffe set the early pace as they avoided the crashes, spins and tangles that afflicted many others. But 733 Kyle Picton put Englestone into the wall and passed Kelly-Ratcliffe for the lead, only to go out himself on bend four. That allowed Burt’s late-model Daimler hearse into the lead, from where he built a big advantage and looked set to achieve the rare feat of winning a championship race in a hearse. It wasn’t to be however, as his lead was wiped out by a race stoppage to assist 416 Josh Riley-Spokes who had been involved in the entertaining battle that was taking place between southern teams the Bears and Sowter/Filmer. That was highlighted in particular by Taylor Sowter immediately turning his car against the flow to cause as much trouble as possible and earning himself an antertainers’ award in the process.
After the restart, Burt got taken out on bend two, then Tom Waller spun the leading 88 Lyndon Stark with a last-bend lunge to take the win. It was close though, as he delayed himself in the process and almost allowed 757 Callum Gill to sneak by on the inside, but that line was a little too wet. So Gill was second and Stark recovered for third.
With a few late arrivals not making it on track until the consolation, heat two fielded 42 cars. The big hits continued to come, with an impressive wrecking train leading to a track blockage on the scoreboard bend, which delighted the crowd. Out front, 22 Dave Vincent continued his good form by passing 830 Lee White for the win, with 266 Callum Hall following them home.
The raceway was packed with around 50 cars for the consolation which again produced some terrific action as cars pounded in with big hit after big hit, particularly on the scoreboard bend which was blocked from time to time. Young had 327 Mick Maskell Jr embedded in the back of his hearse, and then was treated to a head-on by 326 Shane Lynn. The action left very few cars running, with 673 Darren Fendley taking the win from 185 Polly Reade.
Non-qualifiers were allowed to start at the back of the King of Fens final, bolstering the field to around 40 cars. This time it was the road bend where a huge pile-up soon formed. Few held back as they ploughed into the chaos, with 419 Laura Quadling’s flat-chat shot particularly worthy of the entertainers’ award she earned. The heavy hitting left few cars circulating once more, and so Waller doubled up to take his second title of the night from Gill and 333 Daniel Weavers. 830 Lee White, who had been on the receiving end of an on-opposite hit from Taylor Sowter was the last of the runners in fourth.
Action-packed allcomers and DD contests completed the night, with Gill finally taking the laurels in a race.
1300cc Stock Cars
The 40-car entry of little stock cars included Scottish visitors 31 Ian and 631 Peter Low, but was otherwise largely home-based, demonstrating the strength of the formula.
In a two-thirds heat format, the first also served as both the white and yellow race, and the second running of the 25-and-under Championship of Great Britain. After a long break, returnee 141 Mark Freeman led from start to finish, although he was almost pipped on the line by 241 Beau Southgate after running wide on the final bend. Southgate duly took the U25 honours from 312 Jake Burgess – who was fourth overall behind Peter Low – and top red-grader 422 Martin Taylor.
Souhgate’s success continued in heat two when he just held off a fast-closing 473 Dean Moat for the win, with 535 Conner Sheldrake third. 702 Allen Cooper then took the third heat after a good scrap with 317 Lauren Overy. Cooper had moved ahead when Overy was slightly delayed by backmarkers, then successfully held off the teenager’s last bend lunge. 390 Karl Morris completed the top three.
In the final, Moat finally took his Mk6 Fiesta to its maiden victory, a result which should see him start progressing back up the grades from his uncharacteristically low yellow. The lower graded drivers had taken advantage while the blues and reds took lumps out of each other, with 557 Jake Banwell getting himself in hot water after putting early leader Peter Low into the wall. Spedeworth visitor 183 Ryan Jordan and Sheldrake completed the podium places.
Reliant Robins
In the final fixture of the season, new British champion 385 Roy Gedge clinched the points championship with an opening heat win and runners-up position in the second. But Russell brothers 03 Scott and 9 Dale were the real stars of the night in terms of race success (there were of course plenty of rollover antics as always, to entertain the crowd).
Dale and Scott followed Gedge home in heat one, then Scott turned the tables to win heat two. He doubled up with victory in the final, sending himself into a roll in celebration, with James Ellis and Dale following him home. Gedge earned himself an entertainers’ award for some big hits in that one, but clinches the silver roof by nearly 100 points from 553 Daniel Douglas who failed to score all night.