Report: Mark Paulsom
Pics: Damien Widdows, Colin Casserley & Kevin Wickham
The 2017 season stock car racing season kicked off with three classes in action at King’s Lynn. Yorkshireman Tony Blackburn claimed the main honours in the BriSCA Formula Two world qualifying round, while Norfolk drivers Simon Welton and Billy Smith both retained the respective Clive Grief Memorial trophies in the two-litre and 1300cc stock cars.
BriSCA Formula Two
There was a capacity entry of 63 cars for the annual world qualifying round at the Adrian Flux Arena, with more who were unable to get bookings on the reserve list. Among those in the pits were six Dutch visitors, although sadly they did not include world champion H124 Wim Peeters who suffered mechanical problems in the week before the meeting. Four Scotsmen made the trip, headed by national points champion 7 Gordon Moodie, and there were also a number of travellers from the south-west, not usually a hotbed for shale racers. Former world champion 783 James Rygor, 111 Lewis Geach and returning veteran 613 Ian Serpell all plan full seasons on the loose, however.
Several of the long-distance travellers aiming to make a weekend of it will have been disappointed by the postponement of Stoke’s meeting the following day after heavy rainfall. Thankfully, after plenty had fallen over King’s Lynn in the week too, the forecast for Saturday dramatically improved in the run up to the meeting, with the rain holding off until over halfway through.
There were a number of new cars in the pits, as well as others in new hands, and a number of new faces altogether; all part and parcel of why there is so much anticipation at the start of a new season.
The field was split in half for the opening heats. It didn’t take long for the year’s first rollover victim, as a pile-up on the road bend led to 55 Courtney Finnikin inverting her brand new car in the first race. H281 Daniel van Spijker then did the same to his new machine in the second, and track champion 226 Billy Webster completed the hat trick by rolling his own new car in the curtain-closing grand national. In between times, 488 Liam Bentham claimed the opening heat and 606 Andrew Palmer took the second. For Palmer, it was the fifth meeting out of six at the track in which he had won his qualifying heat – and he came second in the other; some record. A packed consolation from which, like the heats, 12 would qualify for the final, was won by 298 Jake Walker after the track was made slippery by mid-race rain.
The final was two cars short of the full complement, and was led away by H2 Joeke Visser before local man 715 Scott Aldridge took over in his new Randall. Further back, 103 Carl Issitt, 871 Mark Simpson and Palmer were making good progress. But Palmer’s bid for a third heat-and-final double in four meetings at the track was brought to a halt when 12 Daniel Ford inadvertently took him into the fence. After the resulting yellow flags, H799 Ad Kamps relieved Aldridge of the lead but it wasn’t long before Simpson hit the front. However, his lead wouldn’t last long either as he slowed with a rear wheel issue in the closing laps. 225 Tony Blackburn, who had qualified via the consolation, moved ahead with two laps remaining and held off Issitt to the flag.
“To be honest, I didn’t realise I was in that high a place,” laughed Blackburn afterwards. An impressive run from yellow graded 259 Simon Farrington completed the trophy places, while 905 Rob Mitchell, Aldridge and the hobbled Simpson rounded out the top six.
Visser again set the early pace in the grand national either side of a complete restart due to Webster’s roll. This time, 995 Michael Lund moved ahead around half-distance. He took a comfortable win from Farrington and Issitt, both going well once more, while Blackburn struggled to make much impression from the lap handicap, finishing just outside the top 10.
Three strong results leave 46-year-old local Issitt – whose son Pat was making his debut – at the top of both the King’s Lynn track championship and the world qualifying standings after the first weekend of the season.
Two-Litre Saloon Stock Cars
Slightly down on the usual entry for this popular meeting, and lower than had been expected due to a few drivers struggling to get their cars ready in time, a 41-car turnout (with one not making it on track) was nonetheless a healthy field. They included Dutch debutant 32 Frankie van Riet and English-domiciled Northern Irishman 62 David Hearst. The latter’s countrymen 711 Anthony and 811 Kieran McIvor made the long journey, taking advantage of combining the outing with Wimbledon’s meeting the following day.
The usual two-from-three format, split by grades, was deployed for the heats. The first was won by 99 Jacob Roff in his smartly-prepared ex-Deane Mayes car, just holding off 399 Cole Atkins to the flag. White-graded Roff showed that was no fluke when he followed home 2009 world champion 360 Carl Waterfield in heat two. He wasn’t far from taking that too, running deep into the final bend in anticipation of a lunge from Waterfield, and then being out-dragged on the run to the flag.
Heat three was led for much of the way by 538 Jake Swann who took advantage of most of the rest of the yellow grade tangling with each other early on. He remained in front until a brush with the lap-down 499 David Aldous delayed him, allowing 218 Jacob Downey through. The Wisbech driver held on to win from Swann and world champion 6 Simon Welton.
Roff’s luck ran out when he spun early on in the Clive Grief Memorial final. Instead, 127 Will Longford impressed as he led for several laps but then spun soon after 525 Wes Starmer had taken over. After a caution period, 26 Tommy Barnes took over before himself spinning after Welton had charged through to take the lead. Welton never looked back, pulling away to win by a big margin and becoming the first man to lift the trophy twice in the process. He was followed home by 306 Daniel Parker and 349 Michael Allard after 570 Simon Venni, who had been looking a major threat, was caught out by the spun 47 Chris Partridge.
1300cc Stock Cars
The smaller saloon-based stock cars were contesting their own version of the Clive Grief Memorial. Three of the 46 cars in the pits failed to make it on track, but there were still enough for a full format meeting.
The opener was won by defending title holder 161 Billy Smith. He scythed through the field to take the lead with one lap remaining after 681 Dan Moore, who held onto second, had been leading all the way. The second heat was then won by Spedeworth visitor 46 Paul Aylward, and a thin-on-the-ground consolation fell to 512 Anthony Leveridge.
573 Shane Moat, who had qualified through the consolation after missing his heat, took the lead after an early caution period in the final but by that stage Smith was already into third and the writing looked to be on the wall. Smith easily moved in front and reeled off the laps to successfully defend his title. Moat held onto second with Aylward third. Top home driver 216 Dan Booth was fourth ahead of 673 John Moat, Shane’s father. Completing the top six was European champion 713 Ian Beaumont who had again looked quick on another visit from Essex.
The action was rounded off with another win for Aylward in the allcomers race to make him the top scorer of the day. Newly Trackstar-licensed Smith didn’t look interested in going for the win in this one, but had already done enough to sit on top of the first Trackstar national points chart of the season.