Report: Mark Paulsom

Pics: Damien Widdows

Daniel Parker became the first man to be crowned 25-and-under Champion of Great Britain on two occasions in Saloon Stock Cars on Saturday (15 April) at King’s Lynn on a night bursting with action across all three formulas.

Two-Litre Saloon Stock Cars

Yet another entry topping 40 cars were in action on the second day of a busy weekend in which some drivers were aiming to contest four meetings in four days at Northampton, King’s Lynn, St Day in Cornwall, and Taunton.

Nineteen of those took part in the seventh staging of the 25-and-under championship of Great Britain which was first on track and doubled-up as heat one in a two-from-three format. The race traditionally starts in graded order but bumper-to-bumper, so it didn’t take long for the blues and reds to make progress through the field. After spells in the lead for 399 Cole Atkins and 99 Jacob Roth, 538 Jake Swann hit the front from 306 Daniel Parker and defending champion 218 Jacob Downey. The last-named was delayed with two laps to run when he hit the spun 161 Billy Smith head on, setting up a two-horse race to the flag. Parker prevailed when he dumped Swann wide, to regain the title he first won three years earlier. 888 Shane Emerson completed the trophy placings.

Heat two was won by world champion 6 Simon Welton with ease. He took the lead from 420 Ivan Street with four laps to go and survived a scare when 78 Jack Thompson spun in front of him with only a lap and a half left. Welton clobbered the spun car and picked up some damage but it wasn’t enough to stop him claiming yet another win at the track, from Street and 499 David Aldous.

The third heat, in which Welton retired, featured a lot of hard hits and an excellent lead battle between 321 Marcus Skeels (on his first outing of the season), 349 Michael Allard, 570 Simon Venni and 386 Daniel Petters. Venni eventually managed to break away and pulled clear for the win from 730 Deane Mayes and Skeels.

Going into the final, all eyes were on Welton who had won both previous finals at the track this year and was on for a £500 bonus if he could make it hat trick. Sadly, it made him a marked man, particularly with Smith and the Barnes brothers (26 Tommy and 131 Timmy) who launched attack after attack on Welton’s machine, following it in twice, Banger-style, and forcing him into retirement. Further heavy action in the race caused two cautions and two complete stoppages, the second when 304 Martyn Parker became another victim of Smith.

Roff and Skeels again enjoyed spells in front before Allard took over, only to be spun out by Aldous who then built a big lead ahead of the final stoppage. With his lead eliminated, he had work to do again, but shook off the challenge of Downey and Allard to ease clear for the win. Allard got caught out by backmarkers on the back straight, and so Daniel Parker came through for second on a great night for the Norwich driver, ahead of Downey, Allard and the in-form duo of Street and Swann.

Action in the meeting-closing allcomers came from a complete rollover for 192 Robert Heanes and Skeels being treated to a trip up and round the wall by 220 Casey Englestone. It was remarkably similar to his famous crash last year, although at the other end of the track. 425 Tom Balls impressed with his pace before dropping back in the closing stages as Allard won from Aldous and Welton.

Unlimited Bangers

There were two titles on the line for the 66-strong Unlimited entry, where cars of the meeting came from the three limos fielded by Shunters team-mates  32 Alan Wombwell (Daimler DS420), 513 Sean Harvey (Mercedes) and 514 Charlie Taylor (Cadillac Fleetwood), fellow Shunter 174 Curtis Rathbone’s massive station wagon, plus an Omega limo for late arrival 921 Jack Aldridge.

First up was the 2016 White & Yellow grade series final. 551 Brett Jackson dominated the 25-car field to lead from flag to flag and take the title from 95 Anton Martin and 548 Alex Utting. Harvey caused trouble with his broadside car, while 178 Kieran Bowman looked to spice things up by turning his Previa round, only to lose out when 791 Nicky Young gave him a big head-on which brought the race to a premature end.

Also running to a two-thirds format, heat two was claimed by 757 Callum Gill, who was set to defend the Easy Anglian title later in the night. 821 Ryan Preston had led much of the way but lost out late on. Entertainers awards were claimed by Wombwell, 43 Nicky Bishop, 79 Ricky Twell and 170 Chris Shipp who all had fun with some big hits on the road bend.

Heat three went to 597 Andy Ashman as Taylor enjoyed putting his Fleetwood about, earning himself an entertainers award, along with 266 Callum Hall and 388 Taylor Sowter.

The 40-car East Anglian championship proved to be an epic with no less than five red-flag stoppages required. The first was for Shipp’s car on its side, and the second came when 132 Robert James dished out a big head-on, with another needed when Harvey followed in 960 Ross Winsor. A near track blockage on the road bend brought about the fourth stoppage, and then three laps from home, a fifth was required when 247 Lee Clarke exacted some revenge on Harvey who had taken him out of the lead a lap earlier. Clarke had been battling with Gill, 209 Tom Waller and 617 Jack Overy in an excellent race, as the quartet sought to avoid lurking cars on each bend. Eventually it was Overy who prevailed, taking the title he had last won in 2005, from Waller and 673 Darren Fendley, with Clarke the only other finisher. A few then rejoined for the destruction derby, in which 662 Dalton Smith outlasted the opposition.

1300cc Stock Cars

In the restricted entry of 30 1300s, 316 Danny McCluskey took the opener after a last-bend lunge from 400 Kevin Shinn (debuting a new car) didn’t quite come off. Heat two, which featured a roll for 412 Jordan Gay, was won by 216 Dan Booth in a tight finish. Booth took the lead from 550 Terry Hannant at the start of the final lap, but both slowed going down the back straight, as neither wanted to be a car length ahead – and therefore open to attack – going into the final bend. The tactic worked for Booth, who was on the inside, but left Hannant open to a move from 2 Ellie Dawson who managed to sneak into second, her best result in the formula.

Only 15 cars survived the action in the heats to take part in the final. Booth doubled-up to win that, relieving 573 Shane Moat of the lead with two laps to go. Moat then slipped back to fifth, as 450 Luke Jackson came home second, ahead of 473 Dean Moat’s new Mk6 Fiesta in its debut meeting.

Unfortunately the 216 machine had a problem with post meeting scrutineering which promoted 2 Ellie Dawson into the number one spot in heat 2 - her first ever win and 450 Luke Jackson became the final victor