Report: Mark Paulson
Leicestershire’s Nigel Green prevailed in a hard-hitting BriSCA F1 stock car contest at King’s Lynn on Saturday night. New British champion Will Mophey continued his run of form by claiming the 1300cc stock car final, and sophomore driver Jack Witts was the Ministox victor.
BriSCA F1 stock car
Another strong turnout of 42 cars belied fears over the current state of F1 on shale, and the racing they served up put the naysayers even further into the shade. An entertaining white & yellow grade race was won by 293 Eliot Smith after the leading trio of 415 Russell Cooper, 268 Richard Woods and 45 Nigel Harrhy all went by the wayside – Wood and Harrhy crashed out together, while Cooper spun himself out on the next bend. Smith was there to take advantage, while Harrhy recovered to second with 32 Chris Farnell third.
Heat one proper went the way of 84 Tom Harris. The Hitman made rapid early progress, rising to third within a few laps. He then picked off early leader 364 Robert Plant just before half-distance, and dispatched 175 Karl Hawkins to take a comfortable win. Hawkins held on for second, with world champion 1 Frankie Wainman Jr third.
Yellow top 338 Chris Broksopp took a commanding win in heat two. He quickly hit the front and broke clear while the rest squabbled, eventually winning by nearly half a lap. Behind him, the battles raged. Debuting his much-anticipated new car, 197 Ryan Harrison was looking strong until he tangled with local man 16 Mat Newson, as 390 Stuart Smith Jr and 55 Craig Finnikin established themselves as the top red-roofed runners. The pair exchanged places several times as they moved into second and third. Finnikin was ahead on the penultimate lap when 207 Ben Hurdman and 166 Bobby Griffin tangled on the scoreboard bend just in front, and was delayed more than the pursuing Smith. The Rochdale man’s unchecked momentum moved him ahead on the back straight, but Finnikin wasn’t done and hit back with a last-bend lunge to secure second.
The consolation was claimed by 463 James Morris from Griffin and star men 2 Paul Harrison and 212 Danny Wainman who safely made the final at the second attempt.
The final proved to be another terrific race. 244 Mick Rogers broke through from the yellow grade to lead for a few laps before tangling with Brocksopp, which promoted Morris to the front from Newson. Morris still led on half-distance when a caution was required after several of the battling red grade collided on the home straight. The aftermath of that left Harris in second from Ryan Harrison, Newson and Paul Harrison, with 259 Paul Hines, Smith and 445 Nigel Green next up.
Harris moved straight ahead, and was followed through by Ryan Harrison, Newson and Smith, before Morris spun himself out of contention. Those four continued to battle hard into the closing stages. Sensing a debut win for the new car, Harrison put the bumper in hard with just over a lap to go. It delayed both him and Harris, but they managed to continue in front, only to crash out on the next bend. And through the commotion, Green was in the right place to come through and claim his first final victory at King’s Lynn, heading home Paul Harrison, Smith and Hines. Brocksopp was fifth, with Newson completing the top six, as Harris and Ryan Harrison trailed home ninth and tenth.
The first half of the grand national was led by Woods until he was pushed wide by Newson, only for Smith to divide inside the pair. From there, he motored to the win, while Newson survived a last-bend lunge from Finnikin to take second. Green managed a strong sixth from the full-lap handicap, aided by an early yellow flag.
1300cc Stock Cars
Two weeks after their British championship at the same track, there was another strong entry of 40 1300cc stock cars which competed in two from three heats, split by grade. In the white & yellow grade opener, 142 Jack Lower pulled off from the lead with only a lap to go, allowing 303 Dougie George to take the win. George made a successful last-bend lunge on 390 Karl Morris, presumably not realising the latter was a lap down.
A rumbustious heat two was won by new British champion 129 Will Morphey. He exchanged the lead with 422 Martin Taylor, eventually breaking clear when father 29 George Mophey delayed the Yorkshireman – and the pursuing 713 Ian Beaumont in the process. Taylor held onto second, while the unfortunate Beaumont was then fenced by 116 Diggy Smith twice.
A quieter heat three was led from start to finish by former two-litre man 389 Ryan Santry, who headed home George.
The final was a cracking race. After leading for several laps, 90 Dalton Leedell’s race ended in the fence, as Santry briefly moved ahead. But with backmarkers involved, a huge packed of cars jostled for position at the front of the field. The action was briefly interrupted by a caution period to remove a marker tyre from the racing line, with 23 Lee Pearce leading the Morpheys, George ahead of Will, from Smith, Santry and 450 Luke Jackson. Will Morphey took the lead with three laps to go, then survived a banzai last-bend lunge from Pearce to take the win. Pearce took himself into the fence and couldn’t get his car restarted, so Smith came through for second, with Jackson completing the trophy places.
Ministox
In their first outing of the season at the track, there were 28 under-16s in action. 8 Catherine Harris took heats one and three in fairly dominant fashion, sandwiching a success for 1 Charlie Guinchard. 180 Jack Witts, second in both his heats, then completed a good night by heading home Guinchard and Harris in a relatively quiet final.