Pictures: Dave Bastock
The stock car racing season finally kicked into gear at King’s Lynn on 24 March when BriSCA F1 came to town, with local favourite 326 Mark Sargent upsetting the form book by streaking to success in the meeting final. Also in action were BriSCA Formula Two stock cars, with 871 Mark Simpson taking the spoils, and the Heritage Formula Two stock cars, where it was 311 Granville Wright who took the main final.
BriSCA F1
Nearly 50 cars were in action for the wild card world qualifying round, including Dutchmen 54 Sierd de Vries and 295 Willem Zwerver, and a first time racing at King’s Lynn since graduating full-time to F1 for 211 Phoebe Wainman.
First up was the 2017 White & Yellow Grade Series Final, which this year was a standalone race. Sargent’s night didn’t get off to the best start when he was the cause of a stoppage, with flames belching from his exhaust while stranded on the racing line. Typically, he was able to get the car running again as the race came under caution. Out front, 32 Chris Farnell and 463 James Morris enjoyed spells in the lead but it was Lincolnshire’s 278 Paul Hopkins who took the win in tricky conditions, from 215 Geoff Nickolls, and Farnell completing the top three.
Ten cars would qualify for the final from each, with slightly fewer than half making the track in heat one which was won by 37 Chris Cowley from 259 Paul Hines and Nickolls, who was making his experience count in the difficult conditions. Cowley actually did well to fend off Nickolls, who only lost out to Hines on the final bend. Of the two superstars in the race, 212 Danny Wainman made it through in sixth, while 16 Mat Newson was an early casualty.
Track champion 390 Stuart Smith Jr picked up where he left off in 2017, winning his first race of the year. Farnell had led the early laps of heat two, but Sargent soon demoted him, and Smith had hit the front before half-distance. 515 Frankie Wainman Jr followed him through and nosed inside to take the lead a lap later. That seemed to kick Smith into gear, and when Wainman was baulked by a backmarker, he seized his opportunity to re-take the lead, with 217 Lee Fairhurst, Sargent and 4 Dan Johnson also taking advantage. Fairhurst slipped back, so it was Sargent that followed Smith home. Wainman got himself back up to third and faced a last-bend attack from Johnson, but all that succeeded in doing was allowing Fairhurst back through into fourth.
Nineteen cars returned for the consolation and, although 12 were due to qualify, only seven completed the distance. Farnell pulled clear as others tangled but he spun late on, allowing 94 John Dowson Jr to take the win from 335 Mark Woodhull and 192 Luke Dennis.
So the final was slightly down on numbers but still provided a fantastic spectacle on a drying track – it was actually getting dusty by the end. A pile-up on the scoreboard bend claimed a few cars, and then the same spot put paid to Smith’s hopes of the £1000 bonus that was on offer if he could secure his third consecutive final win at the track. When yellow flags were called to assist Hopkins on the same bend, Sargent was leading from Dowson – both looking very impressive – and 312 John Thompson, with Fairhurst and Johnson perhaps fancying their chances in sixth and seventh.
However, Fairhurst spun under pressure from FWJ, who joined the leading pair in front. Dowson pushed Sargent wide to take up the running, but on the final lap all three were together. Wainman pushed himself past to take the lead, but Dowson was lining up a big last-bend lunge. The bumper went in, but it didn’t succeed, as both cars went into the fence, and Sargent sneaked through for a popular win in a terrific finish. Johnson grabbed second from Danny Wainman, Woodhull and 166 Bobby Griffin, with 197 Ryan Harrison completing the top six. FWJ limped home in tenth.
Dowson completed his strong showing with a win in the grand national, heading home Smith and Harrison, with Sargent an early casualty from the half-lap handicap.
The F1s will return on 28 April for another world qualifier, where they will be joined by Saloon Stock Cars and BriSCA Ministox – definitely one not to miss.
BriSCA F2
There were 61 F2s in action for what had become both a World of Shale (as intended) and World Championship (postponed from 3 March) qualifying round, with many travelling from far and wide.
Heat one went to 788 Stephen Mallinson from a fast-closing 136 Kyle Taylor and tarmac expert 700 Adam Rubery, while 2016 track champion 226 Billy Webster took heat two from 377 Daz Shaw and 298 Jake Walker. Simpson opened his account with fourth position, while national points champion 7 Gordon Moodie was an early retirement in his eye-catching new RCE shale car. He made amends with a comfortable win in the consolation from West Country visitor 111 Lewis Geach and novice 324 Jordan Thackra, at the wheel of Dave Polley’s successful shale machine.
White top 113 Pat Issitt, seventh in his heat, impressed in the final by leading until half-distance when he was baulked by a spinner and ran wide into the heavier material, losing several places. When yellow flags were called to assist 527 James Riggall on the road bend with eight laps to go, it was 78 Henry King who led from Simpson, 55 Courtney Finnikin, 321 Marcus Skeels and 127 Matt Stoneman, who promptly pulled off, promoting Issitt.
The top three pulled clear, with Simpson then using the bumper to take up the running, with Finnikin, Webster and Issitt following through. Simpson was away and gone – securing himself a return to the star grade, which he will hope to now retain for the rest of his career – but Finnikin held onto second until spun out by Webster who therefore snatched the place. Moodie managed to climb to third, with Walker, 615 Josh Coleman and 103 Carl Issitt completing the top six.
After a disappointing night, 905 Rob Mitchell (10th in his heat and unplaced in the final), turned things around to win the grand national from Taylor and the impressive Simpson.
The F2s make a quick – and unscheduled – return this week, as they join the bill of Wacky Races on Friday night (6 April, 7:30pm).
Heritage F2
There were 15 Heritage F2s in action, many of whom had travelled a long way for their sole visit of the season. The old cars managed admirably well in the difficult conditions, with British Champion 23 John Clements winning the opening heat and 886 Brian Owen the second after 47 Giles Carter’s last-bend attack on 311 Granville Wright scuppered the chances of both drivers. Wright came home successfully in the final, winning from 762 Phil Smith and 128 Jack Bunter.