Turn 1 (roadside bend) and celebration Saloon Photos: Kevin Wickham
Turn 3 (Big screen bend) Saloon Photos: Darren Garwell
Banger Photos: Damien Widdows
Words: Mark Paulson
On a night of unrivalled drama and action, local man 157 Max Stott was crowned world champion in two-litre Saloon Stock Cars at the Adrian Flux Arena, King’s Lynn on Saturday (18 August). Supporting the massive night for the Saloons was a huge field of front-wheel drive classic Bangers that also served up entertainment galore.
Two-Litre Saloon Stock Cars
World Final night fittingly raised the biggest Saloon Stock Car entry seen anywhere this year at 70 cars, including four Dutchmen, three Northern Irish drivers and a German, plus plenty of visitors from Scotland and the further reaches of England.
Thirty-six (all but two of those who hadn’t already qualified) were eligible for the last-chance qualifier that kicked off proceedings, with six places in the big race up for grabs. From the outside of the front row, 529 Jason Secker nosed inside fellow Scotsman 85 Kyle Irvine to take the early lead, but local man 217 Sid Madgwick, who had dominated at the track a fortnight earlier, was the man on the move. From row four, he quickly picked off those in front to take the lead on lap two. Secker was treated to a trip around the wall, but did well to hold onto second from 888 Shane Emerson and 56 George Boult Jr when yellow flags were required to assist 537 Tom Alsop on the back straight.
Another caution was quickly required when 172 Jack Rust took a heavy hit, after which the front two of Madgwick and Secker eased clear. Their lead was eradicated by a third stoppage but, despite a slightly messy restart in which Madgwick appeared to go too early, eased off and then went again, it did them no harm. Madgwick went on to take a comfortable win, with an even bigger gap between Secker – who qualified for the World Final in his first season in the formula – and third-placed Emerson, who survived an attack from the backmarking 610 Trent Arthurton on the final bend. Boult held onto fourth, despite the attentions of backmarker 389 Ryan Santry for much of the race, with local men 525 Wes Starmer and 214Tom Yould completing the qualifiers.
“I wanted it, so you’ve got to do what you’ve got to do,” said Madgwick, adding: “The track’s mint. The World’s going to be ‘interesting’ at the front, and I think you’d rather be at the back [of the grid] anyway so I’m happy with that.”
The World Final itself was next, with each of the top four qualifiers – 349 Michael Allard, 730 Deane Mayes, 399 Cole Atkins and 306 Daniel Parker – receiving a parade lap to their choice of music before they were joined by the rest of the qualifiers as the atmosphere heightened. Allard, last year’s runner-up, had dashed from a wedding where he had been best man, and planned to shoot off back to the reception after the race, declaring himself “hungry!”
There would be no success on track to satiate Allard’s appetite as he found himself one of many to lose out in a chaotic opening couple of laps. As the green flag dropped, Atkins and Parker managed to nab the inside line onto the home straight, but on the freshly watered track they ran wide and were pushed across the bows of the front row men, spinning into the fence and causing chaos. Much of the front few rows ended up on the infield, Atkins took the first half lap in reverse and Parker suffered another spin as through it all emerged 670 Ross Watters, from row five of the grid, to lead. The Scotsman wouldn’t have been many people’s favourites to win, and nor would 171 Adam O’Dell who rose to second from row six. Mayes, on the other hand, would have been, and he was in third from H321 Hein-Durk Vellema, 157 Max Stott and 600 Barry Russell when the inevitable yellow flags came out as the leaders completed the second gap, negating the need for a complete restart. For Parker, it was all over, while Allard had dropped to eighth and another pre-race favourite, 641 Willie Skoyles Jr, was in the lower reaches of the top 20.
On the resumption, 199 Phil Powell was thundered into a marker tyre, bringing it onto the track to create an obstacle that would cause further chaos – as if it were needed. Mayes moved into the lead, and some were already suggesting it was now the British Champion’s race to lose. But Watters and O’Dell both hit back and had brief spells in front before Mayes reasserted himself. By this time Stott had moved ahead of Russell into fourth (and he demoted O’Dell from third soon after), while 570 Simon Venni was sixth. But Venni was spun out by Northern Irishman 747 Matt Stirling, putting him out of a contention – which would go on to have significant implications.
Stott worked his way into second as Mayes began to pull clear in the backmarking traffic, and Watters’ and O’Dell’s challenge ended when they tangled on the back straight. With six laps to go, Skoyles, showing terrific pace, demoted Russell from third, but it was looking a tall order to catch Mayes and Stott out front.
Mayes continued to work his way through the traffic but found himself pushed wide by 218 Jacob Downey, which was all the invitation Venni needed to finish the job and spin out the leader with four laps to go. For the second time in four years, Mayes had been removed by a backmarker when looking a very good bet for victory in the World Final.
So suddenly Stott, a man who had not finished better than eighth in any race on his local track so far this year, found himself leading the World Final. Russell and Skoyles continued to battle over second, but the King’s Lynn local was slightly delayed in traffic as he attempted to break clear and reel the leader in. He started to do that over the last three laps, but not at fast enough a rate, and wasn’t quite close enough for a last-bend lunge. So Stott, who drove a calm race while keeping a very good pace, crossed the line to claim his first major honours in the formula, the biggest prize of the lot. Skoyles and Russell held onto their podium places, with veteran 116 Diggy Smith fourth, from 360 Carl Waterfield, O’Dell, 219 Luke Grief and 26 Tommy Barnes.
Stott could scarcely believe it himself. “I’ve been no good on shale all year,” he admitted.
There were mixed emotions for Skoyles – happy with his achievement but disappointed to be runner-up for a third time. “Second again – a little bit disheartening,” he rued, adding: “I’ve got to keep digging in. I saw Maysie get taken out and thought ‘we’re here now’...”
Russell, who has missed only one King’s Lynn meeting all year, despite the long trek from his Brechin base, was delighted: “It was a ‘stock car’ race – it was good,” he said of the action-packed affair. “I’m over the moon.”
There was more Scottish success in the 35-car consolation, as 671 Ross Graham took the flag. The highlight was the earlier lead battle between 428 Lee Sampson and Downey though. Sampson spun Downey from the lead on the back straight, just as yellow flags came out, reprieving the latter. On the restart, Sampson took Downey into the fence, allowing 120 Luke Dorling and Graham through. Downey’s revenge was to charge Sampson into 128 Craig Banwell, inflicting heaving damage to the right rear of the 428-car. Sampson did manage to drag the car home, despite showers of sparks, with the wheel catching alight as he crossed the line eighth, two places behind Downey, while out front, Graham passed Dorling for the win.
The inter-nations final featured action throughout, with plenty of hits and spins as Santry, 425 Tom Balls, Banwell and Dorling all had spells in front. Downey was again involved in the action, spinning out Tommy Barnes, before Smith appeared to run him into the wall in retaliation for the attack on his brother-in-law. After that, Barnes went into ‘seek and destroy’ mode, and was lurking, ready to take out Skoyles who had moved into the lead. He didn’t get close enough and Skoyles held on to win from Dorling and Banwell.
“While it’s nice – wrong race,” sighed Skoyles. “I knew Tommy was about, and you know Tommy’s always a threat,” he added, explaining that he was going deep into corners to avoid the hit, but that slowed his overall pace and meant he couldn’t break clear of the impressive Dorling.
An allcomers race rounded out the Saloons’ night and brought a first win in the formula for 1300cc graduate 316 Danny McCluskey from 192 Robert Heanes and 131 Timmy Barnes. The latter’s brother was again heavily involved in the action, rolling onto his side when he was on the back of a fence-bound train also comprising Venni, Grief and Watters.
Bangers
The meeting for Nissans (Bluebirds and Primeras), Vauxhalls (Cavaliers and Calibras) and Toyota Carinas raised a very impressive 81 cars. It was intended to invoke the spirit of two-litre Bangers from 10-15 years ago, in the days before the formula was dominated by Ford Mondeos. And it did exactly that with non-stop action from start to finish.
Making a one-off return to Bangers, former Bluebird specialist 400 Kevin Shinn lit up heat one with an impressive display that included blowing up 461 Danny Jenkins, who had earlier followed in 556 Matt Tillow. Shinn and Jenkins both earned entertainers’ awards, along with 51 James Licquorice who turned around for a head-on with 399 Jonny Atkin. Jenkins’ running mate 460 Luke Tongue took the win.
Heat two’s entertainers were 276 Adam Rowell, who put away 579 Gary Beecham and 42 Greg Brunt in one move, 137 Jay Barrett (at the wheel of the oldest car, a Mk2 Cavalier), who blasted 623 Ricky Hutton after he’d done 273 Kevin McClagish on opposite, and long-distance traveller 622 Stu Davies, as 113 Dan Wright raced to the win.
Heat three’s action centred on the road bend and brought entertainers’ awards for 959 Aaron Keoghan, Irishman 216 Barry McArdle and 887 Liam Stark, as the typically smart 898 Andy Battle raced to the win.
Battle was also leading heat four before slipping behind Calibra-mounted 830 Lee White, as 180 Mark Foster, 188 John Reeves and 321 Kieran Fry earned entertainers’ awards for their parts in a near track-blockage on the road bend.
Shinn gave the spun 261 Dom Davies a head-on in heat five, as Wright and 281 Lewis Tingle earned entertainers’ awards for their own head-on, and Brunt was similarly rewarded after blasting Atkin. 370 Craig Gray took the win.
The final was then won by local man 77 Russell Gill in his very smart Bluebird, from Battle and 350 Nathan Tupper, before Tongue outlasted the opposition to take the destruction derby and bring an unbelievably entertaining night to a close.
Mylaps Link: https://speedhive.mylaps.com/Events/1578249