Photos: 1 - 10 Dave Bastock, 11- 20 Colin Casserley, 21 - 30 James Bowles, 31 - 40 Jim Harrod, 41 - 50 Major Gilbert
Report: Mark Paulson
Just three weeks after the season opener, BriSCA Formula One stock cars returned to the Adrian Flux Arena, King’s Lynn, in a meeting promoted by Startrax on what was originally scheduled to be World Final night. The third round of the Chase for the Rainbow Roof, the contest aimed at raising funds for the nation’s front-line workers, provided a cracking night’s racing completed in quick time, with #55 Craig Finnikin taking the main honours. It was his 11th such success at the track, lifting him to joint second on the leader board. Also in action were BriSCA Formula Two stock cars, with local man #113 Pat Issitt wining the final after another night of action-packed racing.
BriSCA F1
As at each of the BriSCA F1 meetings since the restart of racing, a 2/3 heat format was adopted, but unlike the last event here, it was not grades-based. World champion #1 Tom Harris bounced back from a blown engine last time out at King’s Lynn to win heat one after a great mid-race battle with #515 Frankie Wainman Jr. After exchanging hits a few times, Harris pulled clear and reeled in race-leader #211 Phoebe Wainman, having a few nibbles before making the decisive move on the first bend of the final lap. Phoebe held on for second ahead of father Frankie and local man #541 Willie Skoyles Jr.
"I think you deserve a race like that after so much time off," Harris told the crowd afterwards, adding: "It's a shame that we can't run the World Championship tonight but I believe the sport has done the right thing for the fans. Let's hope we can make it bigger and better next year."
A steady drive from Cambridgeshire racer #415 Russell Cooper netted him the win in heat two. He hit the front after a couple of laps, finding grip on the outside at the start to make good progress, then resumed the lead when Skoyles, #302 Jim Bamford and #11 Neil Scriven all hit trouble. Having dumped #326 Mark Sargent wide to take second, #55 Craig Finnikin began closing Cooper down but both were delayed by a spinning backmarker with a lap to go, and Cooper – playing his joker in The Chase tonight – managed to maintain a gap and take the win. Finnikin was second with Norfolk’s own #16 Mat Newson third.
Like heat one, heat three boiled down to Harris chasing down a yellow top in the closing stages. But this time, he couldn’t catch #326 Mark Sargent who took the win. Harris enjoyed a good scrap with FWJ early on again, Wainman initially breaking clear when Harris was slightly delayed passing #45 Nigel Harrhy. But Harris closed FWJ down and passed him on half-distance, at which point #83 Darren Clark led from Sargent, #339 Ant Lee and #345 Jake Harrhy. As Sargent hit the front, and Harris cut through those behind, Clark held on to third from Wainman and the younger Harrhy.
Harris and Sargent were again in the thick of things in the 34-car final. After spells in front for Clark, Jake Harrhy and debutant #47 Simon Traves, the Ginetta racer who has some experience in BriSCA F2, the latter pair’s hopes ended when Traves put Harrhy in the wall. That allowed Mark Sargent into the lead from Skoyles and the charging Harris, who this time had broken free from FWJ early on, before yellow flags were required to assist Phoebe Wainman, who was collected after being parked up for a few laps. On the restart, Harris rode the wall to move into second, but had trouble demoting Sargent from the lead. Twice he had a go and twice he was repelled. Harris then regrouped for a few laps before making the move stick, but he couldn’t shake off Sargent who was looking very racy. A few whisps of smoke from the Harris machine suggested all was not well and, sure enough, a couple of laps later his engine went, big-style, for the second time in two meetings at King’s Lynn. Yellow flags were required for the fire on board the Harris machine, but Finnikin had just managed to pass Sargent before they came out. So, with two laps to go, he lined up ahead of Sargent, Frankie Wainman Jr and #502 Ricky Wilson on the restart. The bumpers went in - after his hit on Sargent in the earlier heat Finnikin was anticipating retaliation - but Finnikin held on, with Wainman demoting Sargent to take second. #217 Lee Fairhurst came through to fourth, ahead of #335 Mark Woodhull and #242 Joe Nickolls.
A quieter grand national was enlivened by Jake Harrhy taking a tumble onto his side. Clark had been leading and continued to do so until exiting stage left on the back straight. That let #5 Charlie Sworder into the lead and, despite Newson in close attendance it proved to be a comfortable win for the teenager. Newson followed him home, while Finnikin managed third from the lap handicap with a last-bend lunge on Frankie Wainman Jr.
BriSCA F2
The turnout of over 50 cars contested a full format meeting with 12 to qualify for the meeting final from each heat and the consolation. On a heavily watered track to combat the warm sunshine, many drivers struggled to keep their cars moving forwards in heat one, but four-time World of Shale champion #606 Andrew Palmer had no such trouble, carving through from the back of the field to hit the front before half-distance after #701 John Thompson and #88 Stefan Miller had had spells in front before getting caught out. From there, Palmer motored away to win by half a lap from #59 Lee Dimmick, #977 Dave Massey and first-year driver #47 Greg Mackenzie.
“You have to watch more what’s going on in front than your own race,” in conditions like that, reckoned Palmer. “It’s never easy,” he added, hoping that this heralded the end of a disappointing run of meetings with damage getting picked up, sometimes going unnoticed.
Heat two brought a win for the previous Lynn final winner, #38 Dave Polley. After a caution with six laps to go, Polley followed #921 Jack Aldridge past #124 Ollie Skeels when Skeels ran wide challenging long-time leader #374 Kai Lindsay. He then passed Aldridge and, when Lindsay had a wriggle exiting bend two with three laps to go, shot past into the lead. Lindsay slipped back to sixth in the end, behind Aldridge, Skeels, #103 Jack Issitt and #183 Charlie Guinchard, who had earlier felt the full force of Polley’s bumper.
“That’s the only way you can really drive the car,” Polley said when asked about his aggressive style. “As soon as you get to them you’ve got to get them out. You can’t give them chance to get back at you.”
The consolation served up plenty of action in the latter stages, with #188 Aaron Patch eventually coming out on top. He, #43 Marcus Gilbert and #113 Pat Issitt had opened a lead before a caution period and did so again on the resumption when Gilbert led, before Issitt hit the front with Patch second. But the leading pair tangled when Patch went in with a big lunge, allowing Gilbert back in front with four laps to go, with #225 Tony Blackburn moving into second. Then in a repeat of Patch’s move on Issitt, Blackburn’s lunge on Gilbert didn’t come off, which allowed Patch back in front to take the win from #995 Michael Lund and #527 James Riggall.
“I didn’t even know I was leading – I thought Gordon [Moodie] won it!” Patch exclaimed afterwards. World champion Moodie had indeed passed Patch but he was a lap down following a tangle with #618 Ben Lockwood on the first bend. It continued a miserable night for Moodie, despite clearly having strong pace, after just missing out on qualifying from his heat when suffering tyre troubles.
With all 36 cars contesting the final, it was always going to be hectic, and so it proved. Lindsay again ran well, and traded the lead with #113 Pat Issitt, with #47 Greg Mackenzie also involved in the early stages, as they avoided the incidents going on all around them. Further back, Palmer and Polley looked to be delaying each other as they battled hard but still made their way through the field. Polley looked well placed until he was clobbered by a spinning #9 Harley Thackra, and although he managed to survive that, he did then drop back. Issitt led from Lindsay and #59 Lee Dimmick at half-distance, but Dimmick then got caught out in a back-straight tangle. As Lindsay slowed in the closing stages, Issitt’s advantage proved insurmountable and he went on to win from #225 Tony Blackburn and the recovered Dimmick. The win promotes him to the blue grade for the first time.
To his credit, Moodie stuck around for the grand national, where it all came good for him. #124 Ollie Skeels could count himself unfortunate, having powered to the front before half-distance, only to be excluded for a loose wheel guard. That allowed Moodie to demote Gilbert and Mackenzie from the lead, and he went on to win from Palmer, Mackenzie and #618 Ben Lockwood.