Day two of the Saloon World Championship speedweekend saw the second annual staging of the Steve Newman Memorial for Two-Litre Saloon Stock Cars and 1300cc Stock Cars. The big races were won by Berkshire’s 591 Aaron Morris and Spedeworth visitor 167 Jimmy Morris respectively. In support were the under-16s in Junior Bangers, where 72 Breeze Atkin won her second consecutive meeting final.

Saloon Stock Cars

Saturday’s meeting took an inevitable toll on machinery, but there were still an excellent 63 cars in action on Sunday. With a few late arrivals, the decision was made to switch from a full Brisca-style meeting format to two-thirds heats, which ultimately led to some absolutely packed grids and manic action on track. 

The first heat was for white and yellow grade drivers only. It fielded 18 cars and saw an early stoppage to assist 298 Ian Elms, who injured an arm after a thunderous follow-in. 84 Carl Boswell led away the resumption, before being spun by 144 Daniel Bullock, with 512 Darren Barnett then nipping inside to take the lead. When he slowed to retirement, 128 Craig Banwell took up the running, until he was caught and passed by 591 Aaron Morris who went on to take the flag. Banwell was also passed by 538 Jake Swann but fought back past, followed by Bullock.

Heat two saw the white graders joined by the blues, reds and champions, although not the new World Champion 499 David Aldous who was a late arrival, nor either Webster brother, who did not return for the second day’s action. That still left an enormous grid of 44 cars and the inevitable carnage followed. Boswell was the early leader, either side of a caution to assist the stranded 747 Matt Stirling. 218 Jacob Downey then had a spell in front, but it was 131 Timmy Barnes who led by the time of the second caution, this time for 711 Anthony McIvor. The Ulstermen were certainly in the wars as 75 Ross Houston also hobbled from his car during the stoppage. Barnes initially escaped at the resumption, but 304 Martyn Parker and Downey both moved ahead. Parker then spun Downey into the fence, which allowed Barnes back in front, until 641 Willie Skoyles Jr barged past both Parker and Barnes in one move. Skoyles’s lead didn’t last long, as he was spun by 156 Darren Goudy, while 570 Simon Venni took advantage, taking the lead from Goudy and Barnes. The latter’s challenge was not done though, and he barged past both into a lead that this time he would hold to the flag. Still the action continued, as Parker was followed in by Venni, which also caught out Goudy. 18 Jamie Clayton and 176 Murray Jones survived the carnage to complete the top three in what had been a very rough race. A pumped-up Barnes said: “They gave it to me so I gave it back to them! It was mayhem! It worked out in the end.”

Heat three fielded 40 yellow, blue, red and champion drivers, this time including Aldous, although his challenge didn’t last long, man and machine perhaps still feeling the effect of the previous night’s war with 161 Billy Smith. Banwell spun out of the lead at a quarter distance, at which point 600 Barry Russell took up the running, until 220 Casey Englestone moved in front before half distance and stayed there until the flag. It was Downey and Russell who would eventually follow him home, but not before a suicidal move from 85 Kyle Irvine, pulling across the track in front of 6 Simon Welton saw him unintentionally leathered by the latter.

Despite all the hard-hitting action of the heats, 45 cars survived for the all-in final for the Steve Newman Memorial Shield. As at last year’s inaugural running, the field was led out by Newman’s children Billy and Charley, in Ninja Kart and scaled-down Newman-built stock car respectively. The relentless early-race action saw the spun 7 Harry Barnes given a hard head-on by 573 Marty Lake with the initial yellow flags replaced by reds and a complete restart, with around seven of the original starters not making it. At the second attempt, Martyn Parker was pushed up the fence and rolled onto his side, resulting in another race stoppage. With 35 cars left, 26 Tommy Barnes led away the restart but was soon passed by the impressive Morris, before a caution period was called to remove the stranded cars of Banwell and 182 Lewis Gallie on the exit of bend four, just as Barnes mullered a marker tyre. The front two of Morris and the recovered Barnes then stayed as they were for some time, with the action going on behind them. Downey passed 306 Daniel Parker for third, before the latter returned the favour and was followed through by Clayton, who then also found his way past the 306-car. Clayton gradually reeled in Barnes, catching him with three laps to go and passing him a lap later. But Barnes fought back and the pair passed and re-passed, with Clayton eventually prevailing, only to be spun by his pursuer after the flag. That all went on behind Morris though who has raced only a handful of times in 2014 but looked as good as anyone on display. He enthused afterwards: “That was really enjoyable. It means a hell of a lot to me. When the [Newman] accident happened, it really did have a big effect on me.” Daniel Parker, Timmy Barnes and Downey completed the top six, with the latter being named driver of the meeting by Billy and Charley Newman.

The meeting-closing all-comers race raised 24 cars and saw Bullock and Lake lead the early stages, before a big crash where Clayton rode up and over Goudy. By this time, Tommy Barnes had hit the front and he went on to win from Venni and Skoyles.

1300cc Stock Cars

A 36-car field of 1300s were in action, including a few who had not raced the day before. Their proceedings also opened with a white and yellow grade race, where 794 Chris Brown once again showed he has now mastered the track and his car, racing to a dominant win from 316 Danny McCluskey and 747 Liam Hard.

The little stockies were then all-in and so their Steve Newman Memorial race was next up, with just shy of 30 cars making it on track, including defending title holder 341 Austen Freestone who overcame a blown engine the previous night and some late mechanical dramas before the race to make it onto the grid. 444 Natasha Street was the early leader, while further back, her sister 4 Steph Street spun and the third lady racer, 653 Gemma Rainer, was turned into the fence. Steph Street then suffered the same fate, leading to a caution period. On the restart, Hard moved inside Street and Freestone rose to third, before charging past both and into the lead (with a little help from his lapped brother, 340 Wes). But yellow flags were coming out to assist 366 Matt Naughton and Freestone was put back to third in the queue at the restart. He would soon expire, as Hard pulled away and surprise package 167 Jimmy Morris moved into second, with European Champion 344 Ross Fisher third. Fisher was in aggressive mode, twice putting away 46 Paul Aylward and having to face some rough stuff himself as a result. Morris passed Hard to take the win, opening a gap of a quarter of a lap, with Hard a similar distance ahead of third-placed 731 Barry Wade.

Two all-comers races followed, with Hard showing fine form again to win the first. Fisher made rapid progress through the field and was closing in on the leader but ran out of laps. A delighted Rainer then went on to take the second from 85 James Ellis, after Hard had pulled off. Fisher had been riding the wall to good effect throughout the race and was still in aggressive mode, eventually getting caught out in a skirmish with Brown. Having lost a lot of time, he fought back superbly and was up to second when Rainer spun him out, with the favour returned on the run-down lap. The very happy race winner grinned: “I was watching that [score] board, which I shouldn’t have been!”

Junior Bangers

Just under 20 under-16s were in action, with a rough first heat going the way of Gold Roof Champion 1 Liam Gibson after 72 Breeze Atkin had taken a pounding on the back straight. Gibson doubled-up in heat two, after race leader 69 Brad Bartrum, already smoking, got caught out whilst trying to go round the outside of backmarkers. The final was punctuated by a caution after 78 Kieran Bowman had hit the fence hard, with race-leader Atkin being blasted by 744 Liam Barton after the yellows had come out. She therefore resumed her place at the head of the field and proceeded to hold on, despite a heavily damaged car, winning from Gibson and 123 Kieran Gray.