Report by Mark Paulson

 

Two-litre Saloon Stock Cars never disappoint when it comes to entertainment. And Saturday night at the Adrian Flux Arena proved to be a case in point, with nearly 50 of the Heavy Metal Brigade in no-holds-barred action. Taking the main event was Norwich-based 6 Simon Welton, extending his lead in the track championship, while 698 Danny Colliver was crowned British Under-25 Champion. Also in action was an even bigger field of Unlimited Bangers, contesting their East Anglian Championship which was claimed by another man from east Norfolk, 821 Ryan Preston. And far from outdone in the entertainment stakes was a very large entry of 1300cc Stock Cars, where Peterborough’s 400 Kevin Shinn dominated proceedings.

 

Two-Litre Saloon Stock Cars

The 47-car entry was a superb effort on a busy Easter weekend, with meetings all across the country over the four days. It included west country racer 28 Ian Govier plus Scotsman 600 Barry Russell and West Midlander 315 Tristan Claydon. 

The pre-meeting white & yellow grade race attracted 26 runners, with form driver 217 Sid Madgwick hitting the front with four laps to go and pulling clear to win by around a quarter of a lap. Erstwhile leader 350 Thomas Parrin spun from second with two laps to go, allowing two more form drivers, 525 Wes Starmer and 304 Martyn Parker, to complete the trophy places.

Heat one proper doubled up as the fifth staging of the 25-and-under Championship of Great Britain in what would be a two-thirds heat format. It fielded 21 cars and saw one of the favourites 149 Jamie Sampson spin early on as Parrin led the early stages. 157 Max Stott passed Parrin on the inside to take the lead with about a third of the race run, with 698 Danny Colliver following him through into second shortly after. Colliver then made the most of backmarkers to push inside Stott and send him into the fence as he took the lead, with Madgwick also nipping through before Stott could recover. Those three were well clear, with Madgwick nibbling away at Colliver’s lead. He might not have been able to mount a challenge anyway but Madgwick dropped further back when Sampson rejoined from another spin just in front of him, delaying the 217-car in the process. So Colliver eased to a comfortable win, arguably his biggest success in Saloon Stock Cars to date, on the last occasion he will be eligible for this title. Madgwick and Stott held on to their trophy places to complete the top three.

Heat two tracked 33 cars and featured an early yellow flag to assist 4 Paul Brown when he was stranded facing the traffic on the exit of bend four. By that stage, two big names – 428 Lee Sampson and 499 David Aldous – had already suffered spins. 144 Daniel Bullock led away the restart but Martyn Parker quickly moved ahead, before being demoted by 26 Tommy Barnes and followed through by 306 Daniel Parker. The latter hooked out Barnes to take the lead, with Starmer moving into second as Martyn Parker exited in a spin. His son Daniel held on to take the win, with charging red top 6 Simon Welton coming through for second ahead of Starmer.

The 30-car third heat was led away by Govier and he held on in front until lap five when he started to drop back, letting Barnes into the lead, Starmer second and 591 Aaron Morris third. Those three pulled out a gap to the squabbling pack of blue and red graders having a good battle behind. Starmer closed the gap to Barnes but was unable to mount a challenge and was then on the end of a big lunge from Morris on the final bend. They both went wide into the fence, with Starmer recovering quicker to keep hold of second, while Morris crossed the line in reverse, having been passed by Aldous and 641 Willie Skoyles Jr.

The 37-car final proved to be a cracking race after it got going at the second time of asking – 328 Daniel Lathan put to the back of his grade after instigating the unsatisfactory start first time around. As they got underway, a big pile-up on the home straight claimed Colliver, Lathan and Barnes in some bone-shaking crashes, while Govier once again set the early pace.

A caution period was required when Claydon suffered an engine fire – extremely quickly extinguished by the marshals – after sending Madgwick on a trip to the fence and riding it himself. By that stage, Starmer had moved ahead, but Govier quickly spun him out at the restart, before suffering the same fate himself at the hands of Martyn Parker. Parker was also delayed though, letting 360 Carl Waterfield into the lead from Aldous and Welton, with a couple of lapped runners between the leading two.

Aldous managed to reel in Waterfield and spun him out to take the lead with four laps to go. But Waterfield managed to quickly recover and resume in third place, behind Welton. He was given the chance to get right on Welton’s tail when yellow flags flew again. This time they were to recover the car of 391 Jake Banwell, the back end of which was perched on top of the road bend fence, having been followed in by 270 Matt Fuller.

Aldous had two lapped runners between him and Welton at the restart but it was to no avail as his car expired before the race resumed. So it was Welton who led them away and managed to keep clear of Waterfield for the next three laps. But going into the final corners, anticipating the last bend lunge, he went in deep and ended up rattling around the fence. Waterfield edged inside but Welton wasn’t beaten yet. He tried to fight back but only succeeded in pushing the 2009 World Champion across the line, sideways in a thrilling finish. Jamie Sampson completed his best showing of the season to date with third place, from 18 Jamie Clayton, Daniel Parker and 218 Jacob Downey completing the top six.

Another big points haul extends Welton’s advantage at the top of the track championship. Can he mount a sustained challenge to Aldous’s crown? The defending champion has yet to win a race at the Adrian Flux Arena this season, but it surely can’t be long before he puts that right.

 

Unlimited Bangers

The excellent 65-car entry of the big bangers included a five-strong Dutch contingent in some smart cars, the best example being a Jaguar XJS in the hands of 945 Jeroen Hoess. Topping the bill, car-wise, was a big Cadillac Fleetwood for 514 Charlie Taylor which sadly failed to race after its altered rear-end was deemed to sit too high to be safe for other cars.

The first half-car heat doubled-up as the 2014 White & Yellow Grade Series Final. 513 Sean Harvey led away from the front row of the grid, but 79 Ricky Twell quickly moved into second before mounting a challenge for the lead. He pushed his way into the lead, only to be confronted a lap or two later by 185 Polly Reade attempting to drive her spun Volvo across the track to the infield. She completely mis-timed her escape though and left Twell unable to avoid a heavy collision on the drivers’ side, sadly leaving Reade with injuries later confirmed as a broken collar bone and pelvis. We wish her well for a speedy recovery. The red-and-chequered finish saw Twell declared the winner from Harvey and 22 Matty High.

Dutchman 116 Mark Jan Klok led the 34-car heat two until he was put into the fence, breaking his steering. That let 821 Ryan Preston in front and he survived a big pile-up which claimed the second placed 377 Zak Street, only to spin himself a lap later. So World of Shale Champion 148 Ian Redden powered to the win in his usual sideways style, from 433 Ben Smith and 898 Andy Battle.

Nearly 30 returned for the consolation which featured some hard hitting on bend one. First, 884 Tom Filmer put away 88 Lyndon Stark before the former was blasted by Harvey (unnecessarily in the race) and Filmer/Sowter revenge came in the shape of 388 Taylor Sowter. 77 Russell Gill blitzed a car that had been stationary on bend four for several laps, sparking another train, as Sowter and 113 Dan Wright piled in, followed by Gill again after he had escaped from the front, and Harvey, earning the four of them entertainers awards. Out front, 95 Rob Taylor had led until being caught out on bend two, with local driver 673 Darren Fendley moving through to take the win from 128 Andy Shipp and 318 Tony Citro.

The East Anglian Championship final raised 24 qualifiers (which included the race entertainers from the heats) but proved to be relatively quiet affair, save from action sparked by 392 Sam Baines. He reversed his Toyota Previa across the track, with Hoess obliging with a huge t-bone. The latter was then blasted by Baines’s fellow Mad Hatter 399 Jonny Atkin, before a red-and-chequered finish was called to assist Baines from his wreck. Preston had led from start to finish, keeping the title in the Damage Inc family after 247 Lee Clarke had won for the two previous years. 960 Ross Winsor and Mark Jan Klok completed the podium places.

A 30-car all-comers race saw 148 ‘Shorty’ claim his second win of the night in impressive style, powering through from the back in a masterclass. Each car in front was at least nudged out of the way, with harder hits where required. Street had led much of the way and it took Redden a couple of laps to get past after catching him, eventually dispatching the 377-car into the fence on the first bend of the final lap, to take the win from 136 Adrian Court and 160 Shayn Winsor.

The action was completed by an entertaining destruction derby won by DD specialist Baines.

 

1300cc Stock Cars

The little stock cars raised a superb field of 37 cars including a couple of Spedeworth visitors, plus 529 Jason Secker all the way from Scotland. They ran to an all-in format which provided some action-packed racing. 

Almost all made it on track for heat one in which 400 Kevin Shinn burst clear early on and proceeded to dominate, only to be spun by a backmarker less than two laps from home. Fellow white grader 341 Austen Freestone was the man to benefit, racing to his second win of the season. But Shinn recovered quickly, third behind 22 Ian Cowern, and managed to dispatch the latter on the final bend to take second.

Heat two followed much the same pattern, except that this time Shinn made it all the way, surviving a complete restart and a caution period in the process. Behind him, the battle for second raged. Cowern held it for much of the race, until he clashed with 794 Chris Brown with three laps to go, rejoining among the squabbling pack. It was World Champion 171 Adam O’Dell who eventually clinched the position from 08 Lee Green on the run to the flag.

Down to just over 20 for the final, 780 Simon Sparrow managed to roll on the back straight, with O’Dell unavoidably clipping the upturned car. That heralded a caution period, but thankfully Sparrow escaped none the worse for wear. Cowern led Shinn at the restart but the pursuer soon found a way past. Slightly further back, the fifth-placed Green half spun fourth-placed 653 Gemma Rainer which allowed the front three of Shinn, Cowern and 333 Daniel Weavers to build a gap. But Green gradually chased them down, passing Weavers and Cowern to run second, only to slow into retirement with a lap to go. Shinn was well clear as he raced to a near-maximum score, while Cowern clashed with Rainer and dropped back. The lady racer therefore came home in a strong second, with former British Champion 473 Dean Moat completing the top three.

Both the Two-Litre and 1300cc Stock Cars return to action at the Adrian Flux Arena on 18 April when they race alongside 1500cc Bangers and Lady Bangers. The next Unlimited Banger action comes in the shape of the Bandit Memorial on 16 May.

2L Stock Cars	1st	2nd	3rd	4th	5th	6th	7th	8th	9th	10th
White & Yellows	217	525	304	420	389	157	84	328	538	350
Heat 1 (25 & Under Champ of GB)	698	217	157	538	306	328	131	570	391	220
Heat 2	306	6	525	218	131	641	18	349	26	158
Heat 3	26	525	499	641	591	698	149	304	18	730
Final	360	6	149	18	306	218	591	401	304	220

Unlimited Bangers	1st	2nd	3rd	4th	5th	6th	7th	8th	9th	10th
Heat 1 & White & Yellow Final	79	513	222	960	791	136	392	266	399	130
Heat 2	148	433	898	338	439	821	945	160	959	388
Consolation	673	128	318	981	197	579	604	nof
East Anglian Final	821	960	116	338	136	318	197	128	673	439
All Comers	148	136	160	673	338	898	128	247	8	116
Destruction Derby	392
Entertainer Awards	77	113	388	513	399	313	388	884	945
Merit Awards	9	107	116	222	757	799

1300 Stock Cars	1st	2nd	3rd	4th	5th	6th	7th	8th	9th	10th
Heat 1	341	400	22	673	08	114	340	09	412	409
Heat 2	400	171	09	22	794	07	340	653	409	704
Final	400	653	473	346	340	529	444	371	409	333