The first midweek session at the Adrian Flux Arena in living memory featured an entertaining night’s racing for BriSCA Formula Two Stock Cars and the local TSR Banger formula. Charlie Guinchard took the main honours in the F2s, and Ryan Cross scored and heat-and-final double in the Bangers,
BriSCA F2
A turnout of 42 cars was split to contest two from three heats. The first brought a maiden win on UK shale for long-distance traveller #24 Jon Palmer. The Plymouth star-graded driver hit the front before half-distance after enjoying a good battle for the lead with #6 Simon Welton and #69 Ben Chalkley. When Chalkley hit Welton wide for second, it precipitated Welton’s retirement, and Chalkley then closed back in on Palmer as the leader struggled to shift backmarker #597 Barry Clow in the closing stages. But Palmer eventually got the job done and eked out enough of a gap to stay out of range of a last-bend lunge. Hometown driver #233 Rob Aldridge took third as #344 Luke Woodhull expired on the final lap.
#129 Charley Tomblin and #77 Tom Earl traded the lead over the second half of Heat 2 but Tomblin looked like he had victory sewn up until his car went sick at the death. It stuttered on the final lap and Earl swept past for victory. Tomblin limped across the line second, just ahead of Jon Palmer. Saturday’s final winner, multi-champion #183 Charlie Guinchard, could only manage ninth having spun after a caution period.
Amid plenty of action in the 30-car Final, #26 Craig Conway led until half-distance when it almost went wrong for him in spectacular fashion. First he spun, then, as he was recovering, Earl put a big hit on #58 Charlie England, with all three piling into the fence, where they were joined by several others in a near track blockage. Somehow, Conway extracted himself still in the lead as a caution period was called, with #47 Greg McKenzie up to second and Guinchard third.
Conway continued to hold the lead for a couple of laps before McKenzie got past on the inside, with Guinchard also passing on the next bend. Guinchard closed up to McKenzie and eased him wide on the roadside bend , going on to win his second final at the track in less than a week. McKenzie was second and Conway third. Palmer attempted to shift Conway on the final bend, but that only allowed #155 Archie Grindey to get inside. Indeed, Grindey was inches from pipping Conway on the line.
Only 16 cars returned for the Grand National which hadn’t been going long before a stoppage was required. England might have suffered a stuck throttle as he went hurtling around the wall on the roadside bend before absolutely blitzing Earl’s car at the other end. #541 Harry Skoyles lost out to #795 Jason Clow on the restart, with #606 Andrew Palmer getting inside McKenzie for third and then demoting Skoyles further before another caution. The stoppages helped Guinchard make up ground from the lap handicap and he soon followed McKenzie past Clow for third. McKenzie had a couple of nibbles at Palmer’s bumper but could not shift the veteran multi-champion who went on to take the win. McKenzie was second as Guinchard failed to make contact on the final bend.
TSR Bangers
The 48-car entry of domestic Bangers were each programmed in two half-car heats before an all-in final.
#107 Thomas Scarborough (Ford Fiesta Mk7) built up a big lead in Heat 1, for lower-graded drivers, but damaged the left-rear of his car when he clobbered the wall. While he did well to continue at pace, he was effectively a sitting a duck and picked off by #682 Ryan Cross – who was himself hampered by a misfire – with three laps to go. Cross had just passed #8 Kev Mills whose attempted retaliation only took himself into a parked car. #32 Tyler Cope snatched second on the final bend, with #168 Danny Elton also coming through for third ahead of Scarborough.
#272 Riley Crowson led Heat 2 from start to finish. Stock car pilot #99 Levi Dewey reached second but could not catch the long-time leader. #556 Matt Tillow was third, ahead of #80 Billy Peat.
The lead of Heat 3 was contested by Tyler Cope and #100 Danny Allen for over half the race until Allen spun Cope out. Allen delayed himself in the process which brought #139 Aimee Rowley (Ford Focus) onto his tail. Rowley managed to squeeze through on the inside and then pulled away to a comfortable victory. Allen held onto second from the BMW 1 Series of #721 Daniel Clarke.
In Heat 4, Billy Peat survived challenges at both the start and end of the race as he recorded victory. The early assault came from #186 Chris Loveridge, who was later put into the fence by #446 Lewis King but bounced out to finish third. It was Tillow who came through to second and was rapidly reeling in Peat in the closing stages. He went for a big last-bend lunge but wasn’t able to make enough contact to shift the leader.
A busy Final featured 38 cars and it was another race that looked like it was heading Scarborough’s way only for him to lose out once more. The Fiesta man built a big lead before tangling with a backmarking #181 Craig Allen and then getting put into the wall by #808 Owen Geiss. That handed Cross the lead with four laps to go and he duly reeled off the laps for his second win of the night. Clarke was set for second before he too got caught out and it was ultimately Dewey who took the place from Crowson and #27 Ryan Wade.