BriSCA F1
A turnout of more than 60 cars was the highest at the Adrian Flux Arena since last year’s World Final. Before the World Championship Semi-Final, there were two support heats. World champion #1 Tom Harris made light work of the opener, going in hard with the bumper on long-time leader #82 Karl Mosley with a couple of laps to go. Mosley slipped to seventh as #587 Sam Brigg and #217 Lee Fairhurst completed the top three.
An action-packed Heat 2 was won by #345 Jake Harrhy. Most of the white-tops took each other out, leaving #269 Thomas Rogers and #567 Craig Banwell to contest the lead. As they battled, Harrhy, #55 Craig Finnikin and Dutch World Finalist H661 Jeffrey Pikkert joined in. Harrhy managed to break clear and get a gap before Finnikin closed in, and the West Midlander held on to victory despite some scares among backmarking traffic. Pikkert was third ahead of #446 Joe Booth as Banwell slipped to sixth and Rogers lost out when #339 Ant Lee spun in front of him on the final lap.
All 24 Semi-Finalists were paraded before the start of the night’s big race and fireworks greeted the call of ‘Drivers, start your engines’. The race itself was anything but processional. It started with a bang as #175 Karl Hawkins rode up onto the front of #463 James Morris, with eight-time world champion #53 John Lund also eliminated and #259 Paul Hines another casualty. In the opening lap or so before yellow flags were called, front row men #16 Mat Newson and #515 Frankie Wainman Jr had already been trading the lead, while #138 Dave Polley jumped from fifth to third. But FWJ was unable to take the restart.
When racing resumed, Newson, Polley and #526 Finn Sargent traded big heats and each had spells in front before Sargent punted Polley wide. The Cambridgeshire man then ground to a halt on the exit of Turn 4. With hometown racer #457 Callum Gill also stranded at the other end of the track, yellow flags came out once more. The next segment of the race was quieter until Newson’s car began to smoke just after half-distance and he went into the wall on Turn 3. With grip at a premium, a number of others car piled in and another stoppage was required to assist #216 Jack France who’d been collected in the melee.
Only 10 cars were left for the closing laps, with #172 Micky Randell then reducing the number to nine. Sargent led from #124 Kyle Gray, #166 Bobby Griffin and #22 Lewis Hunter. But the drama wasn’t over – Sargent’s car began to slow with a throttle problem in the closing stages and Gray pounced to take the win from Griffin. #554 Sierd de Vries held off #212 Danny Wainman by inches for third, with the latter’s nephew #555 Frankie Wainman Jr Jr fifth. Sargent, Hunter, #127 Austin Moore and #523 Brooke Kitson completed the finishers.
“If I’m honest, I’d have took top 10 really,” admitted Gray after securing his World Final front row start. “The car was absolutely on rails, the best I’ve had it. I can’t thank everyone enough.”
Griffin was more than happy with second from mid-grid, while de Vries was delighted to qualify for his maiden World Final in such a high position.
Polley looked to have put his Semi-Final disappointment behind him as he charged to third place in the consolation in only a few laps. But he then tangled with second-placed H662 Jordy Pikkert and lost three quarters of a lap. So #18 Danny Ford took a comfortable win from Gill, with FWJ coming through to third. Polley just managed to make the all-important top nine, finishing eighth.
The 34-car Final for the Dave Leonard Memorial Trophy was predictably hectic and the mixed fortunes for the formula’s superstars continued as Harris crashed out and Polley was also delayed. Veteran Norfolk racer #372 Colin Goodswen caught and passed Mosley for the lead and he so nearly held for what would have been a first Final win for over a decade. But Finnikin was catching in the closing stages and went in for a last-bend lunge. He connected with Goodswen’s nerf rail, doing just enough to get inside and take a second consecutive Final win at the track. Goodswen held on to second ahead of Booth, who managed third despite a tangle with Mosley. Additional grade awards went to Mosley, #289 Jake Walker, Austin Moore, Danny Wainman and Jeffrey Pikkert.
Polley’s pace was finally rewarded with victory in the Grand National, ahead of FWJ and long-time leader Mosley. Finnikin climbed to sixth from the lap handicap.
BriSCA F2
Mindful of the following day’s World of Shale qualifying round, the 66-car BriSCA F2 turnout was split into three heats. #129 Charley Tomblin took a comfortable victory in the opener after nudging #116 Courtney Smith wide. Smith looked set for a strong result until she clobbered the wall and suffered a puncture. Veteran campaigner #606 Andrew Palmer and young superstar #155 Archie Grindey were the beneficiaries. Dutch visitor H129 Michael Schutter was fourth ahead of local man #103 Jack Issitt who lost time when shoved wide by Palmer.
Heat 2 featured a popular white-top winner in the form of #26 Craig Conway who dedicated his maiden win at the track to his daughter, who was celebrating her eighth birthday. The Yorkshireman led much of the way before losing out to #69 Ben Chalkley with three laps to go. But Chalkley hit trouble on the final lap, allowing Conway and #183 Charlie Guinchard to sweep past on the last bend. Another ruing his misfortune was local man #43 Marcus Gilbert who spun out under pressure from Guinchard as he nosed inside Conway for what would have been second at the time.
#58 Charlie England charged around the outside at a restart to take a decisive lead in Heat 3. #226 Billy Webster got the better of fellow Yorkshireman #324 Jordon Thackra in a good scrap for second, with #995 Michael Lund fourth.
The 36-car consolation was predictably chaotic as #541 Harry Skoyles took a maiden F2 victory from #179 Beth Usher. Having had his return flight home from holiday delayed, world champion #7 Gordon Moodie missed his heat; but he made up for lost time in style by coming through to finish third ahead of #118 Danny Wragg.
A heavy shower at the start of the Final caused chaos, with #344 Luke Woodhull and #77 Tom Earl emerging as the frontrunners after the frantic opening laps. The pair were caught and passed by Jordon Thackra and #271 Alex Butcher, who then contested the lead for several laps before Butcher made a move stick with four laps remaining. A mistake from Thackra allowed Butcher to open a margin only for it to be wiped out by yellow flags. The caution brought Thackra back onto Butcher’s tail, with Moodie – who had nosed inside Earl and caused him to spin as he ran wide – and Guinchard next in the queue with only three laps remaining.
Both Butcher and Thackra got shoved wide on the restart, with Moodie then pushed into the wall as Guinchard snatched the lead in commanding fashion, ahead of #47 Greg McKenzie and #186 Kasey Jones. But with Butcher stranded on the home straight another stoppage was required. Guinchard made a perfect restart and reeled off the remaining laps for victory ahead of McKenzie and #880 Jack Witts. H129 Michael Schutter pushed Moodie wide for fourth on the final bend.
Charlie England quickly hit the front in the Grand National and he went on take his second win of the night. #795 Jason Clow had been in the battle for second before spinning and getting collected by Jordon Thackra. So it was Witts who came through to relieve #36 Adam Wilson of the position, with GN specialist Michael Lund third.