Report by Mark Paulson

Pictures by Dave Bastock & Colin Casserley

FREDDIE’S FLYING VISIT FINDS FRONT ROW FORTUNE

Surrey-born 318 Freddie Kinsella scorched to pole position for the following day’s 2-Litre Saloon Stock Car British Championship at the Norfolk Arena, King’s Lynn on Saturday night, 29 June.  Having emigrated to Australia early last year, a one-off return in a borrowed car paid rich dividends in an eye catching performance. Having won the pre-meeting white top race, he proved it was no flash in the pan, with a win, a second and a third place in his three qualifying heats. Supporting the Saloons were the big V8-engined Formula One Stock Cars in their last appearance at the track before their World Final in September, with Leicestershire’s 259 Paul Hines victorious in the main event.

The massive 83-car Saloon Stock Car turnout was thought to be the highest ever recorded and, given that number, unsurprisingly featured drivers from all four corners of the country – and beyond.  All the way from Germany came regular traveller 303 Frank Loeff, there were four visitors from Northern Ireland, 10 from Scotland and a handful from the West. Although not the furthest travelled, perhaps most surprising was the 12-strong effort from the South-East, including a return for 184 Marty Colliver, plus three further in Colliver hire-cars – Kinsella and big names from Spedeworth’s 1300cc Saloon Stock Car scene, 23 Lee Pearce and 146 Paul Aylward.

The huge numbers necessitated seven qualifying heats to be run, with each driver appearing in three, as is traditional.  Before the serious business started though, a race for white graded drivers and those with limited recent experience on shale kicked off proceedings.  164 Neil Kent and 192 Robert Heanes tussled over the lead, passing and repassing until Heanes spun Kent out, delaying himself in the process. Newcomer 78 Jack Thompson took up the running but tangled with 318 Freddie Kinsella who motored to the win from 218 Jacob Downey and 232 Gavin Anderson.

The first heat proper saw 216 Dan Booth lead for the first half of the race, initially from Kent until the latter pulled off with mechanical trouble. 428 Lee Sampson, taking advantage of his lowly yellow grade for the month of June, caught Booth, whose half-spin on the back straight cost him the lead. He recovered to remain in the top three until spun out for good by 120 Shane Brown, the last man to win a major at Lynn, with three laps to go. Sampson was well clear out front but King’s Lynn track champion 499 David Aldous put on a masterful display from near the back of the 35-car field to scythe through into second. 570 Simon Venni completed the top three from the impressive 591 Aaron Morris and new National Champion 116 Diggy Smith.

Big hits featured throughout heat two with a caution period called to assist 103 Chris Horwell who was caught in a multi-car pile-up on the home straight which had seen cars punching their way through, banger-style. The leading Kinsella took advantage of lapped cars between him and second placed Thompson to ease away for a clear win. Behind him, English Champion 306 Daniel Parker drove fantastically well from the very back to carve through to second, while 130 Joe Gladden emerged from a last bend squabble in third, ahead of Thompson.

Heat three was the Sampson show – Lee’s brother 149 Jamie also making the most of his yellow grade to take up the running after the battling Booth and Downey spun out in unison. Lee Sampson was second when caution flags flew to assist NI962 Mark Hughes, who had felt a couple of hefty hits, but dropped back a few places on the restart as Jamie Sampson eased to the win. Lee fought back though, relieving Aldous of second and holding him off by inches as they crossed the line.

Veteran 417 Fred Powell, on his first appearance for a while, was leading heat four when it came under caution after 128 Craig Banwell was caught stranded across the track, driver’s door exposed to the traffic. The lapped Gladden and second-placed Kinsella went straight through on the resumption however, with Powell retiring a lap later. Another race full of action saw 670 Ross Watters given a ride up and around the wall but survive to continue, as Smith dived through for the win, looking very fast and controlled in the process. Another former World Champion, 360 Carl Waterfield, was second, ahead of Kinsella and Colliver.

Lee Sampson would not make it two in a row in the next, as he was an early spinner, along with Aldous. Several more spinners on the home straight led to early yellow flags, with Downey heading the field. On the resumption, he pulled away for an impressively comfortable win, only being spun by Aylward after taking the flag. 152 Chris Fountain was quickly into second, where he remained, unable to be caught by the recovered Aldous and Lee Sampson.

Kinsella completed his set of top three finishes in the penultimate heat, securing himself pole position for the following day’s big race. Having led early on he finished second to Morris who would be another lower-graded driver starting well up the grid. A big pile-up on the back straight and into bend three had claimed many, including Jamie Sampson and 512 Darren Barnett, while the leading 257 Timmy Aldridge also pulled off there with just two laps to go, mechanical problems having slowed him down and eventually led to a fire in his carburettor. Local man 641 Willie Skoyles Jr followed Kinsella home, ahead of 214 Tom Yould and 18 Jamie Clayton.

389 Ryan Santry steered clear of trouble to win the final heat, but not without drama. His engine blew on the final lap and although he just managed to cross the line to take victory, he would sadly be unable to take up his slot on the grid of Sunday’s big race. Thompson completed an impressive showing with second, to secure sixth on the grid, ahead of 30 Barry Hollett, rookie 270 Matt Fuller and 912 Andi Newman.

A few no-shows left a still healthy 40-car entry of Formula One Stock Cars, to allow a full-format meeting. Before that, the white and yellow grade race was claimed by 307 Tim Warwick. He burst into an early lead and while 215 Geoff Nickolls hunted him down, he couldn’t find a way past. That allowed top rookie 245 Carl Swift to catch, who then tangled with Nickolls, delaying the latter. Swift then managed to catch Warwick but the popular Bedford man was able to hold him off.

The first heat proper saw early spins for big names 515 Frankie Wainman Jr and 16 Matt Newson, with the former then pulling off and consigning himself to the consolation. 58 Colin Eardley spun 78 Aaron Cozens to take the early lead, before 91 Tony Smith nipped inside. He was then dumped into the parked car of 532 Daz Kitson, which let Swift in for a comfortable win. It had looked like 212 Danny Wainman had the pace to challenge but he got caught up when he spun 303 Karl Mosley out of second, allowing 2 Paul Harrison, 191 Joshua Smith and 94 John Dowson through.

Early leader Warwick gained a reprieve after spinning out of the lead of heat two, as yellow flags had just come out. He himself then caused another caution when stranded in the home straight fence with 321 Ed Neachell. All that left 104 Paul Spooner in front but 197 Ryan Harrison immediately burst into the lead when the greens waved. 21 Mark Gilbank launched a challenge on the leader but ended up clobbering the marker tyres very hard, significantly delaying himself. Harrison expired simultaneously, allowing 84 Tom Harris ahead. The Oxfordshire man then reeled off the laps with ease, winning from 1 Lee Fairhurst and Spooner.

462 Scott Davids won the consolation, taking advantage of the leading 223 Garry Townsend getting caught behind the slowing car of 231 Mark Petters. Frankie Wainman Jr and 4 Daniel Johnson gradually picked their way through for second and third.

After some frenetic early laps in the 28-car final, Dowson settled into the lead with Hines second while Johnson was looking pacy, despite showers of sparks escaping his inside rear wheel. After a yellow flag period and a lap for the water bowser, a massive first bend push claimed FWJ and Fairhurst, among others. The latter required attention, along with Nickolls, leading to another caution period. By this time, Hines had passed Dowson and the squabbling behind him at the next restart allowed him to pull clear for the win from Gilbank and the relatively anonymous 150 Mick Sworder. Johnson, Paul Harrison and Danny Wainman completed the top six.

Hines failed to finish the grand national that rounded off proceedings and again featured a yellow flag period – this time for Tony Smith who had been on the receiving end of a big hit. Davids again ran well but was caught and passed by Harris with three laps to go. He did hold onto second though, from Fairhurst and Wainmans Frankie and Danny.