by Mark Paulson
GRIEF GRABS GLORY
Cambridgeshire’s 319 Jodie Grief secured the lady banger British Championship at King’s Lynn on Sunday afternoon, 28 April. She drove a dominant race to claim her first title in the sport. Also racing in the five formula feast were the 1300 saloon stock cars who again turned out in large numbers and put in a lively performance. The 2-litre bangers, while relatively few in number, were big on action, while the bill was completed by two formulas for under-16s: the junior bangers are starting to build momentum in their first season at the track, while the Brisca Ministox turned out in force on the second day of their weekend meeting which culminated in a dramatic finish to the King’s Lynn Open Championship.
Twenty-one lady bangers turned out to contest their second biggest title – not their biggest entry by any stretch, but still a decent gathering. Sadly, defending champion 477 Amy Brown wasn’t amongst them – notable by her absence, or at least without a car even though she was still present to support her fellow racers, she was sidelined through injury.
Points scored in the two heats were used to set the grid for the final, so every race was important and every point mattered. All made it on track for the first, where 88 Alice Sullivan dominated, winning when a red a chequered brought an early halt to proceedings after 213 Trudy Gowler had been accidentally hit in the drivers door area by the race winner. 319 Jodie Grief, debuting a Daewoo, came home second, with Sullivan’s fellow white grader 465 Hannah Yates third.
Sullivan failed to make it back out for the second heat which featured good scraps throughout the field, especially amongst the numerous white and yellow graded drivers. 85 Kate Calver was spun out of the lead by 661 Suzanne Lambe who was later passed by both the impressive Yates, who held on for her first win, and the experienced 95 Jade Harboard.
That left Yates and Lambe on the front row for the final, with Harboard and Grief making up row two. As Grief later said, the outside starting slot suited her, as she felt it was less slippery than the inside. She certainly made good use of it, pouncing into an immediate lead, from where she proceeded to pull away and control the race. Whilst it certainly wasn’t easy, she looked comfortable throughout, negotiating the backmarkers with comparative ease. Yates drove an excellent race to stay well-placed throughout, but was passed by 2011 champion Allard with three laps to go. The latter then started to make inroads into Grief’s lead. Had the race been a little longer, she may have fancied her chances, but she simply ran out of laps and a delighted Grief held on to take the flag, and with it her first title, less than two years after making her debut in the sport. Behind Allard, Yates held onto third, while the Street sisters – 4 Stephanie and 444 Natasha – were fourth and sixth, sandwiching 762 Kerry Thurgill.
The ladies’ male counterparts in the 2-litre bangers mustered a slightly disappointing 23 cars for their latest world qualifying round. No doubt, very big national banger meetings at both Northampton and Arena-Essex had an effect on the turnout. But with a good showing from the Aftermath boys in particular, they still served up plenty of entertainment.
National points leader 572 Paul Scully, in a well-used car, was followed-in heavily before even making the start line in heat one. Whilst he did manage to keep his car running, he wouldn’t be adding to his points tally today. 840 Dan Waddingham (Jaguar X-Type) followed in 602 Shaun Cooper, who turned in a particularly lively performance – although it was father 701 Kevin that scooped the race entertainers award – while 515 Gareth Flatters did 677 Matthew Bradshaw. 119 Davey Cox spun 551 Brett Jackson out of the lead with a lap to go to secure the win, while Jackson recovered for second, ahead of 338 Terry Garrod.
Heat two was all about Shaun Cooper. Despite a very battered car, he delivered another follow-in to Scully and also did Cox on his way to both victory and entertainers award. Cox also got an entertainers award for his troubles while lone Predator 8 James Jackson was on the receiving end of a hard shot from Flatters. Brett Jackson again came home second, with Terry’s brother 337 Ashley Garrod this time completing the top three.
Only 10 cars remained for the final but they still put on a show from the closed-up grid. Kevin Cooper led almost the whole race until caught with two laps to go, when Cox and Ashley Garrod got through. Cruncher was passed by his nephew with one tour left, as Garrod secured a heat and final double. Behind them, 19 Joe Mullarkey, 390 David Gibson and Waddingham kept things lively. The latter continually waved all and sundry into his hobbled machine, and Cox duly obliged by burying himself in it on the run-down lap, bringing a close to an entertaining session.
It was also a world qualifying round for the 1300 saloon stox, who once again turned out in excellent numbers – 29 in total, including new machines for 177 Chris Masters and veteran ‘Ole Smiler’ 673 John Moat. With a couple of late arrivals, there were 27 on track for heat one, where 215 Ben Yould inflicted some heavy damage on the left rear quarter of the consistent 802 Richard Clarke’s Corsa. 350 Rob Jackson, now in front-wheel drive machinery, claimed a comfortable first win from Moat, who looked very impressive in his new car, and 09 Buster Ketteringham. Runaway success story of the year so far, 344 Ross Fisher, got off to an inauspicious start when he pulled off with mechanical problems.
The whole of the yellow grade managed to take each other out at the start of heat two; Fisher continued for half a lap then pulled off once more, before newcomer 565 Josh Murfitt rolled onto his side to bring out the waved yellow flags. Ketteringham, sixth in the queue on the restart, and with a very noisy car minus its exhaust, shot into the lead very quickly and showed prodigious pace as he raced to the win from 473 Dean Moat and 604 Jamie Smith, who was in the middle of his best performance of the season so far.
450 Luke Jackson led the early laps of the final, before Smith took up the running. But nobody had an answer for the pace of John Moat and Ketteringham who raced to first and second. European Champion Dean Moat came home third, while Fisher salvaged something from the day with fourth, on his last appearance as a yellow grader. 838 Ady Wales and 316 Danny McCluskey completed the top six.
After four heats the previous evening, the Brisca Ministox would contest three more before the King’s Lynn Open Championship, a race whose grid would be decided on points scored in all seven heats. Not everyone stayed on from the prior day’s racing, but over 30 cars meant they were still the most numerous formula. Heat wins went to 242 Joe Nickolls, 323 Harry Peall and 391 Jessica Smith, the latter’s being her second success of the weekend. That left her on the outside of the front row for the final, alongside 333 Sam Roper and ahead of 55 Courtney Finnikin and 152 Charlie Sworder who made up row two. Finnikin took an early lead as several spun early on, before yellow flags brought a pause to proceedings. 226 Amy Webster either didn’t see them or didn’t react fast enough though, spinning out Peall and being disqualified for her actions. Roper had taken the lead just before the caution, and on the restart he, Finnikin and the reinstated Peall had a good scrap before the latter broke clear. He looked set for the win until yellow flags for the spun and stranded 247 undid his hard work and led to a one-lap showdown. Peall, 180 Courtney Witts, Finnikin, Roper, 60 Matt Venables was the order but heartbreakingly for Peall, he lost all drive as the greens flew. The next three all delayed each other in a hectic first bend, allowing Venables to sweep under them and snatch the win from Roper and 48 Faye Smith. The weekend had ended the way it begun, with a win for Venables, but in the most dramatic of fashions.
The junior bangers only numbered 18, but were still able to build on a decent showing in their first outing a fortnight earlier. Debutant 364 Bradley Lee dominated the first heat before unluckily getting caught up in someone else’s incident, allowing 309 Liam Gibson to take the win. Lee made amends in heat two, before 868 Jorji Stark claimed the final, ahead of Gibson and 77 Callum Gill.
Heat 1 |
119 |
551 |
338 |
427 |
390 |
597 |
22 |
212 |
515 |
127 |
Heat 2 |
602 |
551 |
337 |
390 |
338 |
597 |
19 |
701 |
127 |
840 |
Final |
337 |
119 |
701 |
597 |
390 |
338 |
19 |
840 |
nof |
|
DD |
515 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Merit Awards |
551 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Entertainer Awards |
19 |
119 |
127 |
602 |
701 |
708 |
840 |
840 |
|
|
Heat 1 |
350 |
673 |
9 |
409 |
838 |
316 |
447 |
374 |
653 |
119 |
Heat 2 |
9 |
473 |
604 |
673 |
838 |
802 |
409 |
653 |
119 |
377 |
Final |
673 |
9 |
473 |
344 |
838 |
316 |
350 |
653 |
10 |
450 |
Heat 1 |
88 |
319 |
465 |
661 |
4 |
444 |
369 |
95 |
660 |
988 |
Heat 2 |
465 |
95 |
661 |
369 |
4 |
444 |
1 |
319 |
660 |
74 |
British Championship |
319 |
369 |
465 |
4 |
762 |
444 |
661 |
660 |
95 |
nof |
Heat 1 |
309 |
51 |
323 |
77 |
32 |
93 |
399 |
868 |
123 |
119 |
Heat 2 |
364 |
868 |
131 |
77 |
51 |
309 |
322 |
93 |
323 |
69 |
Final |
868 |
309 |
77 |
131 |
399 |
119 |
93 |
51 |
323 |
nof |