Photos: 1 - 13 Dave Bastock, 14 - 32 Matt Bull, 33 - 41 Kevin Wickham, 42 - 56 Jim Harrod
Report: Mark Paulson
Over 150 cars defied the poor weather in the run-up to the meeting by putting on a terrific show of racing at the King’s Lynn season-opener on Saturday night (29 February). Producing an impressive performance to the win the BriSCA Formula Two world qualifier was #55 Courtney Finnikin, while #26 Tommy Barnes topped the two-litre Saloon Stock Car action and #682 Paul Sparrow was dominant in the 1300cc versions, claiming a hat-trick.
BriSCA Formula Two
The 77-car turnout was the highest ever at the season-opener and was headlined by the return of eight-time world champion #218 Rob Speak, making the first step on the road to gold at his own Skegness venue. With current world champion 7 Gordon Moodie, Speak’s arch-rival, also on the entry list, along with silver top #560 Luke Wrench and European champion #788 Stephen Mallinson, it was a star-studded line-up. Three Dutchmen made the journey, and further interest was provided by the track debut of #674 Steven Burgoyne, while #527 James Riggall looked to be one to watch in his new shale-spec RCE.
On a track in excellent condition, despite the storms of the previous weeks, heat one was won by local man #277 Billy Banwell after #276 Chris Sutton retired with a puncture around half-distance. When #578 Mark Gibbs pulled off with a lap to go, it handed second to Wrench, with West Country entertainer #24 Jon Palmer beating Riggall and Superstox top man #682 Jason Cooper to third. Burgoyne was an early spinner, while local man #43 Marcus Gilbert’s new car had an eventful debut, briefly leading before crashing out with #701 John Thompson.
Having had little to show for a very impressive debut at the corresponding meeting last year, #69 Ben Chalkley came good on his promise to win heat two, soaking up pressure from Mallinson after a couple of caution periods. Mallinson nudged ahead within a lap of a mid-race restart but Chalkley proved he is no pushover by hitting straight back. Returnee #657 Neal Smith completed the top three after many of the blues and reds were delayed by an early pile-up which left #252 Sam Claxton’s previously immaculate new TLF, particularly its wing, looking rather dog-eared.
Heat three fell to one-time World of Shale champion #225 Tony Blackburn, postponing his much-promised retirement for one more year. He pushed local man #124 Ollie Skeels wide for the win, with #488 Liam Bentham third. The heat had drawn big guns Speak, Moodie and #38 Dave Polley together but none had it easy. Speak showed he meant business by charging straight in with the bumper from the off but then had to contend with a heavily smoking car and a spin, before coming home eighth. Moodie, meanwhile, got caught out by a spinning #905 Rob Mitchell and pinned in by Polley. Left facing the traffic, he requested yellow flags and, when it came to consolation time and he pulled off before the start, it was night over and nil points for the long-distance traveller.
The consolation was dominated by #136 Kyle Taylor, fresh from a couple of wins at the Christmas meeting. #70 Brian Shadbolt made a late charge for second, with #414 Josh Rayner third. Finnikin was fourth, having been forced into the last-chance race by hitting a marker tyre in her qualifying heat while well placed.
The 38-car final was led by Chalkley until he hit a marker tyre and spun, letting Rayner into the lead chased by #130 Emma Ford and Finnikin. Finnikin spun Ford on the roadside bend, slightly delaying herself in the process and letting Novice of the Year #183 Charlie Guinchard past both into second. He then moved ahead in the second half of the race, with Finnikin following through before one-time National champion #921 Jack Aldridge came past. As Guinchard slowed, Aldridge and Finnikin moved to the front, with Finnikin passing on the inside to take the lead four laps from home.
A yellow flag with two laps to go would have caused some jitters for the leader, especially with the track cutting up on bend one. But she controlled the restarted race and found the best line around the first-bend bumps to win from Aldridge and #81 Mark Clayton. They were followed by Riggall, Blackburn and Palmer, with Speak only ninth.
Finnikin was delighted with her fourth career final win, her second at King’s Lynn, which signals a return to the star grade for the granddaughter of arguably the formula’s greatest ever shale racer, #559 Bert Finnikin.
Chalkley proved what had looked set to be the case 12 months ago – that he won’t be a white-grader for long – with another impressive display to lead the grand national from start to finish. He immediately moved ahead of Finnikin – on a full-lap handicap – and went on to win in consummate fashion from Aldridge and #524 Michael Wallbank. Finnikin retired after a spin in the opening laps.
2L Saloon Stock Cars
Being slightly down on the anticipated numbers meant the 34-car two-litre Saloon entry could run all-in for the main part of the night’s programme. The turnout included European visitors H97 Daniel de Hoop and H153 Nick Antwerpen as well as the debut of Ministox graduate #370 Rowan Venni.
While Venni impressed all night it was his fellow former Ministox star #368 Charlie Santry – who had a few outings on a temporary licence last year – who was the real star turn, albeit with little to show for his efforts. He was pinged with a black cross and then half-spun in the white & yellow grade opener, which was won by veteran #420 Ivan Street after leading trio Venni, #108 John Riley and #232 Gavin Anderson all spun on the same bend.
But it was from heat one proper that Santry’s performance really started to stand out. He was well clear either side of a stoppage for a fire on board #600 Barry Russell’s machine and, with the stars chasing him down in the late stages, still looked like he’d done enough to win, before tangling with backmarker #214 Tom Yould on the final bend. World champion #116 Diggy Smith pounced to pass #26 Tommy Barnes in the melee and move from third to first on the last bend, with Barnes second, #182 Lewis Gallie third and Antwerpen an impressive fourth. Earlier, eight drivers were excluded at the stoppage, four for moving under red-flag conditions, and four for unlapping themselves without being instructed to do so, as they got to grips with driving with raceivers linked to Race Control for the first time. #161 Billy Smith and #131 Timmy Barnes had also enlivened proceedings by continuing their feud from the Christmas meeting.
Santry also led much of heat two before losing out to #888 Shane Emerson in the closing stages. This time he did manage to hold on to second, with Diggy and Billy Smith sandwiching fourth-placed #570 Simon Venni.
Cambridgeshire-based teenager Santry, son of 2001 world champion Steve, built a commanding lead in the final, but again it wasn’t to be. He retired on bend two with five laps to go, gifting Tommy Barnes the lead. The increasingly unruffled racer just held off Emerson to take the win, with third place falling to multiple Banger champion #338 Terry Garrod, on an outing in the Sampson hire car. Garrod was followed home by father and son Smith and double 1300cc National Points champion #340 Wes Freestone.
1300cc Stock Cars
The 40-car entry of the smaller stock cars were split by grade for their two-from-three heat format. Were it not for that, we might have had only one winner all night, such was the imperious form of #682 Paul Sparrow, who appears to have got his Vauxhall Corsa D running just as he wants it now.
Looking under-graded from yellow – he won’t be there for long – Sparrow won the white & yellow opener from #162 Mark Newman and #55 Ricky Ivatt. He then sat out heat two, which went the way of #510 Daniel Newman on his track debut in the formula, ahead of #60 Daniel Rea and #302 Jack Smith.
Heat three brought more success for Sparrow as he led virtually from start to finish to beat Rea and #241 Beau Southgate to the flag. Sparrow quickly picked his way through in the final too, winning from #436 Matt Arnold and #535 Connor Sheldrake.
It was a tough night for the formula’s star names, National Points champion #303 Jacob Bromley managing fifth in his first outing before getting more embroiled in battles with the likes of #142 Jack Lower, with no other top-six places for the stars and superstars all night.
Heat 1 |
277 |
560 |
24 |
527 |
682 |
H62 |
581 |
188 |
768 |
130 |
Heat 2 |
69 |
788 |
657 |
413 |
921 |
183 |
618 |
344 |
969 |
728 |
Heat 3 |
225 |
124 |
488 |
524 |
81 |
38 |
995 |
218 |
H410 |
818 |
Consolation |
136 |
70 |
414 |
55 |
324 |
905 |
210 |
724 |
252 |
142 |
Final |
55 |
921 |
81 |
527 |
225 |
24 |
414 |
38 |
218 |
488 |
Grand National |
69 |
921 |
524 |
38 |
732 |
618 |
344 |
H186 |
560 |
581 |
White & Yellow/ Heat 1 |
420 |
340 |
270 |
370 |
341 |
192 |
338 |
368 |
350 |
108 |
Heat 2 |
116 |
26 |
182 |
153 |
338 |
306 |
389 |
192 |
525 |
570 |
Heat 3 |
888 |
368 |
116 |
570 |
161 |
120 |
389 |
306 |
350 |
525 |
Final |
26 |
888 |
338 |
116 |
161 |
340 |
296 |
570 |
389 |
306 |
White & Yellow/ Heat 1 |
682 |
162 |
55 |
762 |
122 |
42 |
165 |
510 |
690 |
185 |
Heat 2 |
510 |
60 |
302 |
162 |
303 |
611 |
241 |
244 |
762 |
216 |
Heat 3 |
682 |
60 |
241 |
55 |
535 |
690 |
367 |
149 |
391 |
317 |
Final |
682 |
436 |
535 |
60 |
510 |
42 |
244 |
55 |
400 |
690 |