Photos: 1 - 11 Major Gilbert, 12 - 21 Dave Bastock, 22 - 32 Jim Harrod, 33 - 42 Colin Casserley

Report: Mark Paulson

A BriSCA Road to Gold special featured the Formula One World Championship Semi-Final and King’s Lynn’s delayed Formula Two World Championship qualifying round at the Adrian Flux Arena on Saturday night, 31 July. #55 Craig Finnikin claimed a front-row slot for the World Final, while #93 Sam Makim won the F1 meeting final, and #606 Andrew Palmer took the F2 honours.

With thanks to Landfillpipe and Construction Services limited for their support in sponsoring the F1 Stock Cars and to Beechwood Contractors for their sponsorship in the F2 Stock Cars

BriSCA F1

Well over 50 BriSCA F1 stock cars were in action, with several making rare forays onto the loose as they sought places on the grid for September'a World Final in Bradford. The opening race for white and yellow graded drivers also doubled-up as heat one, with five places in the final on offer. It was dominated by World Semi-Finalist #87 Samuel Brigg who continued his Bradford form and hit the front at the start of lap two before charging to a comprehensive win over #532 Daz Kitson and #136 Rob Jacklin. “I was struggling a bit early on,” said Brigg. “Once I got going and drove it hard, it went! “

Heat two produced a battle between two of the sport’s titans as British champion #197 Ryan Harrison and champion-of-everything else #1 Tom Harris were in top form. #234 Terry Pearce led the early stages before #215 Geoff Nickolls took over. Nickolls was unfortunate to be unable to restart after a stoppage, allowing #11 Neil Scriven ahead. The returning #150 Mick Sworder, who had enjoyed a good battle with Harris – using the Will Hunter car as he had lent his own to Semi-Finalist #464 Luke Davidson – to that point, then moved in front, with Harrison following through. Just after half-distance, Harris and Harrison passed Sworder, and then demoted Scriven with five laps to go. Harrison decided he wasn’t going to leave his move until the last lap and put the bumper in with a lap to go, shifting Harris wide for the lead. A lap later, Harris went in with a last-bend lunge but didn’t make contact and so Harrison won from Harris, Scriven and Sworder.

After a parade and fireworks, the World Championship Semi-Final began with outside front-row man #16 Mat Newson taking the lead, only to spin on the exit of Turn 2 and resume towards the rear of the field. Polesitter #515 Frankie Wainman Jr thus regained the lead from #166 Bobby Griffin, #55 Craig Finnikin and #212 Danny Wainman. But Finnikin was the quickest man on track and soon challenging Wainman. He moved ahead and was followed through by Griffin. FWJ briefly moved back into second before slipping backwards and eventually pulling off with what appeared to be broken steering. Out front, Finnikin was unchallenged, although did have to negotiate backmarking traffic on his way to a first-ever Semi-Final victory. Danny Wainman used traffic to pass Griffin for second, but then his engine cut out momentarily, allowing Griffin back through for second where he stayed. Wainman held on to third and #2 Paul Harrison was fourth. Newson climbed back through to seventh ahead of #211 Phoebe Wainman while #8 Catherine Harris was delighted to make her first World Final in 11^th.

A big field of 28 cars returned for the consolation. #45 Nigel Harrhy passed #389 Tom Dayman for the lead before early yellow flags, and #313 Karl Roberts passed them both on the restart. From there, he motored to victory despite his engine losing its oil, while Harrhy lost an exhaust pipe but still held on to second. #12 Michael Scriven came through for third but Frankie Wainman Jr again missed out after pulling up with more mechanical woes when placed fourth.

With no white-top qualifiers, #11 Neil Scriven led the final away from #93 Sam Makim but Makim had just taken the lead when the first stoppage was required to assist Catherine Harris, with the wreckage of Jake Harrhy and #392 Lewis Evans’s home-straight clash also cleared up. Danny Wainman shot into fourth after the restart but then struggled to make further progress on the freshly watered track. Gradually the conditions came to him though, and he picked off #532 Daz Kitson and then Scriven in front, with #5 Charlie Sworder and Mat Newson following in his wake. But the stars could not catch Makim in front who went on to take a popular final win. Wainman followed him home, from Neil Scriven, Newson, Charlie Sworder and Griffin. “It’s been a good night – I can’t complain!” said Makim, who had also qualified for the World Final after stepping into the Semi as a reserve. “It’s been a lot of hard work,” he added. “It’s lost us three back axles this year.”

A very stop/start grand national was eventually won by Griffin. Bradley Harrison had to endure a number of restarts while leading, but was eventually planted wide by Griffin, with Mick Sworder following through. In the closing stages, Harris – who had retired from the final and earlier clashed with Newson and Gilbank in the GN – was making rapid progress. He passed Sworder but couldn’t catch Griffin before the flag. Newson planted Sworder wide on the final bend for third, with the 150 machine ending up in a heap with Terry Pearce.

BriSCA F2

The BriSCA F2 World Championship qualifying round, postponed due to the late start to the season, raised 66 cars. Alfreton yellow-top duo #147 Aiden Derry and #156 Danny McVarish hit the front within a few laps of heat one and set the pace throughout. It looked like McVarish was content to sit behind his running mate until the final lap when he pounced among backmarking traffic to take the win, with Derry failing to finish. “There’s no friends on track, is there, so he got moved!” laughed McVarish. #47 Greg McKenzie followed McVarish home with #362 Dave Harley completing the top three in his first outing in the Polleysport car.

White top #231 Matt Clayton, returning to racing this year in his self-built car, was a dominant winner of heat two, never being headed despite an early stoppage. #218 Rob Speak, in the Lee Dimmick car, was top red at the time of the stoppage but was spun on the restart. He quickly recovered, and followed national points leader #38 Dave Polley into second and third before being demoted by #226 Billy Webster and #968 Micky Brennan on the final lap. “The car was going really well,” said Clayton. “We’ve spent a lot of time on it in the week to get it right and it’s paid off so far.”

The 37-car consolation looked set to go to #113 Pat Issitt until a late caution period. #597 Barry Clow led from the start, with Issitt shoving #724 Tom Pell wide for second before an early yellow flag. Issitt demoted Clow from the lead, with #62 Trevor Buckley, #995 Michael Lund and #612 Dan Booth following through. Buckley then spun under pressure from Lund, handing Issitt a decent lead, which was only being slightly eroded before a caution period with three laps to go. On the restart, Mitchell shoved Lund into Issitt and both passed the erstwhile leader who then slipped further and further backwards, ending his race up the wall. Mitchell passed Lund with a lap to go and went on to win from Lund and Aiden Derry.

A full complement of 36 cars took their places in the final which was punctuated by a number of stoppages and featured a thrilling finish. #597 Barry Clow led away, with #9 Harley Thackra making rapid early progress from the blues and half-spinning #929 Harry Hensby from second before the first stoppage. #921 Jack Aldridge sat third in the queue and hit the front in the restarted race. But the men on the move were #183 Charlie Guinchard, #606 Andrew Palmer and #38 Dave Polley who had risen to fifth, sixth and eighth respectively by the time of the next stoppage just before half-distance. The trio then carved into second (Palmer), third (Guinchard) and fourth before a pile-up on the roadside bend left #55 Courtney Finnikin up the wall and rolling onto her roof, with red flags out. Aldridge tried to outfox his pursuers with a slow rolling lap but Palmer nudged him wide to take the lead, with Guinchard and Polley following through. Polley then passed Guinchard for second and began to close in on Palmer. He waited until the final bend to make his attack, hitting Palmer wide, but Palmer managed to half-spin Polley towards the centre as they exited the bend to claim the win. Polley, who stated his displeasure for the track watering policy afterwards, was second, with Guinchard prevailing over Thackra in their scrap for third. Aldridge and #100 George Macmillan Jr, on his first appearance at the track for several years, completed the top six. “In the dry conditions you can barely touch Dave,” said Palmer, “so I had to be a bit dirty. He showed me a bit too much wheelguard so I turned right on him. He’d have done the same to me.”

Thirty-five cars returned from the grand national when it looked like Derry might make up for losing victory in his heat until he was forced to retire from the lead. Instead Mitchell hit the front before half-distance and went on to take his second win of the night from Webster and Guinchard. An earlier stoppage had been required when #324 Jordon Thackra and #524 Michael Wallbank tangled at the end of the home straight and were collected at high speed by a few cars. Wallbank copped some big hits but thankfully was able to exit his car uninjured.