United Downs Raceway - Sunday 11th October 2015

The richest Stock Car fixture of the season in Cornwall saw 25 BriSCA F2 drivers present, although two of them failed to negotiate pre-meeting practice, and thus numbers were a little disappointing in view of the huge array of prizes, trophies, bonuses and awards on offer.

BriSCA F2 Stock Cars

The opening F2 race was the Club 21 sponsored White & Yellow grade final.  663 Bryan Lindsay stormed away at the start, whilst 979 Paul Moss retired to the infield and 460 Matt Weston spun in the pits bend.  627 Gary Sillifant charged at 528 Shane Hector but that delayed them both, as 740 Neil Langworthy half spun.  Up front, Lindsay drifted wide when 254 Richard Beere closed on him, and that opened the door for Beere to win from Hector and 828 Julian Coombes.  In heat two, Sillifant and 111 Lewis Geach tangled, and the race was suspended when 302 Dale Moon ran aground at the pit gate.  126 Jamie Avery charged to victory.  There was a caution period in heat three when 920 Wayne Wadge was heavily spun into the turnstile bend fence, as the innocent bystander in a spat involving Moon and 676 Neil Hooper.  605 Liam Rowe went on to win the race, and that sealed his outright victory in the Track Championship.  Just as in the opening race, Lindsay made the running in the Old Motor Cycle Club Trophy final, and he duly reeled off 10 lead laps to scoop £250.  However, with a lead of one third of a lap, Lindsay suffered heartbreak with an HT lead failure.  Avery inherited the lead, and ticked off three laps to claim £75.  However, his healthy lead was negated by yellow flags for 464 Matt Linfield who was in need of assistance in turn four.  After Linfield was eventually helped from the car, the race resumed, and 542 Steven Gilbert weighed in with a hefty hit that went Avery and Hooper wide.  So wide did all three drivers drift, that Hector stole the lead for one lap.  Gilbert then relegated Hector to take over at the front, and the teenager blasted through the last six laps to clinch a memorable victory, and he celebrated by climbing on to the roof of his car.  476 Ryan Wadling and 315 Justin Fisher completed the top three.  As the day’s special guest 1970s star grade driver Neil Johnson was on hand to present the wonderful trophy.  The All Saints series was also concluded, and Coombes was confirmed as the winner of that competition.  575 Tom Clark rounded out the day by winning the Grand National and that saw him claim the superb Bob Netcott Trophy.

2 Litre Old Skool Bangers

Over 20 Bangers were in action, and they served up a trio of very watchable races, with a good mix of racing and crashing all within the realm of the Old Skool rules.  In the opening heat, 27 Kieren Bradford chased down long time leader 153 David James, and overhauled him three laps from home.  Heat two had a very spectacular start, when 906 Tom Cadby rolled as he crossed the start-finish line.  Sportingly and sensibly, 910 Kat Dawe shielded the upturned car.  In the re-run race, 53 Christopher James led beyond the halfway point, but Dawe had charged through from the rear of the grid.  She swept past and won convincingly, with 333 Craig Partridge the runner-up.  The final began with a big cavalry charge into the pits bend, and that delayed a number of drivers early on.  Partridge took up the running, and actually enjoyed a trouble-free run, whilst 97 Craig Deer just pipped 47 Marcus A’Lee for second after a race-long contest.  Deer and A’Lee then chained themselves together to emphatically win a poorly subscribed Pairs race.

Stock Rods

Once again the Stock Rods were relatively low on numbers, but their three races did produce a trio of different winners.  The opening heat developed into a battle between 26 Alan Furse and 705 Dave Ham.  However, their duel enabled 49 Kev Lock and 776 Simon Jones to close on them.  In an explosive conclusion, Ham lost a wheel, Lock was spun up the kerb on the pits bend in a tangle with Jones and Furse looked like he had the race in the bag, only for Jones to pip him at the line.  The final was led from the start by 87 Paul Lawer, and despite strong pursuit by Furse, the race looked to be Lawer’s to lose.  However, in the final quarter of the race, a tangle involving 909 Justin Washer and 740 Nigel Stuart brought about a race suspension.  That closed up the grid behind Lawer and Furse, but in the restarted race, the lead positions were unchanged, with Lock completing the top three. Furse won the Grand National, from Lock and 181 Lindsey Jones, whilst newcomer 836 Adam Oldham made a competent debut, placing in each of his three races.