Smeatharpe Stadium - Tuesday 7th July 2015

The one and only midweek Smeatharpe meeting of season 2015 saw a blustery evening, with the BriSCA F2 Stock Cars World Championship qualifying round taking centre stage, strategically placed together with the St Day round two days earlier.   The support came from the BriSCA Heritage ‘Junior’ Stock Cars and it was Vintage Tin night in the National Bangers.

BriSCA F2 Stock Cars

39 BriSCA F2 Stock Cars raced, with the majority of the long distance travellers from Sunday returning, whereupon they were joined by 218 Rob Speak, the former eight times World Champion and multi champion having only his second hard track F2 outing of the year.  The race, and meeting, got off to a spectacular start in heat one as early on 937 Matt Issacs’ car shed a rear wheel which was collected by 352 Dave Sansom whose car flew through the air, and clipped the 937 car as he did so.  Sansom was even able to take his position at the re-start!  979 Paul Moss led the way for much of the race but was caught and passed by Speak late on who went on to take the win.  The second heat saw 676 Neil Hooper come from the back of the grid to the front to record the win, just as he did in his heat at St Day.  528 Shane Hector won the consolation by some distance.  The A1 Windows and Doors Trophy Final saw all 30 cars on track and to say it was a fast and furious affair would be a large understatement.   The opening laps saw exchanges going on all around the track, places swapping and changing and some big name spinners too, notably 1 George MacMillan who was spun and fell a whole lap behind.  663 Brian Lindsay headed the early stages until Hector moved past and he had a comfortable lead as the race headed towards the midway point.  However, it was just before this when Lindsay and 83 Sy Harraway tangled, which left the latter’s car stranded half on the track and a yellow flag was called.  This did at least give everyone on both sides of the fence a chance to catch their breath!  Hector had the back marking MacMillan between himself and those chasing, but at the re-start he continued in that lead ahead of 890 Paul Rice and 315 Justin Fisher.  Speak was the first star man through the traffic, but the yellow flag had allowed Hooper to be closer.  It was thus anticipated that the battle could come down between these two, but Hector and 575 Tom Clark proved to be hard to get hold of.  Hooper moved past Speak and then Hector but simply couldn’t catch Clark who went on to take the most significant win of his career, and with it mark a first time rise to star grade too.  Hooper nevertheless took another large points haul in second and then in a last bend sensation, Hector came back at Speak and shifted him wide for third; a move which Hector celebrated wildly with air punches galore – but given the circumstances, highly understandable.  The Grand National saw 527 James Riggall move into the lead in the second half after relieving Moss, but he inexplicably spun unaided on the very last corner and thus suddenly the big battle for second between Moss and Hooper became that of the lead, with Hooper just moving ahead on the last corner in a dramatic and even bizarre conclusion.

BriSCA Heritage Junior/FII Stock Cars

The numbers of the BriSCA Heritage Junior/FII Stock Cars were down a little on those present at St Day, but the racing was arguably a little better than had been the case in Cornwall and once again just as at St Day, they produced three different winners to make it six different over the course of the trip.  261 Jason Lambourn took the first heat and then in heat two 264 Pete Welland, whose career spans an incredible seven decades, just held off a fast finishing 763 Andy Bateman as the pair crossed the line side by side.  The Final saw the places swapping and changing over the early laps until 616 Darren Clarke established himself at the front and although the gap came down as the laps ticked off, Bateman was unable to get hold of him and therefore it was Clarke’s win.  Sunday’s victor 773 Nick Whitney made third.

National Bangers

There was a disappointing but not at all surprising entry of nine National Bangers for the Vintage Tin night, rear wheel drive under 1400cc.  It has to be remembered that as time goes on, the cars naturally become older and rarer.  But, as we have written and said many times, a large entry of cars is not always needed to provide entertainment and it was proved again at this meeting.  The ‘warm up’ race and feature event were run to what we know as ‘old skool’ rules.  452 Anthony Sleeman took the first and then in the feature race 133 Terry Hill lapped the entire field on his way to the win.  Sleeman made second and despite being a long way back 862 Darryl Cock made third.  The Allcomers was without doubt the hardest six car Banger race seen (probably anywhere!) for some time.  It started with Hill producing a thundering follow-in on 522 Chris Orchard.  Sleeman then spun 766 Zak Meaker who did a complete roll.  Hill then put away 123 Charlie Dwyer who later on managed to fire up his little Triumph and met Hill’s Sierra head-on which left the latter wide open for a huge hit from Sleeman.  All of this left no cars circulating, but as 452 had completed the most laps he was awarded the victory.  Three and a half of the cars made it back out for the Destruction Derby, the half being Orchard who’d managed to pull out his Sierra estate but it refused to run and he gamely took part to take the hits.  It came down to a battle between Cock and Sleeman and after several exchanges and head-ons from both, it was ‘Lurch’ who outlasted ‘Dippy’ to win.

BriSCA F2 Stock Cars 1st 2nd 3rd 4th 5th 6th 7th 8th 9th 10th
Heat 1 218 1 845 979 126 352 3 464 542 605
Heat 2 676 527 700 315 83 921 890 627 526 76
Consolation 528 761 111 575 663 745 468 777 572 828
Final 575 676 528 218 700 921 464 315 76 890
Grand National 676 979 528 1 111 83 527 468 575 605
Grade Awards W 663 Y 528 B 575
National Bangers 1st 2nd 3rd 4th 5th 6th 7th 8th 9th 10th
Warm Up 452 133 284 123 nof
Vintage Tin 133 452 862 284 123 766 522 nof
Allcomers 452 nof
DD 452
BriSCA Heritage Juniors 1st 2nd 3rd 4th 5th 6th 7th 8th 9th 10th
Heat 1 261 616 107 763 773 59 264 536 342 nof
Heat 2 264 763 773 261 59 107 616 536 342 nof
Final 616 763 773 107 261 536 264 59 nof
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