Smeatharpe Stadium - Sunday 29th July 2018

Some particularly unseasonable weather nearly put a dampener on Smeatharpe’s summer madness event, but as the afternoon wore on, so conditions improved, and all told, the day’s action was highly entertaining.

Saloon Stock Cars

Former World Champion 720 Shane Brown made his comeback in the Saloon Stock Cars, driving the loaned Phil Powell car, and the entry also included another ex-World Champion, 360 Carl Waterfield who had raced in Scotland the previous evening.  The heavyweight cars did their best to cope with a damp circuit, and the opening laps of their first heat set the tone, with a four abreast grouping of 902 Junior Buster, 447 Adam Hicks, 444 Kieran Bellringer and returnee 104 Matt Horwell battling together.  However, they had already been left trailing by 799 Joe Powell who swiftly built up a commanding advantage at the front.  Buster and 476 Ryan Wadling tangled and spun, whilst Hicks was shown the technical disqualification flag for a trailing wheel guard.  Whilst Brown made it through to second place, he could do nothing about Joe Powell, who finally scored his first ever Saloon Stock Car win.  In heat two, 130 Chris Durrant made a poor start, but in stark contrast, Horwell’s lightning start earned him a black cross, and he was duly docked two places at the end of the race.  Although Horwell hit the front, his stay in the lead only lasted a few laps before Joe Powell reeled him in.  Yet, as they tussled for first place, Brown had swiftly charged up the order from the star grade, and he duly took up the running before claiming his first race win at Smeatharpe since September 2013.  Joe Powell battled with Bellringer at the start of the Final, but eventually eased clear.  Further back, there were assorted incidents, including a wayward trip to the infield for Durrant, and a spin for Brown which had been inflicted by 27 Kieren Bradford.  Powell was well clear out front, and although 276 Ben King began to close in the latter stages of the race, the laps ran out before he could consider a challenge, and thus Powell secured his second race win of the day.  476 Ryan Wadling completed the top three.

Stock Rods

One or two surprising absentees left an entry of sixteen drivers.  81 Rob Johns and 972 Jack Soby led away the first heat, but after his demotion to the blue grade, 45 Jordan Wainwright was swiftly into contention.  On the slippery track, former National Champion 776 Simon Jones found things challenging in his smart rear wheel drive Toyota Starlet, and not long after halfway, new race leader Wainwright had lapped him on his way to an emphatic victory.  The final began with an untidy tangle on the back straight which involved Jones, 222 Mike Belcher and 705 Dave Ham.  Johns was the early leader, but Wainwright was soon with him and past him, whilst 92 Adam Daniels took an unplanned detour into the marker tyre on turn two.  At the front, Wainwright was chased all the way by 437 Lewis Trickey, and as they picked a route through backmarkers, Trickey almost managed to use the tailenders to his advantage.  Yet, Wainwright scored his second win, from Trickey and 3 Matt Peters.  In only his second meeting, Johns romped to a flag-to-flag victory in the Grand National, ahead of Belcher and Ham, as the lower graders got to grips with a drying circuit.

2 Litre National Bangers

The annual Wreckfest well and truly lived up to its name, with a succession of heavy crashes.  The spirit amongst drivers was first class, with the action on track matched by some incredible effort in the pit area, as drivers and their crews worked tirelessly to get cars back out for subsequent races.  The entry included 114 Liam Lake, who had performed so admirably at the corresponding event last season; 162 Brett Ellacott in a formidable looking Toyota Cressida; and 45 Anthony Croshaw, who had a MkIV Cortina.  The Wreckfest title race was first, and early on, 307 Matt Rogers and 397 Ben Hommell crashed out at the pit gate.  239 Steve Carter was able to home in on Hommell with a thumping hit.  376 Steve Hill followed in World Champion 74 Adam Hitchcock, and Carter scored again when he dumped 202 Matt Butlin in the wall, before administering a heavy blitz.  133 Terry Hill relieved Lake of the lead, and he went on to clinch the Wreckfest title, with Lake the runner-up and 131 Sam Hill in third.  The first Allcomers race featured hit after hit after hit, as a large parking lot formed by the pit gate.  Carter clobbered 307 Matt Rogers, Steve Hill attacked Ellacott and Carter then hit Hill, with Hitchcock delivering a revenge hit on Hill, too.  Ellacott and Croshaw both became embroiled in the crashing with their aged rear wheel drive classics, with Lake bludgeoning the Croshaw Cortina.  Out came the red flags, which then left just five cars for the restart, and Terry Hill swept to the chequered again.  451 Nigel Belfield seemed reluctant to pass 190 Steve Bailey, and when he did, Bailey brilliantly spun him inside out.  In the second Allcomers race, Sam Hill delivered the undoubted hit of the meeting as he followed in 196 Phil Chapman in the west bend.  Rogers took some more punishment, whilst Terry Hill made it three wins from three races.  Despite the hard hitting action, eleven cars managed to emerge from the pit area for the Destruction Derby.  The event began with Rogers meeting Ben Hommell head-on, on the back straight.  That left Rogers wide open to a stunning hit by Carter.  Red flags were called, as Rogers stepped clear of his car.  The crashing resumed, with Carter attacking Butlin, Ellacott firing into Hitchcock and Steve Hill sending Lake and Hitchcock into a three-car train that ricocheted around the west bend plating.  Eventually, just Carter and Bailey were left running, and one hit between them nearly left the cars inseparable.   When they did break free, Bailey finally finished Carter off to take the win.

Ministox

A reasonable showing of 18 youngsters included 937 Braidon Vaughan on his debut, and track debutant 569 Adam Langridge from the south east.  The first heat was suspended when 936 Harry Paramore and 599 Alfie Aldous ran aground on the back straight and the former required attention.  The caution period set up a pulsating finish.  654 Harley Soper quickly grabbed the lead when the race restarted, but behind him there was a titanic tussle involving a clutch of cars squabbling over second place, and 619 Max Langmaid just prevailed on the final bend.  The skill of the young drivers on the tricky circuit was clearly evident, and helped produce an enthralling race.  In heat two, 900 Lily Tomkins got into the lead and simply pulled further clear before securing a first ever race win.  Novice driver 907 Cadan Davies was disqualified for two separate episodes of contact.  The final was an enthralling race, as Langridge and Tomkins led early on.  Further back, Langmaid made an untidy dive at 677 Warren Darby, which saw 998 Taylor Sealy bundled to the fence on the exit of turn four.  577 Harry Darby joined the battle at the front, and then Aldous did likewise.  However, Aldous was delayed when he spun Langridge, and thus Harry Darby powered clear for a fine win, from Tomkins and 980 Charlie Lobb.

Caravans

The afternoon ended, in sunshine, as 912 Simon Rees, Adam Hitchcock, Steve Bailey and Brett Ellacott put on a fine show in the Caravan Chaos event.  The first phase of the race came to a halt, with Hitchcock buried under a caravan, Rees parked on top of the Bailey caravan chassis, and Ellacott missing his caravan.  Only Rees and Hitchcock were able to resume, but in a fantastic Hitchcock launched up and on to Rees, who had gallantly waited for him on the back straight.  Having completed the most laps, Rees was declared the winner.