United Downs Raceway - Sunday 1st August 2021

With 100 race cars in the pit area, the latest fixture at the United Downs Raceway was always going to be busy, but a catalogue of incidents early in the programme did lead to an extended action-packed afternoon.

BriSCA F2 Stock Cars

Ten drivers lined up for Total White Out 1, which began in lively fashion as 762 Mike Cocks, 760 Trevor Dube and 32 Dave Williams tangled, and Dube rode up and over Williams before nose-diving into the plating.  At the same time, early leader 222 Adrian Watts careered up and on to the inner banking in turn three.  When the race resumed, 540 Dayne Pritlove took control to lead home 663 Bryan Lindsay and 605 Richie Andrews.  Into the meeting proper, and in a two from three format, Cocks built up a good lead in the opening heat, chased by 988 Charlie Lobb and 320 Matt Hatch.  Lobb took over at the front as 220 Richard Short, 194 Luke Johnson, 572 James Lindsay and Watts momentarily tangled and came to a halt on the exit of turn two.  127 Matt Stoneman was on a charge, but having took over in the lead, the race was suspended after Lindsay, Johnson and 460 Adam Pearce had crashed in the pits bend, with Lindsay requiring attention.  Indeed, Lindsay needed to be extricated, and at one stage the Cornwall Air Ambulance helicopter landed on the infield but left again when the medical professionals decided Lindsay could be taken to hospital by road ambulance.  Gladly, Lindsay was released again in the evening, after a check over revealed nothing worse than bruising to his spine.  After the long delay to proceedings, the race was completed, as Stoneman saw out the final lap to win.  Heat two was won comfortably by 302 Dale Moon, after Pritlove had made much of the running.  The luckless Pritlove clobbered the fence at the death of the race, after a clash with 736 Josh Weare.  Lobb got into the lead in heat three, which included a spectacular incident that began in turn two.  As Hatch got sideways, he was carried along by a train of Moon, 979 Paul Moss and others, before Hatch and 27 Kieren Bradford spun to the pit gate.  Stoneman reeled in yellow top leaders Lobb and Weare, to score a second win, whilst Moon and Bradford had a salty exchange on the run down lap.  In customary fashion, the Silverline Trophy began with a clutch start.  Stoneman’s hopes were dashed right at the start as he and 315 Justin Fisher tangled.  Cocks and Andrews edged clear at the front, but Moon was swiftly into contention and before long he had taken over out front and looked to be cruising to victory.  With Moon seemingly away and gone, the focus was on the battle for second, as 418 Ben Borthwick overcame Weare, Lobb and a stubborn Bradford.  How important that proved to be for Borthwick, for Moon snatched defeat from the jaws of victory as he tangled with backmarker Johnson and came to a halt when hitting the marker tyre on the exit of turn four.  Borthwick thus leapt from second to first, and duly won made a successful defence of the Silverline Trophy he had won in 2019.  24 Jon Palmer made his move to overhaul Bradford for second, and that’s how the top three finished.  Weare won the Grand National to claim his first St Day success, whilst Fisher and 689 Joe Marquand tangled, which resulted in a lively ride around the plating for the latter.

Stock Rods

Another fine showing of Stock Rods contested this year’s Adam Ignaczak Trophy meeting.  841 Dave Hosking set the pace in the opening heat, but was reeled in by 76 Martin Larcombe, who was at the wheel of his son’s Vauxhall Adam.  After an untidy exchange, Larcombe hit he front.  Further back, 14 Ross Montgomery half spun and was sent on a wayward route across the home straight infield, and 944 Callum Hosie retired to the infield with a puncture.  151 Simon Vincent, on his first appearance, was running strongly, but his hopes were thwarted by a head gasket issue late on.  Larcombe won – his first victory of the season – ahead of 286 Martin Walker Jnr.  The start of heat two saw Larcombe and Hosking clash again; this time Hosking was spun around in the pits bend.  Looking to retaliate, Hosking waited for Larcombe and ran him out of room on the back straight a few laps later before both cars ran into the turnstile bend plating.  As Larcombe broke free he slowly scrambled off the exit of turn four before heading to the infield, right across the path of 728 Kris Woods.  Walker Jnr took the win, as his father, 285 Martin Walker, made it a family one-two.  The Walker duo lined up on the front row of the final.  Walker senior got ahead, but he was pursued by 909 Justin Washer, who duly edged ahead.  441 Tom Major, 9 Chris Drake and Hosie tangled which saw the latter pair exit the race.  Washer sped clear to regain the superb trophy, presented by Stefan Ignaczak, whilst Martin Walker and Montgomery completed the top three.

Bangers

With more than 50 drivers in attendance, packed grids were the order of the day.  The first heat was only a few laps old when 196 Craig Cornelius ground to a halt on the home straight and as he was collected by the pack, 845 Albert Haines flipped over on to his roof.  455 Shane Kennard and 114 Luke Niles set the pace, and it was the former who broke clear to win, as he led home fellow white tops Niles and 786 Grant Harris.  Heat two evolved into a slalom race on the home straight as 243 Sophie Over, 121 Ryan Buddle, 270 Oli Knight, 223 Aaran Green and 846 Jacob Read all ended up in a heap on the home straight, which forced drivers to dive to the narrow inside line.  959 Justin Payne ran out a clear winner to become the second white top victor of the day.  Just seven drivers finished the consolation, which was littered with over-the-top hits and crashes from a number of drivers who found themselves facing some time off from the Bangers class.  8 Darren Rundle led all the way to the last lap, when 113 Chris Jeanes and 171 James Strange sped past, with Rundle delayed.  The final had barely completed a lap before 59 Mike Hamley lost a wheel.  Heavy crashing in the pits bend caused confusion at that end of the circuit, but all the while it was Niles and Harris who set the pace.  They were almost linked as one as they ticked off lap after lap, and in a sensational finish, they crossed the line together, with Niles getting the verdict by a very narrow margin.  The Allcomers saw Knight, Read and 233 Liam Parkin circulating as a snaking train, which made for added entertainment.  Harris completed a fine day, to secure his promotion to the red grade, as he scored an emphatic win.