United Downs Raceway - Sunday 28th August 2022

A decent size Bank Holiday crowd enjoyed the third of the August fixtures at the United Downs Raceway as both the Saloon Stock Cars and the Ministox made their final appearance of the season at the Cornish circuit.

Saloon Stock Cars

A dozen drivers contested this year’s Cornish Championship for the Saloon Stock Cars, which included former silver top 730 Deane Mayes, who broke off from a family holiday in the region to race the spare Buster Junior car.  Heat one saw 444 Kieran Bellringer out front, but once 277 Jack Grandon had broken free from his fellow star graders, he was able to reel in the white grader five laps from home.  27 Jason Kingwell was a little too eager away in the second heat, for which he was subsequently docked two places, a decision he took with good sporting grace at the end of the race.  By then, 199 Phil Powell and 677 Warren Darby had passed him, and Kingwell’s third past the flag became fifth in the final analysis; Darby having edged past Powell late on to claim the win.  Powell was to become the day’s third different winner as he landed the Cornish title.  Early on he found a way past 33 Pete Hollett, and although Darby got to third, that was as high as he got in the order.  902 Junior Buster and Grandon scrambled for a lower order place, and as they tangled on the run to the flag, Buster ended up spinning backwards across the line.

Ministox

With a number of regulars absent, the entry of youngsters was a little lower than usual for this year’s Cornish Championship.  Heat one proved to be a stop-start race, punctuated by assorted race suspensions.  Th first caution period came when 742 Kacey Williams was spun around by the pit gate and then collected by the pack.  922 Kaydi Butcher, who had started the race well, then clobbered the turn four plating when the race resumed, before coming to a halt in the pits bend, where she needed to be recovered from.  917 Troy Hemmins spun aside 617 Christina Sillifant and 202 Cody Bradford did likewise to 290 Alfie Tomkins as Hemmins and Bradford finished first and second respectively.  Butcher bounced back in heat two to lead a large portion of the race, until 966 James Payne was bundled into the turnstile bend fence by 770 Austin Farrell.  Payne was shaken up and required assistance from his car, whilst Farrell was excluded from the restart.  A further yellow flag period followed, when 497 Peyton Cockerill spun and ricocheted backwards into the home straight plating.  Hemmins won once more, this time from 207 Alfie Flecken, whilst Bradford again spun Tomkins on his way to third.  Pole position for Hemmins in the Cornish title race gave him the ideal platform to speed into an early lead.  Whilst those chasing continued their pursuit, Hemmins ran out an emphatic winner, with Bradford and Flecken completing the top three; Bradford duly claiming the Track Championship as a result.

Bangers

The Team Championship attracted only a modest entry of drivers, with five teams represented.  The opening race had barely completed a lap, when 621 Scott Kendall (TLI) lost a wheel and that brought out the red flags.  912 Simon Rees (Men In Black) led much of the re-run until 302 Dale Moon (Team Elite) used genuine team racing tactics to delay him, and 374 Rich Kelly (Team Elite) took full advantage.  Heat two was populated by over the top crashing, as 768 Tyler Cock (No Hopers) thundered into the stationary 666 Seb Stevens (The Heros) car on the home straight, Moon buried 121 Ryan Buddle (No Hopers), and Stevens then crashed into the parked Buddle car.  With Kendall, 206 Matt Brewer (TLI) and 891 Martyn Cleave (TLI) filling the top three places, TLI strode a long way clear in the Team Championship standings.  A depleted filed contested the third race, which brought Rees a win after he had duelled with Cleave for almost the whole race.  All four TLI drivers scored points in the top ten, and that completed a resounding win for them.  Just three drivers appeared for a short-sharp-shock of a Destruction Derby.  Moon and 233 Liam Parkin crashed together in the pits bend, which silenced both cars, and 11 Grubby Frankson was able to administer the last hit, which gave him the victory.