United Downs Raceway - Sunday 26th May 2024

Despite the occasional light shower, the United Downs Raceway was mostly dry for the Spring Bank Holiday fixture, and the penultimate race meeting at the circuit before the summer break which will facilitate open air theatre taking place during early July.

Stock Rods

With one or two drivers already preparing for the Autospeed On Tour event at Skegness, numbers were a little below recent levels, but there were just enough to deploy a two from three format.  Heat one began with 149 Dan Curtis speeding into a big lead.  Further back the order, 258 James Griggs went deep into turn one, which led to him tangling with 231 Simon Bassett.  Both drivers were delayed, but all the while Curtis was away and gone, and despite a challenge from 77 Tom Larcombe in the closing stages, the win was barely in doubt.  A close battle for lower places saw 415 Sean Gillett secure third after finally overhauling 235 Paul Harris.  Heat two saw 914 Callum Faulconbridge storm around the outside to charge to the front after Harris had led much of the way.  275 Jeremy Hatch was the innocent bystander when 286 Martin Walker Jnr and 476 Vic Wadling clashed, sending Hatch over the infield and into a marker tyre.  9 Chris Drake challenged Harris late on for the runner-up place, and sportingly held off when Harris was half spun in the late stages.  Curtis won again in heat three, even though 131 Stephen Cock closed in on him in the final quarter of the race.  The Adam Ignaczak Trophy final was preceded by ‘Coward Of The County’ – the theme song for the event.  Curtis and Gillett shared the front row, with Harris and Drake on row two.  At the drop of the green, Gillett and Curtis shot into the first bend, and as they lightly came together, Curtis tuned towards the kerb and the infield and Gillett drifted very wide.  With Curtis a little out of shape, those behind became embroiled in the mayhem, and Harris shot up on to two wheels before clouting the safety fence on the exit of turn two.  That also delayed many others, and with just one lap having been completed, a race suspension was required.  Gillett was the leader, with Faulconbridge, 944 Callum Hosie and 151 Simon Vincent on his tail.  Soon into the restarted race, Hosie was excluded with a loose exhaust, and after several attempts, Vincent got past Faulconbridge to pursue Gillett.  There was nothing to choose between them, and as the laps ticked away, Gillett looked set for victory.  However, starting the final lap, he was wide into turn one.  Vincent looked to grab the inside line, and as Gillett tried to defend, the two cars collided.  The contact was minimal, but was enough for Gillett to half spin, whilst Vincent held firm and found himself in the lead.  Vincent took the chequered, the race ended, and after a video review, no penalty was issued to Vincent, as he regained the Adam Ignaczak Trophy he won in 2022.  Faulconbridge and Bassett completed the top three and the luckless Gillett was left to settle with fourth.

Back 2 Basics Bangers

Just shy of 20 Back 2 Basics Bangers produced another thoroughly entertaining display.  An explosive opening race saw 69 Austin James, 696 Jago Carveth and 96 Harley Carr-Flamank heavily involved in much of the action, whilst 756 Troy Hooper was also a good spoiler.  988 Ryan Thomas built a huge lead and won convincingly from 786 Grant Harris as just seven cars went the distance.  Another busy race followed in heat two, which was led initially by 294 Oli Bower.  62 Scott Kendall quickly took command, but when he retired to the infield, 37 Danny Carlton-Barnes inherited the lead, and he won despite Hooper maintaining pursuit.  873 Beau Carlton-Barnes sped to a comprehensive win in the final which began with 989 Jessica Gillespie being spun, and later on she was collected by 459 Mitchell Brooks.  The Destruction Derby was short and sharp, and was illuminated by a stonking, jaw-dropping head-on between 696 Jago Carveth and Harris.  As they met, at pace, that left just 69 Austin James and 62 Scott Kendall, who stopped one another simultaneously in another crash just moments later at the other end of the circuit – with both drivers sharing the win in a dead heat.

Ministox

Numbers in the junior class continued to be modest, but there was something of a fairy tale outcome to the feature event which carried the Snell Family Trophy.  Heat one suffered a false start when 257 Kieran Hibberd failed to go on green.  At the second time of asking, 966 James Payne led, but fell out of the lead when challenged by 267 Robbie Batten and 922 Kaydi Butcher.  Payne was then collected by 242 Amy Williams which brought an early end to his day.  A close race saw 475 Mason Sealy grab the lead late on and 290 Jay Tomkins and 207 Alfie Flecken stole second from Butcher on the last lap.  In heat two, Batten spun early leader 111 Elliot Bawden aside, but was then relegated down the order himself as the track became very slippery as a result of the latest shower of rain.  Sealy completed his second win, and in the scramble for second place, backmarker Bawden was bundled up the fence, and needed assistance from his car as the race ended.  Batten again relieved Bawden of the lead in the final and built a decent advantage at the front.  As the star grade battled, Sealy emerged in second, but he could not reel in Batten who duly scored a career first win, banishing the memories of that huge rollover he suffered at St Day in April.  Sealy’s fine day ended with a second place finish and Tomkins rounded out the top three.