The appeal of Cornish Caravan Chaos attracted another large crowd to the United Downs Raceway, and after dull weather leading up to start time, the sunshine came out in style for a spectacular afternoon of action.
BriSCA F2 Stock Cars
Numbers fell just shy of 30 drivers, which led to the adoption of a two from three format. In heat one, there were early retirements for 222 Adrian Watts and 605 Richie Andrews, as 235 Alfie Brimble and 510 Matt Stone set a searing pace out front. The white grade duo still led at the halfway point, and despite a late charge by 325 Ryan Sheahan, he could not reel in the pair ahead, and thus Brimble scored a maiden win, with Stone not far behind in second place. Heat two began with Stone a clear leader, chased by 828 Julian Coombes and 835 Matt Westaway. By the midway point, Coombes and Westaway were ahead, but in the second half of the race, 418 Ben Borthwick muscled his way ahead to take the victory. After 663 Bryan Lindsay had initially led, Brimble took over in heat three, with Sheahan and Coombes in pursuit. Just after halfway, Sheahan missed with his attempt to dislodge Brimble. That bought the white top some breathing space, and even though 890 Paul Rice moved into contention late on, Brimble was out of range for any last lap drama, and the teenager claimed his second win. The Remembering Rog final was sensational. Stone was first to hit the front, and by halfway he was still ahead, but had Brimble for company. As Stone came to lap 131 Dean Rogers, a slight hesitation gave Brimble his chance, and he assumed command. Heading into the final quarter, Brimble led Stone and then Sheahan, but 27 Kieren Bradford looked to be the danger man. Bradford edged into third and then second, before he relieved Brimble of the lead on the final lap. The win earned Bradford the iconic steering wheel trophy, Brimble piled on more points in second and 736 Josh Weare completed the top three. An early race suspension was required at the start of the Grand National when 128 Jake Ralfs clouted the turnstile bend plating. One lap into the restart, Andrews came to a halt in the same bend, and out came the yellows again to retrieve him. Rice closed on Sheahan and took over the lead, going on to win from 127 Matt Stoneman.
Special Rods
The annual visit of Special Rods attracted a 14-car entry, with 133 Jody Jeanes putting his previous track knowledge to good use as he swept to a comprehensive win in the first heat, whilst a fascinating battle for second saw 278 Andrew Bressington just lead home 445 Nik Loader. Pole sitter 118 Iain Truman set the pace in heat two, and as the race progressed, he continued to maintain an advantage over those in pursuit. It was Jeanes who got closest, but even though Truman faced a few concerns amongst backmarking traffic, he held on to take the chequered. Truman led the final until the midway point, when Jeanes passed around the outside, before clearing off into the distance for an emphatic win. Truman was the runner-up, and Bressington completed the top three.
Ministox
Having won the Devon Championship only six days previously, 475 Mason Sealy looked a strong candidate for further honours in the Cornish Championship. However, he went on a wayward journey across the infield in heat one and fell a long way down the order. 176 Jack Jones was a long way clear at the front at one stage, but when he was reeled in, it triggered a frantic squabble in the closing stages. 902 Reagan Davies spun 922 Kaydi Butcher in the battle for the lead on the last lap, but 202 Cody Bradford then edged Davies wide on the last bend, and in the drag race to the line, Bradford got there by inches. Jones led heat two, but the yellow flags were called when 132 Rowan McAleer was a little shaken up in a tangle as the leaders came to lap him. When the race resumed, Bradford spun Jones, but was delayed himself, and Sealy pounced to steal the win. Bradford and Davies shared the front row for the title race, but Sealy joined them to make for a brief, entertaining battle. Sealy emerged as the leader and continued to extend his advantage. Sealy won, to claim a second domestic title in the week, with Bradford second and 207 Alfie Flecken third.
Bangers – Team of 3
Nine teams, and a small number of ‘solo riders’ contested the Teams of 3 event for Bangers, which began in explosive fashion when a huge gaggle of cars crashed out in a heap on the back straight early in the first heat. As numbers dwindled, the Roche Rockers trio of 121 Ryan Buddle, 96 Craig Cornelius and 290 Jay Tomkins each took a turn in the lead. From 29 starters, just eight went the distance, with Tomkins (RR) winning from 786 Grant Harris (TLI + Grant) and 816 Josh Taylor (Phillips Inc B). Amidst the clear-up of the back straight wreckage, there was an altercation involving 97 Craig Deer and 817 Michael Phillips which saw both drivers end their day early, with the prospect of further disciplinary measures to follow. Heat two was far less chaotic, and Points Champion 206 Matt Brewer (TLI + Grant) sped to victory, but the Roche Rockers trio each placed, and duly extended their lead on the points chart. Just fifteen drivers gridded for the third and deciding heat. 662 Jared Roe (Devon Dumplings) survived a trio of stoppages, each for a loose wheel, to claim a win but the Roche Rockers were untroubled as the highest scorers, and they duly claimed the overall victory.
Roche Rockers 78
TLI + Grant 59
Phillips Inc B 55
Devon Dumplings 46
Phillips Inc A 43
Flying Squad 35
Phillips Inc C 33
Allsorts A 0
Allsorts B 0
Cornish Caravan Chaos
Four drivers contested this year’s Cornish Caravan Chaos, whilst two more caravans were strategically placed around the Raceway, as sitting targets. 96 Craig Cornlius bundled 156 Howard Cross into the zebra striped caravan on the home straight, whilst 149 Dan Curtis barely moved after he conked out on the rolling lap. Curtis proved a tempting target for 8 Darren Rundle, who flew into his caravan at speed, which shot him up and over the 149 car in a thrilling incident. Rundle landed back on track in front of Curtis, and continued, whilst Cornelius jack-knifed on the back straight, and Cross buried himself into the blue caravan further down the straight. That left Rundle as the only car and caravan chassis left moving, but he did his best to destroy all that remained, to the hearty cheers of a crowd who had been regally entertained by the destruction.