Day two of BriSCA F2 World Final weekend featured the big race itself, which threw up plenty of drama and controversy as 560 Luke Wrench took the crown. Saloon Stock Cars also contested their British Championship, with their usual brand of brutal action to the fore as 720 Archie Brown added to his bulging list of honours. Thankfully the weather played ball as a bumper crowd enjoyed the show.
BriSCA F2 Stock Cars
The World Final festivities began with a public grid walk during the glorious afternoon sunshine, allowing fans to get up close to the stars and their cars for photos and autographs, for which a special autograph booklet was provided. High-speed demonstration laps followed from five significant cars of the past, including two world title winners. Neil Truran led the way in Rob Speak’s 1992 world-winning car, while Mark Taylor thrilled with the 1300cc ‘screamer’ engine in Colin Higman’s 1976 world beater, which was later raced by his father Brian. The quintet was completed by Percy Sleeman in a smart Higman from the early 1990s, another Higman of similar vintage in the colours of Gary Kent (driven by local favourite Kevin Stack) and a slightly later model Higman which was piloted by Terry Butcher.
Racing got under way with three support heats fielding just under 20 cars each. 210 Tristan Claydon led from the early stages en route to victory in heat one, as 931 Rebecca Smith made good use of her bumper to climb to second. But a mistake while lapping a backmarker let 975 Graeme Leckie back through and 654 Harley Soper also demoted Smith from third. Racing without a wing after his roll in the spectacular finish to the previous night’s Last Chance Qualifier, 926 Josh Wilson won heat two, passing 359 Gary Wrench after a yellow flag. 667 Tommy Farrell was second, ahead of a hard-fought scrap for the final three qualifying positions, with 960 Adie Whitehead, 979 Paul Moss and 315 Charlie Fisher making it through. One-time British champion 700 Adam Rubery showed he retains plenty of pace, despite currently being yellow-graded, as he made light work of heat three. 581 Dan Fallows snatched second from 121 Vinnie Neath-Rogers on the final bend.
As darkness descended, the 35 World Finalists were paraded on a gleaming flat-bed lorry provided by JM Transport of Cullompton. After the communal lap, drivers were presented with a commemorative t-shirt and hoodie, before climbing aboard their chariots for another parade lap in reverse grid order as the atmosphere built before the big race. A burst of fireworks greeted presenter Richard Kaleta’s call of “Drivers, start your engines,” and the first of two of rolling laps. They were led by front-row men 183 Charlie Guinchard and 7 Gordon Moodie, ahead of 3 Liam Rennie, 647 Chris Burgoyne and leading overseas qualifiers H79 Nigel Stegmeijer and NI998 Graham Fegan. The tension was only raised by a problem for young Dutchman H27 Wessel Drost, who was allowed to drop to the rear of the field, and led to the rolling laps being restarted. When the green flag dropped, Guinchard converted pole position into the race lead as defending champion Moodie slipped behind Rennie. Burgoyne’s attempted challenge on Moodie resulted in him spinning on the second bend, delaying fourth-row man Luke Wrench in the process and letting Fegan into fourth position. The Northern Irish veteran then piled Rennie and Moodie into the wall on the third and fourth bends, where they collected a stationary H40 Piet Huussen, delaying all three. Suddenly, home hope 127 Matt Stoneman was second, while 618 Ben Lockwood shifted 213 Tom Bennett for third, but Guinchard already had a healthy lead. Moodie tangled with 355 Aidan Grindey on the next lap and, with a rear tyre being fouled by its wheel guard, it soon punctured – just as Guinchard was about to lap him. Moodie was thrown into the home straight wall and then slowed to retire; there would be no fifth world title this year. Bennett and B96 Jan Bekkers had also had a half-spin on turn 4 of the third lap, while Wrench passed Lockwood for third and NI718 Gavin Fegan rose to fifth. All the leaders were dealing with traffic but Guinchard managed to keep a number of backmarkers between him and his pursuers at all times as he held a commanding position deep into the second half of the race. But one of those backmarkers would be his downfall. As Guinchard cut inside NI918 Shea Fegan exiting the second bend, the pint-sized youngster spied an opportunity to have a major influence on the race. Entering turn 3, he thundered the race leader into the wall, ending both their races in an instant and turning the race on its head as yellow flags were called. Understandably aggrieved at the treatment, as well as Fegan subsequently backing off to ram the 183 car again, Guinchard exited his car and climbed onto its roof to make his feelings clear. Somewhat bizarrely, he then ran half a lap of the track while gesturing, presumably indicating his belief that he was the rightful winner. With four laps remaining, Stoneman had inherited the lead, but he also now had Wrench, Lockwood, 564 David Shearing and Gavin Fegan right on his tail. Stoneman caught them napping at the restart and completed the remaining four laps without concern to take victory amid a chorus of fireworks. However, even after the chequered flag, there was time for further drama when Stoneman’s car failed post-race checks on its engine and ancillaries. That handed a first World title to Wrench, although unfortunately this could not be confirmed until the following day. Lockwood and Bennett, who rose from seventh at the restart, completed the revised podium places. Fourth was 915 Jamie Jones, having climbed from the back of the grid as a last-chance qualifier, and Gavin Fegan took the trophy for the highest-placed overseas driver in fifth overall. The top 10 was completed by 24 Jon Palmer, Shearing, 674 Steven Burgoyne, 12 Craig Driscoll and 980 Charlie Lobb.
Two consolations were required. The first brought a win for 126 Jamie Avery from 161 Ben Bate, the top two well clear of the battles behind. 390 Jessica Smith jumped to third after a mid-race caution before being pushed back to the fifth and final qualifying place, only to be docked four positions for her over-eager getaway. Teen sensation 286 Kasey Jones took the second consolation from 184 Aaron Vaight and 890 Paul Rice, who was contesting his first race of the night having served as first reserve for the World Final. Gordon Moodie also took the opportunity to edge Graham Fegan into a parked car very late in the race, although he delayed himself in the process and missed out on a qualifying spot. The meeting final on World Final night is traditionally for the Alan Benson Trophy. With no white-top qualifiers, the yellow grade led the field away, and it was Wilson who made the early running, chased by Bate who took over after a couple of cautions. The leading four of Bate, Avery, Rice and Fallows pulled clear as the rest of the top 10 squabbled, and Avery took the lead with two laps remaining after Bate clipped a kerb and let him get on terms. Avery went on to win from Bate and Rice as Fallows’s last-bend lunge on the latter didn’t quite connect. Chris Burgoyne was fifth after breaking free of the battles behind, with Gavin Fegan sixth. Steven Burgoyne finished seventh and Palmer recovered to eighth despite spinning at the start. After a couple of yellow flags in the Grand National, for The Grader’s Award, Bate built a healthy lead. Rice was catching as he negotiated traffic in the second half of the race, but Bate held firm to win from Rice, Claydon and Palmer, as Avery climbed to fifth from the lap handicap in a field of more than 30 cars.
Saloon Stock Cars
A fine turnout of 49 Saloon Stock Cars each contested three of six heats. 171 Adam O’Dell’s British title defence did not begin well when he was knocked onto the infield, as yellow-graded 715 Kyle Hegg quickly hit the front of heat one. He swapped the lead with fellow Scotsman 124 Andrew Mathieson while the star men traded hits. 389 Ryan Santry eventually broke free from those battles and closed down the leaders. He moved into second and tracked Hegg until the final bend, when a textbook hit earned him victory. Darby brothers Harry (577) and Warren (677) took advantage of their final weekend running from the blue grade to secure a one-two in heat two as 626 Derek Duff topped a hard-hitting battle for third. Scottish teenager 372 Rian Mitchell led for much of a rumbustious heat three before being passed by 121 Kai Gilmour. Yellow flags were required with three laps remaining after 382 Corey Hunt, broadside on the home straight, was clobbered by 622 Gary Paterson. That helped 902 Junior Buster, new world champion 720 Archie Brown and Harry Darby demote Mitchell to fifth, but Gilmour just held on to victory amid final-bend traffic. Mathieson continued his strong form with victory in heat four which was led by Hegg until he got knocked around and dropped well down the order. 561 Aaron Totham came through to second ahead of 474 Michael Kent. The penultimate heat was a much quieter race and won by Warren Darby to ensure a good grid position for the title race. Heat six brought victory for Junior Buster who had traded the lead with Mathieson before securing it by delivering a bigger hit to get the Scot out of his way. 600 Barry Russell and Brown came through to second and third in another hard-hitting contest in which Harry Darby was thundered into a back-straight marker tyre.
His win in the final heat elevated Junior Buster to pole position for the British Championship race, with Brown alongside and Warren Darby and Kai Gilmour filling row two. 131 Timmy Barnes and Mathieson were on row three, ahead of Harry Darby and 661 Graeme Shevill. After a torrid night, O’Dell had to rely on his status as reigning champion to take up a slot at the back of the grid. Junior Buster led away, and began trading the lead with Brown and Warren Darby immediately, but it was Brown who led when yellow flags were called to assist 177 Chris Masters who had taken a hefty pounding on the home straight. Darby was then catapulted into a marker tyre, bringing out more yellow flags with just three laps in the book. It was Brown who led the way from Barnes, Junior Buster, Gilmour and the Shevill brothers at the restart and, as the bumpers flew in, he managed to get a break. Each of the Shevills had spells in second as Brown continued to stretch his legs through backmarking traffic. The world champion survived a brief scare when he was knocked sideways on the home straight, and built a lead of more than half a lap. But his hard work was undone when yellow flags were required to assist Duff with five laps remaining. The ‘pure top six’ rule brought Santry and Gilmour right onto Brown’s tail, followed by 151 Levi List, 670 Ross Watters and Graeme Santry. Nonetheless, Brown was unperturbed and eased clear to win his third major title of the season. The sort-out behind resulted in Watters snatching second from Gilmour, Santry and List, while O’Dell successfully shifted Freestone from sixth on the final bend to cap a remarkable charge from the back of the grid.