Despite a threatening weather forecast, the majority of the 200th BriSCA F2 Stock Car meeting at the United Downs Raceway was held in dry conditions, and from slow beginnings the event came alive in the latter stages.
BriSCA F2 Stock Cars
With a plethora of additional prizes courtesy of JP Tools, the Total White Out race was disappointingly undersubscribed with just 10 drivers on the grid. The drivers gridded in reverse National Points order, and that placed last year’s winner 572 James Lindsay in the third and final group. Nonetheless, he made an explosive start to move up to third very early on. Out front, 760 Trevor Dube set the pace, and he was still there at the midway point. However, Lindsay was clearly on a mission, and he grabbed the lead, before edging further and further clear. 460 Matt Weston made it into second, with 222 Adrian Watts third, but Lindsay was so comfortable in the lead, that he cruised the closing stages one-handed, before celebratory donuts after taking the chequered. All drivers in the race received a cash bonus and a ‘lucky dip’ in the JP Tools stock pile, with Lindsay’s top prize, a 168 piece Gearwrench tool set worth £300. The opening heat of the meeting proper saw 667 Tommy Farrell score a comprehensive win, whilst Lindsay took his second chequered flag in heat two, which he celebrated with an air punch half a lap from home. An exciting consolation race saw 944 Callum Hosie wrestle the lead from 398 Ian England, but only briefly as the local driver then spun, which enabled 895 Ben Goddard to take over. He was challenged by 976 Dan Kent, but Goddard remained firm at the front. The traditional clutch start for the Silverline Trophy final gave the lower graders some time and space to settle down at the front, but Watts spun on lap two, and when beached on an inner kerb, a caution period was required. 302 Dale Moon and 126 Jamie Avery had already tangled and departed, which left 24 Jon Palmer as the leading blue top in the early stages. When the race resumed, 418 Ben Borthwick shook off the attentions of fellow star men 315 Justin Fisher and 542 Steven Gilbert to lead the chase of front runners 105 Ross Rowe and 539 Steve Hartnett. Borthwick duly got to the front in the final quarter of the race and went on to record his first ever final win, and in so doing, he became the 74th different driver to win a St Day final. Rowe was the runner-up and Hartnett held on to third despite being closely pursued by Gilbert. A stop-start Grand National included three separate bouts of yellow flags, and that aided Borthwick as he worked off the one lap handicap. Try as he might, second was as high as Borthwick got, as Gilbert completed the afternoon with a victory.
National Micro Bangers
Although no (known) bakers took to the track, the entry did total a baker’s dozen. Heat one featured a brutal follow-in, as 190 Steve Bailey thundered 149 Dan Curtis into the turnstile bend fence. 846 Jacob Read and 131 Ben Strong then got into tangle which left Read prone to a heavy attack from 278 Shaun Brokenshire. 451 Nigel Belfield overcame 162 Brett Ellacott to take the win. Brokenshire inspired more action in heat two, as he sent 161 Anton Ferris into the turnstile bend fence before blitzing Strong. Up front, 133 Terry Hill just stole away the win from Ellacott on the run to the flag in a photo finish. Bailey pulled off another follow-in in the final, as he fired 59 Mike Hamley around the pits bend at speed, before winning from Belfield and Ellacott. Four cars contested the DD, with 11 Grubby Frankson outlasting the rest for a fine win.
Ministox
Multi-Champion 368 Charlie Santry made the mammoth overnight trip, having raced in Scotland the previous evening. He proceeded to score a hat-trick of second places. In the first heat, 914 Callum Faulconbridge was well clear, having established an early lead. Once he had overhauled 942 Leon Williams, Faulconbridge scored another comfortable win in heat two, as Santry just came out on top in a good battle with 927 Owen Robbins. In the final, Faulconbridge encountered steering problems when he challenged for the lead. That brought about a race suspension, and the higher graded drivers could sense glory. Robbins got to the front, and he duly held on for a fine win, whilst 514 Abbie McGuinness, on the occasion of her last ever Ministox appearance, completed the top three.
Total White Out |
572 |
460 |
222 |
241 |
663 |
760 |
320 |
118 |
214 |
759 |
Heat 1 |
667 |
542 |
315 |
979 |
460 |
126 |
689 |
196 |
first 8 |
to final |
Heat 2 |
572 |
24 |
302 |
418 |
539 |
111 |
105 |
828 |
first 8 |
to final |
Cons |
895 |
976 |
398 |
241 |
663 |
134 |
944 |
214 |
222 |
nof |
Final |
418 |
105 |
539 |
542 |
315 |
979 |
24 |
111 |
689 |
895 |
Grand National |
542 |
418 |
315 |
667 |
24 |
976 |
828 |
196 |
460 |
222 |
Grade Awards |
W 572 |
Y 105 |
B 979 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Heat 1 |
451 |
162 |
133 |
278 |
161 |
205 |
11 |
131 |
nof |
|
Heat 2 |
133 |
162 |
190 |
451 |
nof |
|
|
|
|
|
Final |
190 |
451 |
162 |
133 |
278 |
111 |
nof |
|
|
|
DD |
11 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Entertainers |
11 |
190 |
205 |
278 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
Heat 1 |
914 |
368 |
927 |
942 |
514 |
913 |
985 |
569 |
654 |
870 |
Heat 2 |
914 |
368 |
927 |
942 |
985 |
913 |
569 |
907 |
870 |
900 |
Final |
927 |
368 |
514 |
569 |
985 |
942 |
654 |
913 |
870 |
984 |