The second day of the season's first Speedweekend at Smeatharpe, was illuminated by a stunning last lap finish to the English Championship for Saloon Stock Cars.
Saloon Stock Cars
In one of the most sensational finishes of all time, for a Saloon Stock Car Championship event, 156 Darren Goudy just pipped 641 Willie Skoyles to the English title. From grid three, Goudy took up the running in the title race at an early stage, and proceeded to carve out a useful lead for himself. However, as the race neared its final third, Skoyles began to devour Goudy's lead, and when Goudy was delayed by backmarkers, Skoyles pounced. Through the last two laps, Skoyles hassled Goudy, and then went in for a telling last bend lunge. Goudy was sent wide, Skoyles grabbed the lead on the inside line, but in the drag to the flag, Goudy just got enough traction out by the fence to seal victory and clinch the title by five one hundredths of a second. 428 Lee Sampson completed an all-East Anglian, all-blue grade top three, with 402 Shaun Webster in fourth.
Sampson went on to win the next two races for the Saloon Stock Cars, but the feature final saw 103 Chris Horwell take the chequered flag for the first time this season, as he led home 120 Shane Brown and 149 Jamie Sampson to conclude a magnificent weekend of racing from the Saloon Stock Cars.
BriSCA F2 Stock Cars
The weekend's second F2 final again brought about a non-star grade winner. 700 Adam Ruberry was the latest driver to land a feature race win at Smeatharpe, as he proved uncatchable from the yellow grade.
Veteran star 167 Bill Batten surprised everyone, including himself, when he won the first heat in the rain - not usually the conditions in which he excels. Heat two went to 886 Chris Bradbury, who led home 286 Todd Jones. A late charge by 105 Ross Rowe saw him pip 116 Ashley Rundle for the consolation.
The Beeches Holiday Park sponsored final saw Ruberry get out in front early on. He was chased by fellow yellow top 374 Gary Stephens, and they survived plentiful race suspensions to still be clear late on. By the time the flag fell, 676 Neil Hooper had grabbed second from Stephens, but it was Ruberry who punched the air in celebration at winning the final.
Another pacy yellow top, 783 James Rygor, took the Grand National.
Stock Rods
The season's second outing at Smeatharpe for the Stock Rods brought the first two race wins of his career for 545 Nick Lane, as he showed the rest of the grid a clean pair of heels in the opening heat and the Grand National.
However, it was 49 Kev Lock who took the main honours in the feature race. Lock won the final from 657 Tony Lattka and 221 James Southall, which helped him maintain his early season lead in the Points Championship.
Bangers
A fine showing of 74 Bangers, made for the best car count for the formula so far this season.
There were heat wins for 117 Ollie Starr, 438 Dan Rice and 607 Gary Sillifant, whilst a consolation victory for 333 Craig Partridge kept up the low grade successes. However, in the Devon Championship, 677 Glenn Nash made it to the front from the star grade. Newcomer 250 Adam Fisher had led much of the race, but when he got entangled with some stray cars on the back straight, 556 Pete Hollis inherited the lead. He and Starr held on at the front for a short time when the race restarted after a late caution period, but Nash pounced to grab the lead, and regain the title he last won in 2007. Starr finished as the runner-up, with Sillifant third.
A manic Allcomers race brought a win for Points Championship leader 246 Ryan Sparks.
Heat 1 |
167 |
464 |
511 |
783 |
700 |
990 |
676 |
954 |
15 |
992 |
Heat 2 |
886 |
286 |
315 |
24 |
909 |
544 |
605 |
374 |
115 |
768 |
Consolation |
105 |
116 |
189 |
522 |
538 |
571 |
935 |
14 |
830 |
797 |
Final |
700 |
676 |
374 |
167 |
105 |
286 |
315 |
538 |
783 |
605 |
Grand National |
783 |
886 |
374 |
167 |
286 |
676 |
315 |
990 |
538 |
522 |
Grade Awards |
W 544 |
Y 700 |
B 286 |
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|
|
|
|
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|
English |
156 |
641 |
428 |
402 |
115 |
120 |
219 |
30 |
360 |
401 |
Heat 1 |
428 |
490 |
641 |
120 |
156 |
65 |
30 |
127 |
199 |
402 |
Heat 2 |
428 |
402 |
490 |
499 |
103 |
2 |
641 |
149 |
912 |
219 |
Final |
103 |
120 |
149 |
402 |
428 |
912 |
499 |
156 |
305 |
115 |
Heat |
545 |
647 |
555 |
37 |
657 |
730 |
193 |
49 |
642 |
221 |
Final |
49 |
657 |
221 |
42 |
647 |
193 |
40 |
37 |
730 |
370 |
Grand National |
545 |
647 |
42 |
37 |
34 |
730 |
193 |
40 |
49 |
151 |
Heat 1 |
117 |
556 |
941 |
113 |
677 |
91 |
451 |
778 |
182 |
282 |
Heat 2 |
438 |
929 |
303 |
838 |
369 |
172 |
175 |
441 |
131 |
22 |
Heat 3 |
607 |
331 |
28 |
242 |
475 |
511 |
321 |
734 |
675 |
143 |
Consolation |
333 |
121 |
862 |
250 |
first 4 |
to final |
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|
|
|
Devon Championship |
677 |
117 |
607 |
941 |
734 |
675 |
172 |
929 |
131 |
182 |
Allcomers |
246 |
74 |
104 |
183 |
458 |
708 |
154 |
60 |
75 |
78 |
Best Presented |
8 |
236 |
866 |
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|
|
|
|
|
|
Grade Awards |
W 607, 438 333 |
Y 117, 929 172 |
B 734, 458 708 |
R 677, 941 675 |
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