The Return of Rob Speak to BriSCA

GMP Scotland Press Release 26th May 2009

The Return of Rob Speak to BriSCA F2 6th June Racewall Cowdenbeath 6th June 6pm

You’ve heard the rumours for the last 9 years, now read the facts!

8 times BriSCA F2 World Champion 218 Rob Speak returns to race his ‘OWN’ BriSCA F2 at the Racewall Cowdenbeath on the 6th June. The meeting also features the BriSCA F2 Nationals.

THE REAL MASTER RETURNS

One of the longest “will he or won’t he” rumours is finally about to be revealed at the Cowdenbeath Racewall on June 6 for the FII National Championship – yes Rob Speak is back!
Rob last won the FII National Championship in – wait for it 1998 but he also picked up the National Points, World Final, British Championship as well as the Irish Open championship so it wasn’t too bad a season for him.
Rob Speak first came known to the Scottish fans after appearing in a ministox at Newtongrange and then just before that track closed he was a regular in the formula IIs.
He used to make the journey north on a regular basis and was soon making a name for himself with plenty of victories chalked up all over the country.
In 1989 Speak started his love affair with the National Points title one that he held right up till he retired at the start of the new millennium. Not only that he has six successive World Titles to his name and up to the Speak era there were only a couple of drivers who had successfully defended the title! Yes quite a driver! No one has ever achieved as many successive National Points titles and perhaps that record will never be equalled taking into account how costs have escalated.
Other major titles soon headed his way when he first won the British in ’89 whilst he had to wait until 1991 before he claimed his first World Championship, coming at Bristol taking the title from Scotsman Allister King.
The following season was another good one for Speak and this time he retained his World Title at Skegness, regained the British and then won his first Irish Open.
The ’93 World was to be staged on the shale at Crewe where Rob brought out “Thomas the Tank” his well named Forsyth and whilst it looked as if he was in with a chance of making history and taking his third successive World title it was not to be and he saw his crown go to Ian King. There was some consolation though with another National Points title secured and Ben Fund win.
However his dominance with the World was about to start in earnest and in ’94 he got his hands back on the title at Taunton, got his first European Championship win at Northampton and his second Irish Open title.
In ’95 he managed to get his hands on a title he had been trying to get for years and was wondering if he ever was going to win it – the Scottish! Oh and he won the World at Ringwood!
’96 saw another World come his way, this time at Northampton coupled to another European title a second Ben Fund title and another Irish Open. On the downside, he lost the Scottish Championship! Another Scottish Championship came his way in ’97 but so too did the World at the Racewall – one was practice for the other? – and his second in a row Irish Open.
Now using Elite chassis’ Speak continued his dominance of the sport in’98 taking an amazing five titles that year. Again the National was his and so too was the World, this time being raced on the shale at Swindon, his third British, the FII National Championship as well as making it a hat trick of Irish Opens.
Speak’s last season in the formula IIs saw him add his sixth successive World Title which he took in style down at Buxton and added another British Championship to his trophy cabinet, then not too surprisingly announced that he would be retiring from the sport and heading to the formula Is.
When he started the 2000 season he was soon to make an impression but his time in formula Is was short lived. He returned to IIs to defend his formula II World Title at Kings Lynn but the task was too much. In the time he was there he managed a World Title and an European Championship but was soon heading to the ASCARs.

After a few years there he left and had been taking in the occasional banger meeting but now he returns.

Come and see how he fares in his first competitive outing in a formula II since 2000!

And remember what was on Rob Speak’s wing many years ago ‘Don’t be frightened of the Racewall Cowdenbeath!’ Rob Speak isn’t are you???