The Madman Writes - 18th April 2009
Welcome to the Racewall where we are now only 1 week away from the first big one of the season, the Banger World cup. Plenty to come tonight before that as another 4 formula meeting will mean that the pits will be bursting with cars.
The Hot Rods have their second out in as many weeks with Robbie Burgoyne the star of the show last week with a facile hat-trick in the formula. Robbie is using the domestic rods as a stepping stone to joining the National Hot Rod circus down south and it won’t be long until he is giving them a run for their money. Former World cup winner, Ian McGuigan, had an impressive debut in his new car which looked as if it was on the pace right away as he battled thru from the back of the grid to end up a close fifth in the final. Multi champion, James Jamieson, opted to stay down south after the National Hot Rod World qualifier at Northampton on the Friday to take in the one at Ipswich on the Monday. He took a good final win at Northampton and will need to keep that sort of form up if he is to make it onto the grid at Ipswich as a late start to the series sees him still languishing out of the top 18. If he makes it, he will have as much of a chance of winning as anyone else as new rules this year enables the car that sets the fastest lap time will automatically be on pole for the big race irrespective of where they finished up in the points series.
Hat trick hero Robbie is son of the legendry Jock Burgoyne who won numerous titles in the formula domestically and it was amazing looking thru the results last week, how many second generation drivers were doing well. One name perhaps unfamiliar to many race fans would be Russell Clacher in the Stock Rods. If you looked at the back of the car it had son of Murray written on it. Murray was a top driver in the Saloons and the Stock Rods back in the eighties and nineties and Russell very nearly won the final in what would have been a dream debut for him. In the end he had to settle for second behind Andy Grant who wasn’t winning out of turn having notched up a string of second at the previous meetings this year.
One main problem with the formula and with the F2’s as well was the standard of the starts. Starter, Graham Alexander, called the Stock Rods bluff in the final by standing back on the rostrum leaving a few drivers who anticipated the starts to be left with egg on their faces. Perhaps it is time to adopt a system used in Athletics where anyone who breaks ranks early is given a warning and if it happens again then they are disqualified. Perhaps that is a bit harsh in stock car racing, but put them at the back of the grid and they would soon learn their lesson.
The Ministox had the first of three meetings in a row last week with some good battles all night. I met Liam Rennie before the meeting who was given an Easter egg when he went to sign in to race. He was planning to scoff it there and then. I don’t know if he took my advice of not to do it or not but ended up with another couple for his troubles having had some great battles with Kyle Irvine in the second and third heats.
Brisca F2 final winner, Barry Folan, incurred a bit of stick for keeping his Easter egg and his trophy and had a tribe of children following him down to the pits. He will be another lower grade driver to be upgraded this year for winning a final, a system which seems to work well as it stops any lower grade dominating so much early on that they go up to the Superstar grade and struggle to compete the rest of the year. Ironically, the first grading period ends this weekend which always sees a lot of movement before the first meeting in May.
I thought that I had misread stuff on the internet last week where it proclaimed that the King’s Lynn track champion for 2009 was Mark Simpson who just pipped Paul Ford to the title. Looking at the fixtures it is right enough as the promotion has dropped the formula citing little interest in it down there. It is a kick in the teeth for those drivers who like racing on shale.
As I stated at the top of this article, next week will see virtually every top Banger in the UK here for the World cup. One not to miss. It will be a cracker. Meantime sit back and let the action commence.