The Madman Writes - 21st March 2009

I am never one to mince my words. I hate Bangers. To me there is little skill in following the car in front of you into the wall. However, I don’t know if there is a voice in my head that has convinced me that van Bangers are good. It is exactly the same principle as if it was cars racing yet I find vans entertaining especially the DD as the things are virtually indestructible. Spectators seem to love them as well as the numbers that attend to watch them verify and at the end of the day it is all about bums on seats as far as promotions are concerned. There are more tracks that run Bangers in the UK than any other formula. Enjoy the spectacle, and don’t give me a hard time for not liking them eh.

I much prefer Hot Rod racing, which if you witnessed last weeks events was more akin to Banger racing in the second heat and final after two big pile ups on the back straight. Spare a thought for Scott Lee who got a hefty knock in the final and was taken away to hospital for a check up. I will let you know how he is tonight if I hear anything. Poor Karl Price must have wished that he stayed at home. He arrived in the pits too late for the first heat. Done half a lap in the second one and a similar distance in the final having both times been caught up in what was a racing incident. Me and my big mouth too. With so few Hot Rods in the pits, I announced to my colleagues in the box that the races would be run in jig time and they ended up causing the longest stoppages of the night. Ian Donaldson didn’t seem to mind as he took the first final of the season whilst there was a surprise win in the first heat for Pete McVay who show that he was getting on in years as he was only able to clamber onto the bonnet of the car instead of the roof which is his usual form of celebration. When I was talking to him in the pits before the start of racing, he was telling me that he had a new car under construction and no amount of bribing would force him to let the cat out of the bag as to what it was. Anyone who knows, please tell me what it is as he is likely to klipe to fellow scribe, Jim Turner, who will get one over on me with an exclusive in his column.

The next Hot Rod meeting should have considerably higher numbers at it as a large contingent of Scots headed down to Birmingham for the National Hot Rods World qualifier. The final was won by David Newall which must put him in the frame for a chance of qualifying for the big one down at Ipswich in July.

Last years top Ministox racer at the Racewall, Siobhan Martin, took to the Stock Rods like a duck to water and won a heat and the final albeit from the front row of the grid. Andy Grant closed in on her in the closing stages but it was a good education for when she is a lot further back on the grid. Top Southern driver in the Minis last year, Jimmy Galloway, won a heat impressively also again from pole whilst Robert McDonald shown that he will be hard to beat for consistency this year with a last to first performance in the third heat of the night.

Paul Ford kept up his impressive form in the F2’s winning the first race of the night but it was ominous for thing to come when the card had to be pushed off the track after the first race and it ended up going bang in the second one which ended his night prematurely. Former World champion, Chris Burgoyne, took a facile hat trick with some very quick times to boot before he too had the gremlins set in whilst flying through the field in the Grand National which was won by Barry Folan.

Frankie Cunningham was the man to beat in the Saloons with a heat and final double. The final had a certain inevitability about it as he stalked Stuart Shevill for lap after lap. Stuart must have known what was coming but it was just a case of when the telling blow was going to be landed. Sure enough it came on the last lap with Stuart clobbering the wall and putting him out of a finish. No Saloons tonight but they will return next week when we have a touch of D’ja vu as the same programme of racing as lat week.

Once again there were problems with the computerised lap scoring which has now been traced to the loop on the track which is going to be dug out and sorted so that people in the stands can follow the race from the scoreboard as it progresses. Until next week that sit back and let the action commence.