With just three weeks to go until their mouth-watering gold roof shoot-out at the same stadium on August 18th the 1300cc Stock Cars took full advantage of a competitive work-out with lone Scotsman Fraser Clark risking all as he tested a new engine writes Kevin Wegg.

As it was the impressive thirty-five car English entry afforded him a relatively bruise-free evening although he was given the hurry-up on several occasions as a pre-cursor to what is likely to come very shortly….. and probably with a lot more interest too!

With other welcome visitors from Trackstar and Arena-Essex their opener was predictably lively.
Billy Smith was out in Dad’s car and left his mark in all three races with a last bend lunge up the inside of Steve O’Dell for starters which the latter did well to hold before Smith then spun Paul Aylward after the flag! Trevor Sloggett took the win but his run came to a thundering in the second when Pete Beldom spun him and he was collected very hard indeed by Steve Marten. Earlier on newcomer Beau Southgate had been left stranded on turn four. He was eventually collected by Clive Herve at high speed who in turn was collected by the pack, leaving him noticeably shaken. Lee Pearce squeezed past Barry Radcliffe on the last lap to grab second before Billy Smith landed almost certainly the biggest ‘last bender’ of the season via the kerb on Radcliffe which he held magnificently and actually had the last laugh as Smith spun in the process – yet he still recovered superbly for eighth as Jamie Blackman took the flag.

Sloggett & crew worked hard to get it out for the final and promptly set about plonking Trent Arthurton in to the armco! Smith was again flying but spun himself as Lee Pearce hit the front with time to punt Aylward in to Dean Moat who in turn ended up firmly in the armco. Smith completed a hat-trick of last benders with a more sedate nibble on the back-end of Jason Scopes only to spin him underneath the scoreboard after the chequers! Jamie Blackman completed a good evening with runners-up spot, as Beldom came home third and Radcliffe fourth. What chance one of those four winning gold?......

BANGERS
Mark Thorpe hit the wall and landed on his roof in the opener only for Mark Fisher to go one better with a self-imposed one and a half roll over the start line just as the race was restarted! Adam James served Team GB proud with an excellent Union Jack tribute on the car and very nearly hung on to win only for Darren Yates to have other ideas. There was a lengthy delay during race two when Jason Warren was clipped entering turn one and he slammed in to the armco head on but thankfully was soon back with his crew. Scott Griggs took an easy win. Ipswich Championship series leader Michael Lane looked completely out-of-sorts in the final and was eventually spun by Nathan Gould. Aston Leathers was flying all night yet couldn’t convert it in to success as Kevin Taylor secured a comfortable victory. Credit to young Craig Thurlow who finished a very notable fifth to add to his sixth place in heat two – a future star-in-the-making I feel.

MASCARS
Juli Stanford flew from the outside to snatch the lead at the first corner in the opening Mascar heat and for that and the second heat she literally never looked back. Aaron Cooke missed out in the first race on the very last lap when third after what looked like a mechanical problem which also snared Ian Kerry. Cooke fared much better in the second eventually making an outside pass stick on Laurence Bath to go second and rapidly reeled in Stanford but just couldn’t get the traction to pass whilst Mark Carnwell lost his completely when trying a last lap inside pass on Karl Baker and careered at speed on to the shale.

Stanford again led the final away with Cooke heading a snaking trail of cars in pursuit. With a large gritting of the teeth Cooke finally managed to wriggle past Stanford with a gutsy outside effort to record a comfortable win as the battle for second then raged with the snake often featuring pairs of cars two abreast down the line! In the end Stanford held on for a near-perfect night with Bath third.