FOLLOWING snow last weekend and heavy rain and high winds only the day before; it was with a sense of relief that a calm but chilly afternoon greeted drivers, teams and fans as they gathered at HRP Lochgelly Raceway this past Saturday for a unique event, writes Raceway reporter Les Waller.

A huge crowd gathered at HRP Lochgelly Raceway to an enjoy an afternoon of stock car action but the main reason for their attendance was to show their support to a member of the stock car family who has not enjoyed the best of health in recent months.

Joan Purdie (wife of 2.0 Hot Rod European Champion Kenny) has been valiantly fighting an aggressive form of Cancer for some time now and it had been hoped that a new treatment would be approved by the NHS for Joan but these hopes were dashed late last year.

Joan’s treatment is not cheap and the stock car family have once again displayed their strength and unity as various events have taken place to raise funds to assist the family in paying for Joan’s treatment via private health care.

With such a worthy cause being the main reason for the event, the results and the racing certainly play a secondary role, nevertheless, racing is what has brought those that were there together to stand with Joan and Kenny and a huge entry of cars across five formulas had gathered to do battle and to Help Joan Fight Cancer.

The future of stock car racing was once again on display at HRP Lochgelly Raceway as the 6-11 year olds made their first Scottish appearance of 2016 in the Ninja Karts.

Around ten Scottish drivers had made the long trip south to Essex for the World Cup event two weeks earlier but, despite several good performances, the big title stayed in England in the hands of regular HRP visitor Riley Marsh.

There were welcome visitors from Northern Ireland in the shape of Megan Murray, Curtis McConkey and Daniel Stewart as well as Kasey Jones from the south of England and Jones certainly looked the quickest of the visitors in heat one as he came home second behind local driver Lennon Grant with Charlie Hardie also making good progress from the rear of the grid with Jones to claim third.

The second race of the day was run in wet conditions as the rain came in but that did not deter young Lucy Millar who showed off that trademark smile as she was given the win in heat two ahead of Robbie Armit and Heat One winner Grant.

The final heat of the day saw Declan Honeyman take a hard-earned win ahead of Lennon Grant who claimed three top three finishes on the day with Kasey Jones rounding off a good visit with another podium finish.

It looks like the Scottish drivers have the bit between their teeth already and April 2nd will see the youngsters battle the best drivers from all corners of the short oval world as the LJN Designs Ninja Kart European Championship is held here at HRP Lochgelly Raceway.

The Ministox were also on track this past weekend and a fantastic turnout nearing twenty cars saw visitors in the shape of British Champion Charlie Morphey, National Champion Tony Elbourn, Incarace Points Champion Dan Santry and Danny Elbourn and Josh Rayner who all made the trip north from England to join some of the regular racers. National Champion Tony Elbourn struck first as he took the win in heat one ahead of a fast moving Terri Linden and Charlie Morphey.

A fantastic battle between the top stars broke out in heat two and it was top Scottish racer Euan Millar who beat English stars Dan Santry and Tony Elbourn and arch-Scottish rival Steven Burgoyne to the line in a fantastic race. It would be these four fantastic young drivers who came to the fore in the final as they sliced their way through the field but this time it was Santry who came out on top ahead of Elbourn, Millar and Burgoyne. Terri Linden proved she will be one to watch this year as she claimed three places inside the top seven.

The HRP 1300 Stock Cars are usually called up at any big HRP event and this past Saturday was no different. The entry was headlined by World Champion Will Morphey while Callum Davies also made the long trip north for his Scottish debut while National Saloon Stock Car Racing brothers Graeme and Stuart Shevill had borrowed cars to take part in this special event. It was also great to see some new local drivers making their debuts which underlines the HRP 1300 Stock Cars reputation as Scotland’s top stock car formula.

East Wemyss’ Dean McGill took the first win of the year ahead of World Champion Morphey and Anstruther’s Paul Beaton. Morphey underlined his excellent current form in heat two as he stormed from the back of the grid to take victory ahead of former Saloon World Champion Stuart Shevill Jr and Lochgelly’s own Andrew Mathieson. Morphey made it a delightful double in the feature final as he made his way from the back of the grid to eventually overhaul long-time leader and heat one winner McGill before extending his lead to secure a comfortable victory with McGill holding on for second ahead of 2015 sensation Eddie Corr. The 1300 Stock Cars are back in action on Saturday May 7th.

History was made at HRP Lochgelly Raceway as, for the first time ever, the 2.0 Hot Rods and National Hot Rods would be joined in competitive action by the Classic Hot Rods. There were welcome visitors in all three classes with Mark Turricki and Dave Leech bringing their 2.0 Hot Rods north of the border while European Champion Adam Hylands brought his National Hot Rod across the Irish Sea to support the event. The Classic Hot Rods would be making their Scottish racing debut and local drivers Graham McCabe, Keith Chesher and Trevor Harris were joined by long distance travelers Andy Steward and his nephew Harry who had previously raced Ministox at HRP Lochgelly Raceway.

Conditions were certainly far from ideal for the fastest cars on the ovals as a greasy track proves very tricky for all concerned. Leech took the win in the first race for the 2.0 Hot Rods ahead of fellow tin-top racer Billy Bonnar. With conditions deteriorating the Avon Tyres used by the Classic Hot Rods saw them come to the fore and it was National Points Champion Andy Steward who stamped his authority over the rest of the meeting as he took the win in heat two ahead of Adam Hylands before claiming the final in fine style ahead of Harry his nephew. The Classic Hot Rods have earned some rave reviews following this event and will be back in their own right at HRP Lochgelly Raceway on April 9th and 10th supporting the National Hot Rod European Championship.

The National Micro Bangers always draw attention when racing at HRP Lochgelly Raceway which has been a firm supporter of Bangers since the beginning of the promotion and a fantastic turnout well in excess of sixty cars promised an entertaining afternoon.

A star-studded field included three former F2 World Champions in Chris Burgoyne, Gordon Moodie and Ian Thomson Jr along with several Saloon stars and drivers from various other formulas joining the usual Banger suspects on track for a unique occasion that may never be seen again. It did not take long for the cars to get stuck in in heat one and it was Saloon star Graeme Shevill, who was racing in Micro Bangers and 1300 Stock Cars, who came through the melee to take the first win of the day. The second heat saw Banger star Pete McVay battle through the carnage to claim a fantastic win. The first all-comers race saw a huge entry on track and it was English Lightning Rod star Ben Newman who made the long trip north worthwhile with victory in this one. The second all-comers race saw another win for McVay before Paul McNulty Jr was the last man standing in a highly entertaining demolition derby to round off a great day of racing.

An incredible day and an incredible showing of support by the stock car family. This event has definitely set the tone for the upcoming season which begins at HRP Lochgelly Raceway on Saturday February 27 at 6pm.