IT was a beautiful warm and sunny evening at the Cowdenbeath Racewall on Saturday night and whilst the spectators basked in the sunshine the drivers were in top form on a dry fast track, writes Racewall scribe Jim Turner.

Lee McGill proved to be the driver to beat in the ORCi Stock Rods with two wins and a runners-up spot but his efforts were bettered by Ministox driver Lewis Clark Burgoyne who won all three of his races. Dougie Ford won both the heats in the Prostock basics which saw James Kyle raising money in the Charity Hire car for Diabetic Scotland.

There were three different winners in the 1300Saloons where the racing proved to be very close with Lee Wilson bring out the ex-Colin Wotherspoon car and was soon challenging for top places.

However, the action came during the Micro F2 races with shunts, spins and some really close and exciting racing with Bowden Murfin and Rhys Anderson involved in not one, but two shunts!

Amongst those in action in the ORCi Stock Rods were the World Champion Stephen McCready, Kurtis Reid and Andrew Morrow from Northern Ireland, Gareth Chapman and Chris Chance from South of the Border. Russell Clacher (Glenrothes) was back in action, Justin Lithgow (Kirkcaldy) was in Dean McGill’s car and all in all it turned out to be stock rod racing at its best.

Other local drivers in action included James Matson (Glenrothes), Lee McGill (Glenrothes), Stuart Wedderburn (Leven), David Dignan (Leven) and Michael Bethune (Kirkcaldy).

Lithgow led the first heat until the half distance before McGill took over and he went through to win from Derek Conner, McCready and Matson with Lithgow in tenth place. Lithgow led the field away when heat two started but retired after bouncing his car off the wall. This handed the lead to Matson who soon had a useful lead only for the race to be suspended after Rob Conway and James Gray locked up and crashed into the turnstile bend wall.

On the re-start Matson had McGill in close order but held on to record a narrow victory over McGill and McCready with Clacher in tenth spot.

The final saw some really close and exciting dicing with the Jane Burt Memorial Trophy the drivers goal.

Lithgow’s car stalled at the start causing a restart which Chris Paul led from Mark Blackie but Stuart McKinnon had made a quick start from the blue grade and was quickly closing the leaders down. However, when Paul Prentice, Chance and Clacher tangled on the back straight the race was suspended. Paul led the cars away but next time around McKinnon was leading only for another suspension with debris on the track.

McKinnon led the field away but lost out to McGill who shook off the attentions of Conner to win with Matson third with Clacher eighth and Dignan ninth. McGill received his trophy plus the Jane Burt Memorial Trophy and a tyre for winning with Clacher receiving a tyre for being the first of the lower grade driver home.

There was another healthy turn out of 1300 Saloon drivers with Derek Russell out in the Bruce car whilst saloon driver Ross Forrest was in the hire car. The local drivers in action included Lee Wilson (Comrie), Jeff Cosans (Dunfermline), Michael Byers (Methil), James Ellis (Cowdenbeath), Alan Robertson (Glenrothes), Gordon Myers (Dunfermline) and Arron Hastie (Ceres)

Robertson led the cars away but was soon caught by Byers but Ellis was making up ground and during the closing stages took the lead. However, on the run up to the finish line he had to fend off a late challenge from Grant McGowan to win with Byers in third with Hastie fifth and ahead of Cosans, Wilson and Robertson. Robertson again led the cars away when heat two started with Fraser Clark quickly making up ground and appeared in second. Lisa Freebairn and Forrest spun but restarted only for the race to be suspended after Stu McCaig was edged into the wall.

Robertson soon lost the lead when the race restarted to Clark although the latter now had McGowan chasing.

The lead changed hands a couple of times with Wilson making it a three car dice for the win. Clark got back into the lead and then just held on to win from Wilson, McGowan, Cosans, Robertson and Hastie.

Robertson led the cars away when the final started with Byers moving into second spot but had Clark and Hastie in close order. Try as they might they just couldn’t catch Robertson who went on to win from Clark, Byers and Hastie with Ellis sixth and ahead of Wilson, Cosans and Myers.

Another big field of Prostock Basic cars with Kieran Edgar, Kyle, Stephen Graham and Robert Ryan making their debuts. The Basics are certainly enticing new faces into the sport with a few moving up to the senior formula. Amongst the local drivers were Megan Wilson (Comrie), Jordan and Graeme Dignan (Leven) and Callum Sturrock (Saline).

Ryan led the first heat for a few laps until John Rankin took over. However after a race suspension Rankin was to close out as Dougie Ford went through to win with Ben Sher in third with G. Dignan fifth and Sturrock in seventh. In heat two there were a few leaders before B. Sher took over although he was to lose out to Bob Grant. Grant was caught on the penultimate lap as Ford went through to pick up his second win of the night. B. Sher held onto second with Craig Warner ending up in third ahead of G. Dignan.

Grant and Steve Jones clashed right at the start to the race with B. Sher quickly taking the lead. Callum Sturrock retired against a marker tyre. Ford was beginning to make inroads through the field as Grant and Jones again tangled. However, when Nicole Russell spun on the back straight the race was brought to a premature end. Although Ford had just taken the lead the result from the previous lap stood with Sher the winner from Ford and Warner with G. Dignan eighth.

There weren’t too many Ministox drivers in action but their races were dominated by Lewis Clark Burgoyne who won all three races at a canter. Local drivers in action were Jay Paterson (Saline) and Michael Mitchell (Lochgelly).

In heat one he won from Mitchell and Brandon Morton with Paterson in seventh. Heat two followed almost the same pattern with Burgoyne ahead within a couple of laps and was then ran away with the race to win from Declan Honeyman and Mitchell.

Morton was the early leader when the final started but within a couple of laps Burgoyne was ahead and pulling away from the field. In the end he won by the length of the straight from Mitchell, Honeyman and Paterson.

Again the Micro F2 drivers turned up in big numbers with quite a few visiting drivers with Connor St. Aubyn (Glenrothes) and Lennon Cuthill (Kirkcaldy). David Philp Jnr was the early opening heat leader but when four cars tangled and crashed on the pit bend the race was suspended. Philp Jnr led on the restart but lost out to Lewis Walker who won from Philp Jnr and Alfie Smith. In heat two Philp Jnr was the first to show but a two cars shunt brought the race into suspension.

However, C. Walker again capitalised and he went through to win from A. Smith and Oliver Smith.

Heat three saw Philp Jnr make an early break and was soon running well clear of the field. His lead disappeared after A. Smith crashed into the wall. Philp led but was to be joined by Freya Lovett, Ross McLaughlin and Todd Anderson in a four way dice for the lead. Lovett forged ahead with the cars bunched as they exited the pit bend for the last time. McLaughlin dived down the inside but tangled with Lovett and in a flash Anderson went through to win from Philp Jnr and Callan Walker.

Well that is the Racewall quiet until July 28 but there are plenty of major races south of the Border until then with a few titles up for grabs.