THE stock cars roared back into life as the season began at the Cowdenbeath Racewall on Saturday night with a triple of triple winners!

Gordon Moodie, in the formula IIs, Stuart Shevill Jnr in the saloons and Jim Pitcaithly in the stock rods each won a couple of heats then the final to white wash their respective formulae.

The non scoring white/yellow challenge races for the saloons proved to be exciting with a close dice in the formula IIs whilst the last few laps in the saloons were hectic with a couple of drivers failing to reappear.

However, whilst they enjoyed the limelight spare a thought for saloon driver Graeme Anderson whose engine blew not long after he had started his race and to Holly Glen who only managed a lap or two with her formula II.

Even worse was to befall Willie Mitchell who never made it onto the track with a saloon that was reluctant to run properly.

Prior to the start of the meeting the drivers were paraded to the fans with the parade lap led by the 1983 saloon World Champion in the Jock Robertson replica MG Magnette saloon.

Amongst the visiting drivers were Danny Colliver, Catherine Grant and Stephen McCready from Northern Ireland. Making their debuts were Dale Burt and Jason Blacklock in the formula IIs and Gary Scollon, Jamie Connacher and James Letford in the saloons.

Local drivers in the formula IIs were Gregor Turner (Dunfermline), Kieran Howie (Dunfermline), Paul Reid (Cowdenbeath), Simon Cranson (Cowdenbeath), Dale Burt (Lochgelly) and Gordon Moodie (Windygates).

The opening formula II heat was a white/yellow race and when the race started the track was wet and greasy. Cranson led the cars away but lost out to Alex Hamilton and Turner who scrapped throughout the race with Hamilton just holding on to win whilst Brian Hogg was third, Howie seventh followed by Cranson and Burt.

The opening formula II heat saw Moodie go through to record a comfortable win over Chris Burgoyne and Robbie Dawson with Reid in ninth place.

Moodie then repeated the win in heat two and again he led home Burgoyne and Dawson with Turner sixth just ahead of Reid with Cranson tenth.

When the final started Hogg led the field away from Cranson whilst Marc Fortune was an early spinner. Hamilton moved into second running just ahead of Reid and Turner but even whilst they were catching the leader they were in turn being caught by Moodie who had made short work of the red graders.

Hamilton finally got ahead of Hogg only for Moodie to get ahead a few yards later. Hamilton kept Burgoyne at bay for a lap and then the following lap dropped to third as Dawson moved into third. Whilst the leaders were running on their own, Steve Forster and Craig Wallace were fighting it out for fourth whilst Hamilton, Reid and Turner were running in close order.

Moodie reeled off the remaining laps to make it three wins in a row from Burgoyne and Dawson with Reid seventh and Turner in eighth place

Turner was ahead within a couple of laps when the Grand National started but with three laps remaining Burgoyne got ahead and through to win from Turner and Dawson with Moodie picking up fifth despite having to start the race with a lap handicap, Cranson seventh just ahead of Howie and Burt.

There was a good turn out of the 2 Litre National saloons with some really well presented cars with Barry Glen debuting his new car.

There were new paint schemes from Danny Colliver and Luke Grief whilst the newcomers lined their cars up at the rear of the grid.

Local drivers in the saloons were Ross Watters (Leven), James Strath (Cowdenbeath) and Alex Cunningham (Leven).

The opening heat was the first round of their white/yellow challenge races with Greg Honeyman going straight into the lead but soon Cunningham, Barry Glen and Glen Heeps were fighting it out. When Anderson blew his engine the race was suspended with Cunningham leading the field away on the race restart. With only a couple of laps to run Heeps was nudged and whilst he went into the lead going into the bend by the time they exited the bend Glen was ahead. On the last bend Glen was sent wide by Cunningham, bouncing his car off the wall as he struggled to maintain control. However, Cunningham nipped through to claim the victory from Glen and Heeps.

The first heat saw Stuart Shevill Jnr come through the field to win from Luke Grief, Strath and Watters. In heat two Shevill Jnr picked up his second win of the night when he led home Heeps and Barry Russell with Watters in seventh place.

The final turned out to be a cracking race with G. Honeyman leading but then lost out to Strath but the new leader collected newcomer Scollon with the latter’s car spinning and coming to rest on the pit bend.

On the restart Marc Honeyman led but quickly lost out to Shevill Jnr. Colliver and G. Honeyman tangled but kept going but when Ross Watters and M. Honeyman tangled the race was again suspended.

Again S. Shevill Jnr led but Graeme Shevill and Colliver tangled on the back straight with the Colliver car taking the brunt of the shunt. Shevill Jnr again made a good start to the race reeling off the remainder of the laps t win from Grief, Russell and Watters with Strath sixth

There was another good turn out of stock rods with three heading up from Barford. The local drivers were James Matson (Glenrothes), Stuart McKinnon (Kincardine), Steven Archibald (Glenrothes), Jim Pitcaithly (Kirkcaldy), Duncan Welsh (Kelty), Chris Wallace (Buckhaven), Simon Laing (St. Andrews) and Michael Bethune (Kirkcaldy).

Pitcaithly went on to win the first heat from McKinnon and Bethune with Matson fifth, Welsh sixth, Laing eighth and Archibald tenth. Pitcaithly made it two wins out of two when he won heat two this time leading home Matson and Bethune, McKinnon and Laing. With Welsh eighth

After his heat wins Pitcaithly had to start the final from the red grade but this didn’t deter him much as he reeled in the early leader Simon Laing to take the lead. Once ahead he quickly opened up a useful lead before making it three wins in a row and this time he led home Derek Conner and Bethune with McKinnon fifth, Laing seventh and Archibald eighth.

Local drivers in the prostox were Ricky White (Thornton), Callum McIvor (Inverkeithing) and Grady Ross (Lochgelly), whilst Stephen McCready was over from Northern Ireland.

Heat one saw White go through to win from McCready and Tam Melrose with McIvor fourth. McCready then won heat two where he led home White and Melrose with McIvor in sixth.

John Mason led the final initially but lost out to White and McCready with the latter managing to slip through into the lead. McCready then pulled away to win from White, Mason and McIvor.

This Saturday the formula IIs and 2 Litre National saloons are back in action but this time they have the lightning rods and minis on the bill. The minis are racing for their Easter trophy and we could see one or two new faces in the minis.

As usual the meeting starts at 6.00pm.