THERE was a drizzle throughout the stock car meeting at the Cowdenbeath Racewall on Saturday night and whilst it may have dampened the spectators it made little difference to those on the track, writes our Racewall reporter Jim Turner.

With the Racewall being a solus formula II meeting the World Champion Kelvyn Marshall, Luke Wrench and Tom Adcroft made the trip north of the Border whilst Chris Burgoyne was back in action after missing a week due to crash damage.

Gordon Moodie saw his high points scoring meetings end after suffering clutch and engine problems which kept him out of the final.

The saloon drivers were in good form with David Hughes coming to grief on the turnstile bend which ended with his car rolling whilst Robin Copland ended up on top of his car.

Luckily David scrambled out of his car unhurt and seemed more interested in what damage the car had suffered rather than himself! Barry Glen and Barry Russell continued their squabble with Russell heading heavily into the pit bend wall although both cars had to retire.

There was a good turn out of formula II drivers with the local drivers being Paul and Craig Reid (Cowdenbeath), Simon Cranson (Cowdenbeath), Dale Burt (Lochgelly) and Gordon Moodie (Windygates).

Their opening heat was another of their white/yellow challenge races with Brian Hogg going straight into the lead although initially challenged by Cranson. Jason Blacklock moved into second and slowly set about reducing the gap to the leader. Although he got close Hogg held on to win from Blacklock and Alex Hamilton with C. Reid in fourth and Burt in seventh place.

A coating of oil on the wet track made life difficult for the drivers as the opening heat got underway with Cranson leading but Adcroft was an early retirement. Blacklock moved into the lead but lost out to Hamilton but he in turn was relegated down the order as Middler took over at the front of the pack.

Middler extended his lead before going through to win from Moodie and Craig Wallace with P. Reid sixth. Cranson and B. Hogg got involved as heat 2 started with Hogg spinning as a result.

The race was suspended after Garry Sime was involved in a shunt and whilst Hamilton led the cars away the next time round Dennis Middler took the lead. P. Reid spun and when he restarted hit the Blacklock car suspending the race again.

Middler led the field away from Wallace and Burgoyne whilst behind Moodie and Marshall were running nose to tail and swapped places a couple of times whilst they closed in on the leaders. In the end Middler chalked up his second win of the night from Wallace and Burgoyne with Moodie fifth and Cranson ninth.

Moodie was absent from the final with the team busy trying to get the car ready for the last race of the night.

Wallace was sent wide, clipped the wall with his car shedding a wheel and stopping the race. On the restart B. Hogg led over the opening laps before Cranson moved ahead, Stevie Forster spun on the pit bend and somehow missed by the pack before he restarted. Middler was moving through the field and took the lead just before the half distance but broke his spring guard and had to retire. This handed the lead to Sime with Dawson second but had Marc Fortune on his back bumper and looking for a way through. Sime proceeded to reel off the remaining laps to win the final from Dawson who still had Fortune glued to his back bumper.

Moodie was back out for the Grand National but clipped the wall early on and had to retire. This time Forster charged through to win from Dawson, Adcroft and Cranson with Sime ninth.

Robin Copland, Keith Mitchell and Ryan Muirhead were having their first saloon outing whilst it looked as if Willie Mitchell had resolved his mechanical problems. Local drivers were Ross Watters (Leven) and Alex Cunningham (Leven).

The opening race was another white/yellow challenge heat with Greg Honeyman going into the lead but Mitchell was ahead a couple of laps later. After Jamie Connacher had been spun the race was suspended with Mitchell leading the field away going on to win from Barry Glen, G, Honeyman and Cunningham.

The opening heat was led off by G. Honeyman but on a greasy surface there were a few spinners and the race was suspended. G. Honeyman then led with Cunningham in close order but it was Marc Honeyman who soon moved through into the lead and he went through to win from G, Honeyman and Russell with Watters in fifth.

Heat two had a couple of stoppages the first after Hughes rolled and ended up with Copland on top. Once the cars had been removed G. Honeyman led the cars away but when Graeme Anderson stopped on the top bend the race was stopped again. By now W. Mitchell was the leader and he led the field away, Ross Watters was spun then Glen was shunted wide by Russell with the compliment being repaid a couple of laps later. With three laps remaining Grief moved into the lead before going through to win from Shevill and W. Mitchell.

Although G. Honeyman led the cars away at the start to the final within a few laps W. Mitchell was ahead and pulling away from the field. Shevill and Grief were slowly working their way through the field but as the laps dwindled Shevill dived into the pit bend all but hitting Watters and this allowed Grief to dive inside, However, W. Mitchell was on his way to win from G. Honeyman with Shevill just holding onto third with Watters in ninth place.

Amongst the prostox drivers in action were local drivers Ricky White (Thornton), Sean Devine (Leslie), Grady Ross (Lochgelly) and Callum McIvor (Inverkeithing).

Gary Nicholls charged away to record an easy opening heat win over White and Tam Melrose with Devine seventh and Ross eighth. Nicholls then scored another easy win in heat two this time leading home Melrose, White and Ross with Devine in sixth place.

Nicholls had to start the final from the red grade with Tony Wright leading the cars away from Grady Ross but the latter retired and it was Melrose who moved into second. With half the race gone Melrose took the lead and went on to win from Nicholls and White with Devine in fifth.

Amongst a lower than usual lighting rod field were local drivers Sean Farrell (Glenrothes), Mark Somerville (Kirkcaldy) and Gordon Brown (Leven) although Somerville was to encounter problems and didn’t race.

Chrissy Dearn Jnr won the opening heat from Andy Chisholm and Brown. Chisholm then won heat two from Dearn Jnr, Farrell and Brown. With Chisholm an early casualty when the final started Dearn Jnr went on to a comfortable win over Brown and Farrell.

This Saturday the formula IIs and saloons are back in action along with the ORCi stock rods, ministox and microf2s. Gordon Moodie has already got a healthy lead in the National Points race and he will be looking for another good outing.

The ministox drivers are racing for their “Let the sparks fly” Trophy and we can expect another close dice between Steven Burgoyne and Euan Millar. The meeting starts at 6.00pm as usual.

The bookings for the BBA Unlimited banger World Cup keep rolling in with the total now exceeding 60 drivers. More details to follow.