IT was a beautiful evening at the GMP Cowdenbeath Racewall on Saturday night and whilst the spectators may have though it would be a quiet night boy were they mistaken, writes our Racewall reporter Jim Turner!

Pete Davidson had an entertaining night in the formula IIs rolling his car during the white/ yellow challenge heat where he was to escape with not too much damage. However, during the early laps of heat two he spun with Jason Blacklock and before they could restart Daniel Scrimgeour and Paul Reid clambered over them.

How Scrimgeour didn’t roll remains a mystery but Reid did, clattering his car off the wall and wrecking his wing. Luckily he stepped out unhurt.

On the other side of the coin the stock rod racing was fast with some close dicing especially between the World Champion Michael Bethune and the British Champion Jim Pitcaithly.Chris Burgoyne just back from Northern Ireland took a well deserved victory lap as he showed off his British Championship Trophy.

The 1300cc saloon drivers were in good form with 12 cars in action and when Jeff Cosans won his heat he tried to recall his last win. In the end he reckoned it was 25 years plus when he raced in the bangers!

Despite the formula II Ben Fund Trophy meeting being staged down at Taunton there was a decent turn out of formula II drivers with the locals being Kieran Howie (Dunfermline), Paul and Craig Reid (Cowdenbeath), Simon Cranson (Cowdenbeath) and Dale Burt (Lochgelly)

Their opening race was another of the white/yellow challenge series and after Davidson’s roll Kieran Howie led until the closing stages when Daniel Scrimgeour dived through and then on to win. Howie held on to second place with Holly Glen in third spot with C. Reid sixth and Burt seventh.

The opening heat saw Howie go through to win from Craig Wallace and Scrimgeour with Cranson in fifth and P. Reid eighth. Heat two had a hectic start and was suspended after Reid’s spectacular rollover. On the restart Burgoyne went on to record a comfortable win over Robbie Dawson and Garry Sime with Howie in eighth and C. Reid tenth.

When the final started Glen went straight into the lead from Howie but Burgoyne was quickly through the red graders and once he did he set off after the leaders. As soon as lap five he was leading the race and literally pulling away from the field. Dawson had moved to the front of the red graders and whilst he eased away from them wasn’t making an impression on Burgoyne’s lead. Burgoyne eased off slightly but was still well clear when he crossed the finish line from Dawson with Wallace in third place and Cranson back in eighth.

The Grand National started off on a dry track but within a couple of laps it was coated with oil. Dawson was soon through into the lead but Burgoyne’s progress was amazing, finding traction where others couldn’t and given another lap could well have won. As it was Dawson was still ahead from Burgoyne with Wallace again in third with C. Reid in eighth place.

Brian Wilson (Cupar) and Gary Nicholls made their stock rod debut on Saturday night whilst the local drivers were James Matson (Glenrothes), David Dignan (Leven), Stuart McKinnon (Kincardine), Steven Archibald (Glenrothes), Jim Pitcaithly (Kirkcaldy), Chris Wallace (Buckhaven), Dougie McLean (Glenrothes), Simon Laing (St. Andrews), John Lee Green (Cowdenbeath), Brian Wilson (Cupar) and Michael Bethune (Kirkcaldy).

The opening stock rod heat was their final and was for the Gordon Ross Memorial Trophy. The cars were drawn in a random grid with Laing on pole with Simon Morris alongside with Bethune and Pitcaithly starting from row 3. Morris made the better of the starts to lead the field away but within a couple of laps Bethune was ahead but had Pitcaithly glued to his back bumper. Cameron Doak was third after getting ahead of Morris whilst Leon Stewart was making up ground from a lowly grid start. In the end Bethune hung on for a close win from Pitcaithly and Doak with McLean in sixth and just ahead of Green with Laing ninth and Wallace in tenth place.

The first heat saw James Gray go through to win from Matson and Bethune with Mclean sixth and ahead of McKinnon and Pitcaithly with Wilson in ninth place. Although Pitcaithly had crossed the line first he was penalized for an infringement thus handing the race to McLean with Matson third ahead of Bethune with Green sixth, McKinnon eighth and Laing ninth.

Despite at least a couple of drivers being missing there were 12 1300cc saloons in action. Local drivers were Lee Wilson (Comrie), Fraser Anderson (Cowdenbeath), Jeff Cosans (Dunfermline), Mike Byers (Methil) and Arron Hastie (Ceres)

The opening heat saw Grant McGowan go through to win from Anderson and Hastie with Wilson in fifth and Cosans seventh. Cosans turned back the clock when he went through to win the second heat from McGowan and Anderson.

The final ended with Anderson picking up the win from Jordan Clark, McGowan and Cosans.

The ministox drivers were in good form with the local drivers Gary Paterson (Saline). Danny Whyte (Lochgelly), Mitch Gold (Leven) and Michael Mitchell (Lochgelly)

Euan Millar went through to win the opening heat where he led home Steven Burgoyne and Sean Naismith with Paterson seventh and Gold in ninth place. In heat two Burgoyne fended off Millar’s late challenge to win with Naismith again in third with Paterson in sixth and Mitchell in eighth.

Heat three saw Burgoyne make a break from the pack and again he went through to win from Millar and Naismith with Mitchell in sixth place and Gold in eighth.

The microf2s were in good form with the local drivers being Leon Muir (Thornton) and Rebecca Reid (Cowdenbeath).

Heat one saw Lewis Burgoyne go through to win from Ross McLaughlin and Reid with Muir in sixth. Burgoyne then picked up his second win when he came out on top in heat two from Hannah Borthwick and Reid with Muir again in sixth place. Their last heat ended with Burgoyne making it a clean sweep when he led home Dawson and Muir with Reid in fifth place.

This Saturday brings the mighty formula I cars back to Scotland and on Saturday not only are they racing for the Scottish Championship as well as a World Championship qualifying round. There could well be three Scottish drivers on the grid coming in the form of Paul Ford, Stuart Shevill and Chris Burgoyne. The formula I grid is a strong one with World Champion Rob Speak and British Champion Frankie Wainman Jnr almost certain to be in action. The ones are backed up by the formula IIs, saloons and BriSCA minis. The stockarts are scheduled to be in action around 2.00pm whilst the meeting starts at 5.00pm

Gordon Moodie (Windygates) was racing at a two day meeting at Taunton and on Saturday night won his heat but had to settle for the runners up spot in the final then the Grand National. On Sunday Moodie won the Ray Tyldesley final.