ALTHOUGH it was a bit dull weather wise on Saturday night at the Cowdenbeath Racewall, the Autospeed Promotions 2 Litre National Saloon World Final meeting was an exhilarating one.

Daniel Parker forced his way through into the lead and despite coming under pressure towards the close by the defending champion Simon Welton, went through to win, writes Racewall scribe Jim Turner.

The meeting was punctuated with plenty of rollovers and shunts and the action was such that you were frightened to look away.

Amongst those who rolled were Robert Mawhinney, Euan Mathieson, Simon Venni and Ross Watters in the saloons, whilst Conor Hughes and Liam Rennie rolled their formula IIs.

The racing continued in the same vein on Sunday and there was a rollover for Lewis Gallie whilst Mathieson clambered up the pit bend wall but somehow didn’t roll.

The end to the Raymond Gunn Tribute race was a classic with Lee Sampson just fending off a last ditch challenge that had the crowd out of their seats.

On Saturday the first of the saloon races was for the last chance qualifying places with no fewer than 26 cars taking to the track with only six places up for grabs. Local drivers in action were Kyle Irvine (Glenrothes), Raymond Dick (Glenrothes), Ross Watters (Leven) and Alex Cunningham (Leven).

The main race for their 2 Litre saloon World Final and whilst only Carl Waterfield was unable to attend that allowed Ian Govier onto the grid in his place.

The last chance qualifying race was won by Jamie Sampson who led home Adam O’Dell and Luke Grief with Dick fifth and Cunningham sixth.

The drivers were paraded around the track, each receiving a memento from Gilmore Engineering and then they lined up on the grid. To the command of “gentlemen start your engines,” all 36 car engines burst into life. However, there was disaster for Watters who broke a drive shaft and had to be pushed off the grid!

When the green flag dropped to start the race the front row duo of Shane Davies and Deane Mayes touched and as they did this allowed Michael Allard and Daniel Parker though into the lead positions.

However, on lap two the race was stopped after Simon Venni got caught up in the action and ended up rolling on the back straight. Once the grid reformed Allard led the pack away but Parker sent him wide to take the lead.

Allard was moved over as Mayes moved into second whilst Cunningham slowed to retire but next time around Allard was back into second place.

Simon Welton began his move and got ahead of Davies and then closed in on Allard.

As the laps began to dwindle Ian McLaughlin was moving up the order getting inside of Davies for sixth. Welton was now on a charge and reeled in Allard before claiming second spot.

The gap between the leaders closed dramatically but when lining up the lead, Welton was clipped and sent into a spin. Parker then finished the lap to become the 2017 World Champion from Allard with David Aldous in third and McLaughlin fourth.

The consolation race saw Watters pushed to the wall but as they entered the turnstile bend he was shunted into the wall and rolled. Tam Rutherford Jnr led the race for a good part of it but in the end lost out to Vennie who won from J. Sampson and Rutherford Jnr.

The final gave the Scottish drivers their first win of the night when McLaughlin took the chequer ahead of Davies and Ross Graham.

The formula II racing proved to be fast and exciting with plenty of contact and a few sins thrown in for good measure. Local drivers were Gregor Turner (Dunfermline), Kieran Howie (Dunfermline), Paul and Craig Reid (Cowdenbeath) and Ian Thompson (Kennoway)

The Young Guns race was won by Dean McCrory who led home Anthony Kincaid and Jonathan Hadfield.

Heat one ended with Thompson going through to win from Robbie Dawson and Craig Wallace with Turner in eighth place. Christopher Kincaid then won heat two from Ryan Wadling and George MacMillan Jnr. Marc Fortune came out on top in the consolation race where he led home from Craig Driscoll, Bradley McKinstry and Howie with P. Reid in seventh place.

The start to the Geo Mac 100 Tribute race was amazing with MacMillan Jnr clipping a tyre getting airborne and spinning then collecting the cars beside him resulting in Hughes rolling his car. Driscoll led on the restart lost out to Henry King then Wadling. Howeve,r Wallace came charging through into the lead and even had to survive a restart before winning from C. Kincaid and Dennis Middler with P. Reid seventh and Howie in tenth place.

On Sunday the main race for the formula IIs was their Nationals and in a drawn grid P. Reid shared the front row with Hughes, Turner row 10 with Howie behind and Thompson on the very last row.

Reid led the race for a few laps before David Polley took over and he went through to win from Middler, Wallace, Thompson and Reid.

In the heat which followed C. Kincaid won from Rennie and Dawson with Reid in eighth and Howie ninth. The third heat was won by Wallace who led home Thompson and Middler with Turner in eighth place.

Rennie won the meeting final.

The saloons continued where they had left off Lee Sampson winning heat one from Allard and Venni. David Aldous won heat two where he led home Adam O’Dell and Grief with Dick in eighth place and just ahead of Cunningham and Watters. After Gallie’s roll, Willie Skoyles Jnr went on to win from Graham and Casey Engleston.

The final was for the Raymond Gunn Tribute and what a race it turned out to be with a stoppage not long after the race had started. Rutherford led the cars away only for J. Sampson to take over at the front of the pack but when Aldous was dumped hard into the wall the race had to be suspended. J. Sampson led the field away with Watters forcing his way into contention but after Govier ended up against the wall the race was again suspended. The Sampson’s took turns at challenging Watters for the lead but with a couple of laps left L. Sampson took over at the front but on the last bend both he and Watters went in hard – Sampson survived to win but Watters spun and it was K. McIvor and Skoyles Jnr who filled the top three places.

There was some close and exciting stock rod racing with local drivers Steven Archibald (Glenrothes), Jim Pitcaithly (Kirkcaldy), Stuart Wedderburn (Leven), Simon Laing (Springfield).

Paul Prentice won heat one. Ian Thompson Snr won heat two and Leon Stewart went on to win the final from Thompson Snr and Pitcaithly.

This Saturday it is a normal meeting with the BriSCA heritage F2s racing for their Gold Cup and they are joined in the fray by the formula IIs, the Classic Hot Rods, the 1300cc saloons and the prostox with the meeting getting underway at 6pm