THE weather was glorious at The Racewall, Cowdenbeath, on Saturday night and the drivers responded with a cracking stock car meeting which was full of incidents, writes our Racewall scribe Jim Turner.

For the second successive week the pits were full with the top pit area being utilized with over 100 cars at the meeting.

The track surface was dry and as a result there were plenty of high speed action and in one incident in the Prostock Basic formula, Craig Oliver made contact with another car on the turnstile bend and ended up rolling his car in spectacular fashion.

In the Micro F2s Charlie Burgoyne and Ethan Jack Gemmell rolled their cars in separate incidents but once out of their cars there were broad smiles on their faces.

Willie Lindsay had an eventful first outing of the season at The Racewall being edged wide, clipped the wall and as a result his car stopped on the main straight and was promptly collected by Liam Rennie and then by Euan Millar.

Prior to the start of the meeting Chris Burgoyne was given a victory lap to celebrate his British Championship win down at Mildenhall.

There was a good turn out of the BriSCA Formula II cars with Adam Blacklock, Emma Mellis, Ian Thompson and Stevie Forster having their first outings of the year whilst Paul Moss, Les Smart and Colin Gregg were welcome visitors to swell the ranks to over the 20 mark for the first time this season.

Local drivers on the grid included Gregor Turner (Dunfermline), Kieran Howie (Dunfermline), Paul and Craig Reid (Cowdenbeath) and Ian Thompson (Kennoway)

The opening heat had a close finish with long time leader Turner, who had suffered a puncture on the penultimate lap, being caught and passed by Craig Wallace on the last lap but the latter tried to squeeze through on the inside as the cars charged down the straight only for Wallace to hang on for a narrow win with Steven Burgoyne in third and P. Reid in ninth place.

Heat two saw Turner soon through into the lead but this time it was Burgoyne who squeezed into the top spot during the closing stages to win from Turner and Wallace.

Colin Forbes made the better of the starts to lead the cars away when the final started whilst Turner out-dragged Gregg to slot into third. Within a couple of laps Turner was ahead from Mellis and Burgoyne although the latter was son through into second.

Blacklock relegated Mellis down another place although she retired a lap later. Wallace was making inroads through the field but had Euan Millar in close order and they were running just ahead of Garry Sime and Robbie Dawson.

As the laps dwindled so to did the gap between Turner and Burgoyne and with five laps remaining Burgoyne moved ahead. Turner began to drop down the order with Blacklock coming through into second with Wallace third and that is how the race finished.

Wallace went on to win the Grand National from Millar and John Hogg with Turner sixth and Burgoyne picking up an eighth place after starting the race with a lap handicap.

There was another good turn out of the 2 Litre National Saloons including visitor John Wagstaff, whilst Euan Mathieson and Aaryn Triggs were having their first outing of the year.

However, the drivers came across Luke Grief who dominated the proceedings and ended up with a hat trick of wins. The local drivers in action included Ross Watters (Leven) and Eck Cunningham (Leven).

Holly Glen was the first to show when heat one started although she was under pressure from Ross Forrest over the first half of the race.

Grief was picking up places on a regular basis and during the closing stages got ahead of Cunningham and H. Glen in quick succession. Once ahead he went through to win from Cunningham with Graeme Shevill in third spot.

Heat two saw H. Glen again led but this time Forrest was through into the lead after a few laps. Marc Honeyman was soon through into the lead although Grief was steadily reducing the gap but it wasn’t until the closing stages that he took the lead. Once ahead Grief went through to win from M. Honeyman and Ian McLaughlin with Cunningham in seventh place.

The final proved to be fast and furious with H. Glen again the first to show but she was to be caught and passed by Cunningham. Grief was on a charge and at the half distance was ahead and then through for a hat trick of wins crossing the line ahead of Shevill and McLaughlin with Cunningham in fourth place.

The Ministox drivers were in good form with Lewis Clark Burgoyne making his debut whilst Charlie Santry was a welcome visitor from south of the Border. Local drivers in action included Gary Paterson (Saline), Danny Whyte (Lochgelly), Scott Allardyce (Anstruther), Mitch Gold (Leven), Jamie Stewart (Glenrothes) and Michael Mitchell (Lochgelly)

The opening race was the RGM Thistle Trophy and what a race it turned out to be! Jamie Stewart’s car stopped on the warm up lap and after the grid was reformed Barry Scott moved into the lead only to see the race suspended after Taylor Borthwick was sent spinning.

On the restart Scott led but Logan Bruce was sent crashing out of the race after being spun by Allardyce and Scott. Whyte led the cars away but he had Mika Millar and Mitchell in close order whilst Santry was quickly into his stride.

Within a couple of laps Santry had forced his way into the lead and began to ease away. Mitchell moved into second but was under pressure from Millar and Declan Honeyman. As the laps were reeled off Santry opened up a gap before going through for an easy win over Mitchell and Millar with Whyte in fifth, Allardyce sixth and ahead of Gold.

The Minis then had two Allcomers races with Allardyce winning the first from Scott and Stewart with Gold in fifth place. Allcomers two saw Allardyce go straight into the lead and was still clear at the close where he led home Santry and Stewart with Gold in sixth and just ahead of Whyte and Mitchell.

There was another good turn out of Prostock basic drivers with Chris Bell in the Charity car having raised around £1,900 for the Royal Hospice for Sick Children. Graeme Dignan and Paul Ramsay were having their first outings. Local drivers on the grid included Graeme and Jordan Dignan (Leven), Connor Jones (Glenrothes), Cameron Whitley (Buckhaven) and Michael Stafford (Methil).

The first heat was led off by G. Dignan but within a couple of laps Craig Oliver was leading. During the latter stages Dougie Ford closed the gap and he nipped through to win from Oliver and G. then J. Dignan. Heat two was stopped early on after Oliver rolled his car spectacularly taking out a couple of other cars as he did so. G. Dignan led the field away but there was another stoppage but with the laps dwindling there was a spate of minor crashes and it was Ford who went on to win from Craig Warner and Ryan Sher.

Bell was clipped at the start to the race and crashed out and after a restart Cameron Whitley was edged into the wall and then collected by a few others suspending the race. Ryan Burden then led the field away but there was drama at the start to the last lap when Warner sent Connor Jones into a spin and he collected Robert Grant as he tried to nip through. Warner went round to win from Grant with Sher again in third.

The Micro F2 drivers turned up in their numbers, and despite their young age group, served up some action packed races which were again sponsored by Rogerson Coach Travel. Local drivers in action were Connor St. Aubyn (Glenrothes), Nicole Allerdyce (Anstruther) and Lennon Cuthill (Glenrothes).

In the opening heat Charlie Burgoyne was clipped by another car and ended up rolling his car. Once the race restarted James Owen just pipped Alfie Smith at the finish line to win with Rhys Anderson in third place.

However, during heat two Smith just ran away with the race to score an easy win from Dean Heeps and Todd Anderson. Heat three was suspended after Gemmell rolled his car but on the restart Smith just drove away from the pack to win from Burgoyne and April Todd.

This Saturday it looks like another exciting offering with the BriSCA Formula II and 2 Litre Saloon drivers taking top billing with the ORCi Stock Rods, 1300 Saloons and the Prostock drivers backing them up. The meeting starts as usual at 6.00pm.